Naruto: Naruto's Uchiha girlfriend is too tsundere

The rain has stopped... Does that mean... Naruto is leaving too? Tonight... will I really be left alone in this house?

The thought of facing the long night alone, and the deep longing for her parents' safety, made Zuoyue unconsciously lower her head.

Just then, a hand gently landed on her head again, ruffling her hair with a familiar force.

Zuo Yue was slightly taken aback. She realized that she actually really liked this feeling. When her head was stroked, she felt cherished and protected.

At the same time, a small question arose in her mind: why had Naruto never made such intimate gestures towards her before?

Naruto's inner thought was that he should take advantage of this rare opportunity to pat Fugaku's head as much as possible... so that Fugaku and Mikoto could return safely tomorrow.

With her parents' love and companionship, Zuo Yue's mood calmed down. She'll probably soon revert to her proud "Er Zhu Zi" self. Then, it won't be so easy for them to pat her head so readily anymore...

"Satsuki," Naruto withdrew his hand and asked in a light tone, "Want to go out for a walk together?"

"Want to take a stroll?" Zuo Yue looked up.

"Yeah," Naruto nodded, "Let's go for a walk or something. The grove of trees and the river where we trained together are nearby, right? The air is really nice after the rain. Want to go for a walk there?"

Naruto knew that when one is overwhelmed with grief, the worst thing to do is to stay in a closed environment and do nothing, as that would only allow negative emotions to fester and grow.

Going outside, connecting with nature, and getting your body moving are better ways to relieve stress.

Satsuki was silent for a moment, then vaguely understood Naruto's intention. She nodded slightly. "...Mm."

This straightforward and decisive agreement, without the slightest hint of arrogance or rebuttal, actually made Naruto feel somewhat novel and unaccustomed.

In the past, given Satsuki's personality, she would have awkwardly turned her head away and said something like, "Since you've asked me to do this, I'll reluctantly go with you."

"Okay, let's go."

Naruto deliberately chose to take a walk on a secluded path near the river on the outskirts of the village. His intention was obvious.

He didn't want those strange looks and whispers from the village about the Uchiha clan massacre and Satsuki's survival to hurt Satsuki again.

The two of them stepped out of the deserted Uchiha clan compound gate one after the other and onto the quiet path leading to the outskirts of Konoha.

The torrential rain that had just stopped washed the world clean, and the air was filled with a rich, refreshing, and humid scent.

Along the way, Naruto tried hard to find topics to talk about, chatting with Satsuki about the most ordinary things. For example, his recent experiences with taijutsu training, the lessons Iruka-sensei had been teaching at the Ninja Academy, and how many mushrooms had grown on the back mountain lately…

He carefully avoided any topics that might be related to "family," "relatives," or "last night," and tried to fill the silence between them little by little with these light and trivial daily things.

As she walked, a complex and indescribable emotion gradually spread through Zuo Yue's heart. She felt as if she was about to be thrown into an incredibly lonely future, but there was always a warm force surrounding her, dispelling the chill.

Her gaze involuntarily fell on the blond boy beside her.

Naruto... he's different from me. It seems like he... never had any family, right? He's always been alone...

What have I been doing all this time?

The two walked side by side for a while and came to a bench by the river where people could rest. The bench was made of thick wood and looked very sturdy, but unfortunately, it was soaked by the heavy rain and was not a good place to sit down and rest.

However, for ninjas who can precisely control chakra, this little trouble is nothing.

Naruto casually stretched out his hand, his palm hovering above the wet surface of the bench, and a surge of pure chakra began to gather in his palm.

The next moment, the nature of the chakra subtly changed, taking on the warmth characteristic of fire attribute.

A gentle warmth of chakra enveloped the entire bench, and the water droplets on its surface visibly evaporated.

The wooden bench itself remained completely undamaged, and its temperature was only heated to a comfortable level that would not cause burns.

After doing all this, Naruto withdrew his hand, deliberately turned around, and showed a smug expression.

This sight finally brought a faint but genuine smile to Zuo Yue's usually tense and sorrowful face.

The subsequent actions proceeded naturally. The two sat down comfortably on the warm bench, feeling the warmth beneath them that dispelled the chill of the rain.

After sitting for a while, Naruto's gaze was drawn to a vending machine standing not far away by the roadside.

"Sit here and don't move." He stood up and said to Zuo Yue, "I'm going to buy two drinks, I'll be right back."

Satsuki nodded, her gaze unconsciously following Naruto's back until she was sure he had only stopped in front of the vending machine within her sight and hadn't gone far. Only then did she secretly breathe a sigh of relief.

However, she soon discovered that Naruto did not return immediately after inserting the coin, pressing the button, and taking out the two cans of drinks.

Instead, he stood in front of the vending machine, head down, seemingly fiddling with something.

Why don't you come back? What are you doing there?

But seeing that Naruto was still standing steadily within her line of sight and showed no sign of leaving, she suppressed the urge to get up and go over, and continued to look in that direction with slight unease, waiting.

Chapter 109 A Burning Feeling of Reassurance

Finally, Naruto finished fiddling with the vending machine, turned around and walked back quickly, handing a can of drink to Satsuki.

"Here it is! Delicious strawberry milk!" he said with a grin. "This is a certain curly-haired guy's favorite. Anyway, drink it with gratitude!"

"Curly hair?" Satsuki didn't quite understand who Naruto was referring to with this sudden nickname.

However, the moment her fingertips touched the jar, an unexpected sensation came from her palm.

It is warm.

It was warm, just the right amount of soothing her fingers, which were a little cold from her walk after the rain.

So... when he was lingering in front of the vending machine earlier, he wasn't fiddling with anything else, but rather using fire-style chakra... to heat up this can of milk?

He actually used his cultivated chakra... to do this kind of thing...

Satsuki held the warm milk can, momentarily stunned. This meticulous thoughtfulness was completely beyond her expectations. Although she had indeed felt a little cold during her walk, wasn't this kind of care a bit... excessive?

Naruto had already sat down again on the warm bench next to her, holding a regular can of orange juice in his hand.

He turned his head and watched as Zuo Yue lowered her head and began to sip the warm strawberry milk, before asking expectantly, "How are you feeling? Are you warmer?"

The sweet and warm taste of the milk slid down her throat, effectively dispelling much of the chill in her body. Satsuki paused for a moment, feeling the tangible warmth, and nodded gently. "...Mm."

"Oh, I see... That's good then." Naruto shook the orange juice in his hand. "I'm thinking about what to have for dinner later. If you had to choose, would you like to go back and try my cooking? Or... shall we go eat Ichiraku Ramen?"

...That's about what happened next.

If Sazuki were to choose based on her own feelings, she would undoubtedly choose to have Naruto cook for her.

However, at this moment, the words "afterwards," "evening," and "tomorrow," which are related to the future, are quietly pricking her fragile nerves.

Regarding tonight… For the first time in her life, Satsuki felt an utter fear of the approaching night. Just the thought that Naruto might leave after nightfall and return to his own home, leaving her alone in this empty house… filled her with a suffocating panic.

However, reason kept telling her she couldn't do that. Naruto had already done enough for her, from spending time with him yesterday to this warm bottle of milk… she had caused him enough trouble. To make any more unreasonable demands would be too willful and immature…

Two conflicting emotions were rife within her, causing her to fall into a long silence, unable to answer Naruto's seemingly simple question about dinner.

Naruto looked at the little girl who had suddenly fallen silent and whose eyes were wandering and uneasy. He thought she just had a little difficulty making decisions, so he tried to break the deadlock with a tone of discussion.

"How about... I cook tonight? But I think we're out of tomatoes in the fridge... I'll have to go buy some more...?"

He stopped abruptly halfway through his sentence.

He felt a hand gripping his coat sleeve carefully, yet with unusual force.

Naruto lowered his head and met Sasuke's raised eyes, which were filled with tears and almost pleading.

"Can I... say something...very impulsive..." Her voice was barely audible.

"Sasuki..."

Satsuki seemed to have used up all her courage, looked directly into Naruto's eyes, and spoke out her deepest fears and pleas.

"Don't go... Today... Please... Even until tomorrow's sun rises... Stay by my side..."

Her voice was choked with sobs, yet unusually clear, "Please... don't go anywhere... I can't go alone..."

After saying that last sentence, she lowered her head again, not daring to look Naruto in the eye, afraid of seeing rejection or distress. But the hand gripping his sleeve remained clenched tightly, refusing to let go.

A faint, suppressed sob came from beneath her lowered head.

"You're all I have left..."

"...So please...please never...please never leave me..."

After Satsuki uttered that plea in a tearful, almost desperate voice, a brief silence fell over the air.

Although the silence lasted only a few seconds, it was so heavy that it almost crushed Zuo Yue, who had just mustered all her courage.

Every second of waiting felt like being judged, and fear and regret began to fester—had I been too willful? Sure enough, I'm still disliked, aren't I?

Just when she was about to be swallowed up by the silence, Naruto's familiar voice finally rang out, without the slightest hesitation or difficulty.

"...I see, I understand. Let's go then."

"...Go?" Zuo Yue cautiously raised her head, looking at him with teary eyes, not immediately understanding what "go" meant.

“Okay, let’s go.” Naruto nodded firmly. “First, we need to buy some ingredients for dinner. The food in the fridge probably won’t be enough.”

"We definitely need to buy tomatoes, they're your favorite... Hmm, let's see if we can find any fresh fish, maybe we can grill some or make fish soup for dinner? Oh right, we also need to buy some breakfast ingredients, eggs, milk, and stuff like that..."

"Um... also, since we're staying overnight... I don't think I brought any change of clothes or toiletries, so I might have to buy some while I'm at it... Sorry, I might have to shop around for a little while longer."

This series of detailed yet incredibly specific arrangements instantly dispelled all the gloom and unease in Zuo Yue's heart.

She got it.

Naruto didn't find her capricious or troublesome at all. Instead, he readily accepted her excessive request and even began to seriously consider and plan the details of how to stay overnight at her house.

The tension that had been gripping her finally eased completely, and the fear that had almost overwhelmed her receded like a receding tide. She suddenly realized that all her bravado and pretense were finally unnecessary at this moment.

Really... there's no need anymore.

“…Mmm…” She nodded vigorously, her voice trembling with a hint of relief, “Thank you…really…thank you so much…Naruto…”

Looking at the girl in front of him, who was bowing her head and thanking him softly, Naruto felt a little uncomfortable and shook his head.

"No... Actually, I should be the one thanking you."

This was completely beyond Zuo Yue's comprehension. She looked up in confusion, tears still glistening in the corners of her eyes, staring at him in bewilderment. "Why...why?"

Naruto looked at her, his eyes incredibly serious. "Because... it's because you're the one who's willing to let me stay by your side. Thank you so much... for trusting me like that."

In his view, being allowed to get close to someone and be relied upon when they are most vulnerable and in need is itself a precious form of trust.

But these words made Zuo Yue shake her head vigorously, and she couldn't hold back her tears again.

"Don't...don't say such silly things...It's clearly...it's clearly me, isn't it...I'm the one who keeps causing you trouble...I really...I really don't know how to thank you enough..."

“If you really don’t know how to thank me…” Naruto’s voice softened, “then just owe me for now. Anyway, we have plenty of time. You can repay me slowly with many, many more… ‘happy smiles’ in the future.”

“…But that kind of thing…” Satsuki shook her head. “It’s simply not enough…How could that kind of thing possibly be enough…”

She felt that the burden she was bearing was far too heavy to be repaid with a simple "smile".

Naruto didn't let her continue; he interrupted her directly, "You don't believe me?"

Zuo Yue nodded slightly. She couldn't believe it.

“Just now,” Naruto continued, looking into her eyes, “Satsuki was afraid that when she woke up tomorrow, she would have to face loneliness alone again, right?”

Zuo Yue's body trembled slightly.

"But who can say for sure what will happen tomorrow?"

Naruto changed the subject, "But there's one thing I can promise you—tomorrow, I'll still be by your side, just like today. And tomorrow, if you still need me, I'll make the same promise to you again."

He leaned forward slightly to make his words clearer. "These things... I didn't do them because Satsuki asked me to. I just wanted to do them, nothing more. Because being by your side... I feel incredibly happy."

"So even if you don't believe now that 'a happy smile' can repay me, I will always be there for you until you are willing to believe, until you truly feel 'it's good to be alive' again."

After saying that, he reached out and grasped Zuo Yue's cold hand.

"When you feel unwell, just hold my hand like this! Although... this is my first time experiencing this, and I don't know exactly how to do it, at least... I'm very confident in my ability to offer warmth!"

Satsuki's breathing suddenly quickened, her heart pounding wildly in her chest. The emotions surging within her were too complex and too overwhelming; she couldn't discern what they were at all. She only felt a throbbing pain in her chest, as if it were about to burst open by some scalding emotion.

In the end, a thousand words stuck in his throat, condensing into that same pale, repetitive sentence, choked with sobs: "I...I really...don't know...how to thank you..."

Just then, Naruto's other hand gently stroked Sasuke's black hair once again.

"I already said, Satsuki doesn't need to thank me."

"Because you are not my 'burden'. You are my 'choice'."

After a brief pause, he gave a warm smile and made his final announcement.

"but me--"

"I will never regret choosing you."