Chapter 385: Undercurrents
Behind the temple fair's clamor, one slightly elevated hillside quietly overlooked the brilliantly lit venue below. Here proved completely opposite from below's liveliness—cold, quiet, not a single human figure.
This was the viewing location Satsuki selected in advance. Naruto glanced down—that publicly recognized best viewing area clearly still had quite a few empty spots, not filled.
Perhaps Satsuki simply preferred this kind of quiet environment. Naruto thought this way, yet vaguely felt—watching fireworks side by side on an unpopulated hillside, this plot was exactly like anime... and quite cliché at that.
"Look, it's starting."
Satsuki's voice sounded beside him, simultaneously raising her hand pointing toward the night sky. Words just fell—
Whoosh—BOOM!
The first firework accompanied by crisp ascending sound suddenly bloomed at the deep night curtain's highest point!
In an instant, dazzling brilliant radiance like an inverted waterfall illuminated half the sky like daylight, scattered light points trailing long afterglows slowly falling.
Immediately after, the second, third... various colored fireworks successively ascended, competing to splash colors across the night curtain's massive canvas.
Every explosion accompanied faintly transmitted exclamations and admiration from crowds below. Every bloom briefly illuminated the two standing side by side.
Naruto looked up toward the sky, gaze following those instantly fleeting yet ultimately brilliant radiances. But watching, his sight involuntarily, slowly turned toward Satsuki beside him.
Fireworks' flickering radiance reflected on her profile, outlining gentle contours. Black eyes currently focused reflecting full-sky splendor, sparkling with micro-light more moving than any fireworks. Night wind gently lifting her temple-side hair strands, black yukata hem also slightly swaying with wind.
Really very beautiful... regardless from which direction viewed.
Naruto's heart quietly echoed such admiration.
His life experiences and cognition—before his eyes was what he understood as reality. Much less Nine-Tails once mentioned regarding "this perhaps already being the second time."
In his cognition, this young woman growing together with him, from beginning to end, was Uchiha Satsuki.
Like those "Spider-Men"—Peter Parker, Miles Morales, Gwen Stacy, Peni Parker, Peter Porker, Takuya Yamashiro...
They possessed different identities, appearances, genders, even races, but in their core, they were all "Spider-Man."
Using this comparison perhaps wasn't quite appropriate, but Naruto felt there were commonalities.
At this moment, the full-sky fireworks' attraction was rapidly fading. Naruto's attention had been completely seized by the person beside him.
Satsuki's affection toward him—or rather, that only-he-could-"see" bond level system's displayed numerical value—long ago became "too high to calculate."
Then, how exactly should this emotion be described?
Naruto only knew, whenever realizing Satsuki really liked him, perhaps far deeper than "really like," his heart would involuntarily become happy and excited.
Even, a selfish, intense notion frequently surfaced, hoping her gaze would forever only remain on himself, hoping her world contained only himself.
Possessiveness, protectiveness, perhaps also mixing some slight controlling desire he himself might not willingly admit... Naruto clearly felt these emotions within his heart that in traditional cognition perhaps couldn't count as "virtues," with time's passage and deepening feelings, becoming increasingly intense, increasingly difficult to ignore.
When the time comes... how should he broach the topic with Satsuki?
This thought surfaced without warning. From when they originally agreed upon "that time," less than one year remained.
When time arrived, as publicly announced fiancés, their relationship would inevitably need entering a new stage...
Thinking this, Naruto felt his heartbeat suddenly accelerate, blood rushing to his cheeks, even breathing becoming somewhat difficult. He subconsciously averted his gaze, looking back toward the sky, attempting to use fireworks' clamor to conceal inner turmoil.
Finally, the last cluster of brilliant fireworks completely dissipated in the night sky, leaving only faint sulfur smell and gradually dimming starlight.
The temple fair below also accordingly announced conclusion. Clamorous crowds began dispersing in twos and threes. Besides a few snack stalls preparing all-night operations attracting drinkers still lit, most vendors already began skillfully tidying stalls.
"It ended... let's go home." Naruto withdrew his gaze toward the sky, quietly speaking.
"Mm." Satsuki nodded, yet gaze still lingered on the already empty night curtain, as if confirming something. "Today... very happy."
Her tone was calm, yet heart carried a trace of trepidation and anticipation. Today was her first time arriving later than Naruto to an appointment... this absolutely wasn't coincidence. She silently hoped her deliberately arranged "small arrangement" wouldn't waste effort.
The two walked slowly down simple stone steps laid through the hillside forest. All around completely quiet, only summer night insect chirping rising and falling among grass.
Drip.
One point of ice-cold sensation without warning fell on Naruto's head. He subconsciously reached to touch—fingertips transmitted wetness.
Whoooosh—!
Before he could react, fine rain drops suddenly intensified, instantly transforming into torrential downpour, pouring down without buffer.
The rain came fierce and sudden, but summer circumstances couldn't count as too unexpected.
Naruto almost instinctively wanted to mobilize chakra, using Flying Thunder God to bring Satsuki instantly home. However, his thought just arose when his hand was tightly grasped by Satsuki.
Satsuki pulled him running toward the forest's deeper parts ahead, not the slightest intention of using jutsu.
Naruto immediately understood—from leaving home to play until returning home, absolutely no using any jutsu or chakra techniques.
Seems Satsuki didn't want to use jutsu?
The two ran in the increasingly heavy rain curtain, quickly soaked throughout. Fortunately, ahead appeared one tree with abnormally dense, luxuriant branches and leaves.
They hurriedly hid under the tree, temporarily avoiding rain's direct assault. Fortunately currently no lightning and thunder, otherwise hiding under trees would instead prove dangerous.
"Seems just now luck wasn't very good—rain precisely when returning." Satsuki while using her hand back wiping rainwater on her face, spoke.
"But the rain came only after the temple fair completely ended, fireworks all finished." Naruto immediately comforted. "Otherwise, the fireworks display might have been forced to cancel. Thinking this way, we're still quite fortunate."
"Mm... you're right." Satsuki accepted this explanation, but immediately lightly clicked her tongue, looking down at herself. "Really, completely soaked..."
Her yukata and hair were already soaked through, clinging to her body, outlining increasingly exquisite curves. Fortunately summer night temperature wasn't low, not reaching the point of catching cold.
She began organizing dripping wet long hair, brushing away hair strands stuck to cheeks and neck.
However, the following motion made Naruto instantly freeze.
Satsuki very naturally bent down, both hands grabbing the yukata's lower hem soaked fabric, unconcernedly lifting it upward a section, beginning to forcefully wring out rainwater saturating the clothing.
This motion inevitably made Naruto's sight touch below her yukata—from fair smooth skin... to deeper barely visible contours wrapped by equally soaked thin fabric...
"?!"
Naruto violently turned his head away, heart uncontrollably beating violently. Though from objective perspective, the amplitude Satsuki lifted wasn't particularly excessive, revealing merely leg portions, but her completely unguarded, completely unconcerned posture, plus that imagery carrying greater impact under soaked clothing and dim lighting, for Naruto proved lethality somewhat exceeding limits.
"What's wrong? Naruto?" Satsuki stopped her motion, noticing his abnormality, concernedly looking over. "Feeling unwell? Caught cold from rain?"
"No, it's not..." Naruto's ears burned hot, voice somewhat hoarse, still turning head not daring to look at her. "Um... it's, it's showing... next time... don't do this outside."
"There's no one else here." Satsuki righteously responded. "Plus merely wringing dry clothes, just showing leg portions."
She seemingly felt Naruto's reaction somewhat excessive, adding another sentence, voice slightly lower yet carrying more direct implication.
"Besides... this place originally is where you can look."
The overly direct permission-implying words made Naruto feel even greater stimulation, even his neck flushing with red.
"Don't... don't say more..." Naruto almost used breath-voice responding, striving to calm his too-fast heartbeat. "Wait, wait for rain to stop... let's hurry and leave..."
Watching Naruto's obviously impacted, flustered yet adorable reaction, Satsuki finally obediently nodded, not saying anything more.
"..."
Satsuki's other hand hanging at her side suddenly pressed hard against her hand that couldn't help wanting to extend forward, wanting to touch. Finger joints slightly whitened from exertion.
Her pupils in dim lighting somewhat trembled, breathing involuntarily becoming somewhat rapid, shallow. Naruto's golden hair appearing more compliant after soaking, plus just now his flustered embarrassed yet clearly revealing interest and wavering reaction to her words... all this continuously stimulating, teasing the desire named "possession" in Satsuki's heart.
Burning to almost painful desire frantically surged within her heart. Wanting to get closer—rationality's thread under desire's pulling became precarious.
Satsuki closed her eyes, deeply yet extremely restrainedly inhaled, then slowly exhaled, attempting to use cool night wind and rain's dampness to cool nearly boiling blood.
Wait a bit longer...
She repeatedly told herself in her heart, fingernails digging into palm.
Soon... time would arrive shortly.
Wait for that promised day, wait for everything becoming proper and justified, wait for restraints releasing... she wouldn't need to so painfully suppress anymore.
Rain sounds whooshing, concealing her slightly disordered breathing and fingertips' minute trembling. When she reopened her eyes, deep within her gaze that almost obsessive fervor had been forcibly pressed back, recovering a layer of seemingly calm thin ice.