Chapter 390: Love
To create the most perfect birthday cake, Satsuki had bustled in the kitchen almost the entire evening. Repeatedly testing recipes, carefully adjusting sugar and flour ratios, all to pursue that perfect bite of sweetness.
Each taste test was like a devout prayer for the final result. Thus, when their lips finally separated, the first thing Naruto clearly sensed was the lingering taste of birthday cake—mixing cream's richness with fruit's fresh sweetness.
His first kiss... was the unique sweetness Satsuki had personally crafted.
Releasing her arms from around Naruto's neck, Satsuki drew back slightly, yet remained at a close distance where breathing could be heard.
She clearly saw that after understanding what had just happened, Naruto's face—usually wearing a sunny smile—was now turning the same vivid crimson as hers at astonishing speed, perhaps even more vibrant.
Those blue eyes were filled with shock, shyness, helplessness, and the dizziness of being struck by immense surprise.
He seemed to want to say something, yet because of this beautiful and bold "surprise attack," had completely lost the ability to organize words.
Watching Naruto's pure, clearly inexperienced appearance, led into flustered confusion by her initiative, a warm current of accomplishment-filled and sweet happiness instantly flooded Satsuki's heart.
She couldn't help curving her lips into an unprecedented gentle smile filled with satisfaction and affection.
"This birthday present..." Her gaze locked tightly onto those blue eyes flickering with bewildered light. "...Do you like it?"
"...Mm," After brief disorientation, Naruto instinctively, honestly followed his heart's voice. "I like it."
If the most precious gift that descended from heaven on his eighteenth birthday was a first kiss bearing cake's sweet fragrance, proactively offered by the girl he loved most deeply...
This dreamlike plot that seemed to only appear in the most romantic love novels made Naruto feel like he was floating, everything around him becoming unreal.
"Mm," Satsuki nodded, the blush on her face not yet faded. She naturally took Naruto's still somewhat warm hand.
"Then, let's go to your room."
"...Eh?!"
Those simple words instantly cleaved through the sweet fog in Naruto's mind. He suddenly realized that the "birthday present" Satsuki mentioned probably didn't stop at just a first kiss.
That deeper, heart-racing implication made his just-cooling cheeks blaze hot again.
"What's wrong?"
Satsuki stopped, tilting her head slightly to look at him, a hint of rejected-like grievance surfacing appropriately in her dark eyes. "Don't you want to? We agreed back then—after becoming adults... whatever I do to you, you're not allowed to resist."
This slightly accusatory yet implicitly coquettish tone, combined with her expectant appearance, proved super effective against Naruto in his current state of extreme attraction and confusion.
"No! Absolutely not unwilling!" Naruto immediately denied, then became stammering due to the topic's direction. "It's just... won't it be... a bit too fast? This, this is your first time, right? Shouldn't we... prepare more? Or wait a bit longer..."
"I love you."
Without lengthy explanations or shy evasions, Satsuki simply raised her head, with utmost seriousness and clarity using these three words to cut off all Naruto's hesitation and deflection.
This brief confession surpassed a thousand words, demonstrating her unshakable determination and feelings already overflowing beyond capacity.
As her words fell, she no longer gave Naruto any room to retreat. She reached out again, firmly yet gently pulling the somewhat stiff Naruto into her embrace.
The moment he felt her embrace's warmth, Naruto's body became exceptionally compliant, even somewhat weak.
"...Mm!" Naruto buried his flushed face in her shoulder, equally seriously responding. "I... also really like... No!"
He paused, as though gathering the greatest courage of his life. His voice still carried shy trembling, yet he worked hard to make each word clearly audible.
"I... also love you."
He didn't want to only be the passive recipient. He also wanted to deliver his feelings to her without reservation.
Satsuki felt the real and warm touch within her embrace. That scent belonging uniquely to Naruto surrounded her tightly.
Ten years, eight months, twelve days. Three thousand nine hundred seven days and nights. Ninety-three thousand seven hundred sixty-eight hours. Five million six hundred twenty-six thousand eighty minutes. Three hundred thirty-seven million five hundred sixty-four thousand eight hundred seconds...
This was the time she'd silently calculated in her heart, painfully waiting since realizing this special emotion. Every day, that yearning to draw close, to monopolize, grew stronger. As adulthood's date approached, this waiting gradually transformed from anticipation into sweet torment.
She'd even developed the habit of crossing off one square on the calendar daily, watching that specially marked date draw nearer and nearer, the flame in her heart burning ever more vigorously.
Now, this moment had finally arrived. All shackles, all conventions, all the "wait a bit longer" had lost their power.
She could finally, openly and unrestrained, have zero-distance contact with the brightest light in her life, even merge into one.
Whether in those daydreams filled with beautiful fantasies, or in countless sleeping dreams containing only his figure, wherever he was, that place was wonderful.
She liked him... liked him most of all...
Liked the brave and fearless Naruto who protected Konoha. Liked the occasionally somewhat cunning, intelligent Naruto. Liked the essentially pure, sun-like warm Naruto. Liked the adorable Naruto who scratched his head when shy, making hearts tremble. Liked the strikingly handsome Naruto in formal wear. Liked the Naruto who held goodwill toward everyone, his soul sparkling brightly. Liked the promise-keeping, true-to-his-word Naruto. Liked the resilient and unyielding Naruto. Liked the Naruto who bravely faced all challenges. Liked the occasionally rash, self-defeating Naruto. Liked the sometimes careless Naruto who nevertheless gave her the most delicate care in details. Liked the stubborn Naruto who was nevertheless willing to change for her. Liked the eternally optimistic Naruto. Liked the Naruto full of passion for life, like a never-extinguishing flame... She loved the complete Uzumaki Naruto who walked step by step from lonely childhood, crowned as a hero amid love and bonds.
Just seeing him like this, her body would involuntarily heat up, corners of her eyes seeming to have warm liquid wanting to spill out—the signal of overflowing happiness.
The affection suppressed too long, far too long in her heart finally broke through the prison named "time" and "agreement," transforming into a surging torrent of emotion, instantly filling every heartbeat, making all the blood in her body boil.
Emotion completely dominated action. Without even waiting for her brain to issue clear commands, Satsuki had already raised her face again, cupping Naruto's flushed cheeks with both hands, once more pressing a gentle yet passionate kiss onto his lips.
This time, Naruto didn't freeze again. He closed his eyes, inexperienced yet earnestly responding to this fervent emotion, his arms also slowly wrapping around Satsuki's waist.
A long while later, their lips parted.
When Naruto slowly opened his eyes, gazing again at Satsuki so close at hand, he clearly saw that those eyes—always calm as night, able to speak the deepest emotions—were now staring at him unblinkingly.
The emotions contained within were so complex and intense—gentleness like spring's warm sun, cherishing as though treasuring something precious, wholehearted affection, possessiveness allowing no one else to touch, greed wanting to absorb more warmth...
That gaze combined the world's most beautiful emotions yet mixed with pure selfish desire—an incomparably "greedy" look.
And right at the center of that deep and intense emotional vortex, Satsuki's originally pitch-black pupils had at some point quietly transformed into crimson.
Upon that crimson base, an intricate, magnificent, slowly rotating peculiar pattern was branded within, emanating an extraordinary fluctuation mixing tremendous power and ultimate emotion.
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