"The rain has finally stopped…"
After a quiet and somewhat long afternoon by the fireplace, the torrential rain that had lasted for several hours outside the window finally began to subside.
Naruto walked to the window and pushed it open. A cool breeze, mixed with the scent of earth and plants and the unique dampness after rain, wafted in.
Satsuki also looked up and gazed out the window. The post-rain tranquility, however, brought an inexplicable sense of loss and sadness to her heart.
The rain has stopped… Does that mean… Naruto is also leaving? Tonight… will she really be alone in this house?
The thought of facing the long night alone, and the deep longing for her parents' safety, made Satsuki unconsciously lower her head.
Just then, a hand once again gently landed on her head, and with a familiar strength, ruffled her hair.
Satsuki was slightly startled. She found that she… actually really liked this feeling. Being petted on the head gave her a sense of being cherished and protected.
At the same time, a tiny bit of confusion arose in her heart: why had Naruto never made such an intimate gesture towards her before?
Naruto's inner thought, however, was that he should take advantage of this rare opportunity to pat her head more… until Fugaku and Mikoto returned safely tomorrow.
With her parents' love and companionship, Satsuki's mood would calm down, and she would probably soon revert to her original proud "Nizhu Zi." At that point, it might not be so easy to pat her head so casually…
"Satsuki," Naruto withdrew his hand and asked in a light tone, "Do you want to go out for a walk together?"
"A walk?" Satsuki looked up.
"Yes," Naruto nodded, "Just for a stroll or something. The small forest and riverbank where we train together are nearby, right? The air after the rain is also very nice. Do you want to go for a walk there?"
Naruto knew that when one is engulfed in great sorrow, the most taboo thing is to stay alone in a confined environment, doing nothing; that would only allow negative emotions to constantly ferment and grow.
Going out, connecting with nature, and getting the body moving is a better way to relieve it.
Satsuki was silent for a moment. She vaguely understood Naruto's intention. She nodded gently. "…Mm."
This straightforward, un-tsundere agreement made Naruto feel somewhat new and unaccustomed.
If it were before, with Satsuki's personality, she would definitely first awkwardly turn her head away and say something like, "Since you're begging me so much, I'll reluctantly go with you."
"Alright then, let's go."
Naruto deliberately chose a walking spot on the outskirts of the village, a secluded path near the river where few people went. His intention was obvious.
He didn't want the pointing and discussions in the village regarding the Uchiha clan's extermination and Satsuki's survivor status, nor those strange looks and whispers, to hurt Satsuki again.
The two of them thus stepped out of the empty Uchiha Clan Compound gate, one after the other, and walked onto the quiet path leading to the outskirts of Konoha.
The recently ceased downpour had washed the entire world clean, and the air was filled with a rich, refreshing dampness.
Along the way, Naruto diligently searched for topics, chatting with Satsuki about the most ordinary things. For example, his recent insights from taijutsu training, the lessons Iruka-sensei at the Ninja Academy had recently taught, how the mushrooms on the back mountain had been growing more lately…
He carefully avoided any topics that might be related to "family," "relatives," or "last night," using only these light, fragmented daily matters to try and gradually fill the silence between them.
As they walked, a complex, inexpressible emotion gradually spread through Satsuki's heart. Although she felt she was about to be cast into an incredibly lonely future, a warm force consistently surrounded her, dispelling the chill.
Her gaze involuntarily fell upon the blonde boy beside her.
Naruto… he's different from me. He seems to… have never had a family, right? He's always been alone…
…What was I doing before?
The two walked side by side for a while, arriving at a long bench by the river, meant for resting. The bench was made of thick wood and looked very sturdy, but unfortunately, the recent heavy rain had soaked it through, making it not a good place to sit and rest at the moment.
However, for a ninja who could precisely control Chakra, this minor inconvenience was nothing.
Naruto naturally extended his hand, his palm hovering above the wet surface of the bench, and a pure Chakra began to gather in his palm.
The next moment, the nature of that Chakra quietly changed, taking on the unique warmth of the fire attribute.
A Chakra with just the right amount of heat gently enveloped the entire bench. Visibly, the water droplets on the bench's surface rapidly evaporated.
Yet, the wooden bench itself was unharmed, and even its temperature was only heated to a pleasantly warm, never scalding, degree.
After doing all this, Naruto withdrew his hand and deliberately turned around, displaying a triumphant expression.
This look finally made a faint but genuine smile appear on Satsuki's usually tense and sad little face.
Subsequent actions were logical. The two naturally sat down on the bench, which emanated a comfortable warmth, feeling the warmth from beneath them that dispelled the post-rain chill.
After sitting for a while, Naruto's gaze was drawn to a vending machine standing by the roadside not far away.
"You sit here and don't move," he said to Satsuki as he stood up. "I'll go buy two drinks and be right back."
Satsuki nodded, her gaze unconsciously following Naruto's retreating figure. Only after confirming that he had merely stopped in front of the vending machine within her line of sight and hadn't gone far, did she quietly breathe a sigh of relief in her heart.
However, she soon realized that after Naruto inserted coins, pressed buttons, and retrieved two cans of drinks, he didn't immediately return.
Instead, he stood in front of the vending machine, head down, seemingly tinkering with something.
Why isn't he coming back? What is he doing there?
But seeing that Naruto was still steadily within her line of sight and showed no intention of leaving, she suppressed the urge to get up and go over, merely continuing to look in that direction with a slight unease, waiting.