Chapter 397: The Most Dependent Days
"Mom's staying at the Uchiha compound now! The house here is even more spacious than our original home! Don't worry about Mom—get along well with little Satsuki, Naruto!"
Kushina's parting words were light and warm. Under Mikoto's arrangements, a quiet, elegant residence within the Uchiha compound was gifted to Kushina.
She legitimately "moved out," leaving Minato's former residence's complete space to the two young people.
And that house Kushina had carefully selected, with all procedures already completed, would officially become their wedding home in the future. But for now, they still chose to begin their life together from this "starting point."
At home, Satsuki moved her luggage—several clothing trunks, shinobi tool pouches, and those firmly locked combination metal boxes—into the storage room one by one. She didn't prepare a new bedroom for herself.
Because she'd sleep in Naruto's room.
The atmosphere of their first cohabitation night spread sweet ambiguity through the quiet. Zacian had long ago consciously padded back to its soft cushion nest, even using its paws to close the partition door, leaving only the tranquility belonging to the two of them.
"Naruto, let's prepare dinner together tonight."
Satsuki walked to Naruto's side as he organized the kitchen, her voice slightly softer than usual.
"I want to try... if I use my Sharingan to copy your movements, can I make dishes as delicious as yours?"
"Mm, of course." Naruto smiled at her. "By the way, about us living together... should we formally tell everyone? Kakashi-sensei, Sakura, and the others..."
Satsuki pondered briefly, then nodded.
"...Mm, let's find an appropriate opportunity to say something."
Naruto dried his hands, walking before her. Outside the window, dusk gradually deepened. Warm yellow lamplight fell in his azure eyes.
"When I lived alone before, this house always felt so empty... even stuffed full of furniture, it was still empty."
Satsuki raised her eyes toward him. "And now?"
Naruto reached out, gently grasping her fingertips.
"Now with you here... this is no longer just a 'house.'" Naruto seemed somewhat embarrassed, yet still seriously continued. "We'll form a completely new family, right? Belonging to us."
Naruto tried speaking some sweet words. Though perhaps somewhat clichéd, for Satsuki whose interest list essentially only read "Uzumaki Naruto," this struck straight at her heart like a critical hit. Her ears heated. She instinctively gripped his hand tighter, fingertips trembling slightly.
"...Mm." She responded quietly, suddenly remembering something. "Ah, right—the cake!"
She'd almost forgotten. That birthday cake she'd practiced making for so long, adjusting sugar ratios countless times, ultimately personally carrying over on Naruto's birthday night, still sat in the refrigerator. Last night's atmosphere had been too scorching, causing them both to forget this matter.
"Mom told me that for this birthday they won't disturb us... just the two of us." Satsuki brought out that exquisite fruit cake from the refrigerator, carefully placing it on the dining table. "Come try it. I practiced for a long time."
The fruit on the cake had slightly dehydrated from cold storage, but the cream remained pure white and full. The piped decorative lines were delicate and uniform—clearly showing the creator's devoted care.
"Practiced for a long time..." Naruto gazed at the cake, then raised his eyes toward Satsuki. His expression gradually filled with emotion and tenderness. "Wait, so last night when your hands were trembling... it wasn't from cold?"
Satsuki froze, suddenly somewhat guiltily averting her gaze.
She'd thrown kunai for over ten years. Her finger joints were steady enough to thread needles. How could making cake make her hands cold?
Satsuki felt Naruto was being a bit dense now. But she couldn't honestly admit that she'd been trembling from excitement at finally making Naruto belong to her, right?
The cake was carefully cut. Yet Naruto didn't immediately move his fork. After silent moments, his gaze warm and solemn looked into Satsuki's eyes.
"...Satsuki, when do you want to hold the wedding?"
"Wed...wedding?!"
Satsuki's pupils widened slightly, cheeks instantly flushing red. She hadn't expected Naruto to proactively raise this topic—heaven knows how many times she'd rehearsed in her mind the scene of walking side by side with him through a shrine corridor.
Every time she passed shrines holding ceremonies, every time she saw white wedding kimono silhouettes, she'd involuntarily imagine what light would reflect in Naruto's eyes when she walked toward him in bridal wear.
However, after initial excitement, she took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing the yearning ready to overflow. Instead she showed understanding, gentle expression.
"...After everything Naruto's worried about is completely resolved."
This answer surprised Naruto. Of course Satsuki had noticed—Naruto was already very strong, strong enough to be called Konoha's pillar.
Yet he'd never stopped training. His eyes occasionally flashed with gravity she couldn't read. She could sense him still bearing some unspoken burdens in his heart.
After their initial physical and emotional commitment, beneath that nearly obsessive possessiveness, Uchiha Satsuki's consideration and clarity quietly surfaced. She loved him, so she was also willing to wait—for him to truly feel at peace, for him to personally tell her everything.
"...Am I keeping too many things from you?" Naruto asked softly, tone carrying apology.
"It's okay."
Satsuki shook her head, suddenly reaching to gently pull him close, embracing him. She sat on the sofa, letting Naruto lean against her shoulder, fingers tenderly threading through his soft blonde hair—the real Naruto, warm, his breathing lightly brushing her neck, the living Naruto. No longer a body pillow, no longer images on photos or cards.
She could finally truly embrace him like this.
"I love you. So you can slowly tell me in the future." She lowered her head, lips nearly touching his ear. "Except for liking other girls... I can forgive anything."
As her words fell, her face still rippled with that gentle smile. Yet her heart already cheered jubilantly, ocean waves reaching heaven.
Mine. From now on, every day's dawn and dusk and breath are mine.
"...Mm."
Naruto responded with a low sound, burying his face deeper into Satsuki's embrace. His arms unconsciously tightened around her waist, like a child finding support.
Satsuki could feel his warm breath brushing her neck. Her heartbeat also softened accordingly. She gently stroked his blonde hair, yet didn't stop there.
"But tonight..."
Satsuki's ears reddened at visible speed. "You need to properly compensate me."
Finishing, she released her embrace, standing to retrieve from deep within her shinobi tool pouch a finely bound manga volume—one of the "teaching materials" from her emergency cramming.
She gently opened the pages, gaze lifting to look directly into Naruto's gradually widening blue eyes. "Let's slowly try following this content."
Direct, bold, yet through her slightly flushed cheeks and flickering eyes, revealing inexperienced yet sincere invitation.
"...Th-that! No... wait!" Naruto's face instantly turned completely red, even his speech somewhat stammering. He wasn't resistant, just—last night's inexperienced yet scorching entanglement flashed through his mind. Certain particularly intimate attempts, Satsuki's initial tension and later efforts to accommodate—he'd seen it all.
"If it's just to make me happy... I don't want you forcing herself."
He grasped her hands. "That place is dirty... if you're not comfortable, we won't do it. I don't want you feeling awkward."
Satsuki quietly watched him.
After several seconds of silence, she suddenly stood, walking straight toward the storage room. Naruto watched her retreating figure somewhat anxiously, until she walked back out—carrying in her arms that life-sized body pillow printed with his smiling face.
Satsuki's cheeks reddened further. She'd carefully hidden this pillow's existence all along, not wanting Naruto to think she was overly obsessed—though Naruto had long known about this "collection." And now, she held it against her chest.
"Before... when the agreed time hadn't arrived, I could only rely on this."
"Back then I often thought... if only I could truly touch you."
She raised her eyes, gaze soft yet scorching as it enveloped Naruto. "So, it's okay."
She approached him, gently placing the pillow to the sofa's side—that substitute was set down. From now on, she'd only embrace the real, warm, breathing Naruto.
"As long as it involves you... no matter what, I feel so happy."
She reached out, once again pulling him into her embrace. Her movements remained gentle. "Last night too... I was very happy. And this time, I'll do better."
She lowered her head, breaths interweaving. "So if you have anything you want to try... you can tell me."
Her voice grew softer and softer, yet like feathers scratching at Naruto's heart. "I'll work hard to learn for Naruto's sake."
Both sensual and pure. Naruto felt his brain about to overload. He was more useless than he'd imagined—just hearing her such frank yet shy confession made his heartbeat race like it'd crash from his chest.
Satsuki satisfiedly felt his body's warmth and subtle trembling, lips curving in an almost dreamlike smile.
Days like this when she could embrace anytime, kiss anytime, share all intimacy—she'd finally waited for them.
And just as she immersed herself in warm, melting happiness, Naruto in her embrace suddenly moved.
"...Satsuki." His voice was muffled, still carrying that tone of wholehearted dependence.
"Mm? What is it?"
Satsuki gently responded, fingers lightly combing through his blonde hair. Naruto fell silent for several seconds. Then he raised his face, looking into her clear black eyes, softly saying:
"The Ember organization... I created it."