"...Eh? You, you, what did you say?"
Satsuki's eyes, which had been curved into crescent moons, suddenly widened! Her dark pupils instantly filled with flustered shock, surprise, and a rapidly spreading, almost overflowing shyness!
Her cheeks flushed red at a visible speed, and even her earlobes turned crimson.
Looking at Satsuki, who had suddenly shed all her cold exterior and revealed such a rare and incredibly adorable appearance, Sakura, much to her chagrin… skipped a beat again.
So, so cute!
She forced herself to remain calm, repeated the question, and quickly offered sincere praise, "I mean, are you dating Naruto? After all, you two look so compatible and have such great chemistry! You're practically a match made in heaven!"
"Eh? R-really?" Satsuki's voice involuntarily became softer, carrying a hint of disbelief and hidden joy. Her gaze was somewhat evasive, completely unwilling to meet Sakura's eyes.
"Mm! Of course, it's true!" Sakura nodded vigorously, "After all, you're both super geniuses! You're strong, and you're almost inseparable every day, with such a good relationship. It would be strange if people didn't think that, right?"
"I see…"
Satsuki's tone softened, but then it was tinged with clear disappointment. She lowered her head slightly, "But… we're not… not that kind of relationship…"
"Eh? Why?" Sakura felt puzzled. To her, these two practically had 'we are a couple' written on their faces.
Satsuki pursed her lips and said softly, a little wronged and helpless, "I don't know… But Mom said… we're still too young… it's too early to talk about that… Maybe… maybe we'll have to wait a while…"
"No way? What a shame…"
Sakura showed a regretful expression but quickly offered optimistic comfort, "But it's okay! You're together every day, and your feelings are so strong, it should be a matter of time before you become that kind of relationship! It's just a matter of time!"
I see… So that's it… This child… turns out to be a good person…
A huge wave of shyness, joy, and a sense of being affirmed instantly overwhelmed Satsuki, making her brain almost overheat and crash.
She tremblingly, with uncoordinated movements, stood up. Her eyes still darted away, unwilling to look at Sakura. She hastily made an excuse. "Th-that… your drink seems to be finished, right? I… I'll go get you another one…"
"Dinner's ready! I made katsuobushi onigiri, ginger-fried pork, and everyone's favorite hamburg steak!"
At this moment, Naruto said as he walked out of the kitchen, carrying steaming, fragrant dishes. The rich aroma of meat and the sweet scent of sauce instantly filled the small apartment.
However, he immediately saw Satsuki standing by the refrigerator, her cheeks impossibly red, practically steaming from her head. He couldn't help but ask curiously.
"Hm? What's wrong, Satsuki? Why is your face so red? Is it too hot?"
"N-nothing!" Satsuki, like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, frantically waved her hands in denial. "Um, let's, let's eat first! Oh, Sakura, you should try it too! Naruto's cooking is the best!"
She awkwardly changed the subject, even actively greeting Sakura.
"Ah, okay! Thank you!" Sakura's appetite was also piqued by the enticing smell of the food, and she quickly stood up, "I'll help carry the dishes!"
For a moment, the once somewhat quiet small apartment became lively. Although Naruto didn't quite understand why the relationship between the two girls seemed to have suddenly eased and even become harmonious in the time it took him to cook in the kitchen, he was still happy to see this scene and cheerfully placed the cooked dishes one by one on the small table.
Meanwhile, on a utility pole not far from Naruto's small apartment.
Kakashi, who had just returned from the Memorial Stone, stood there silently.
He looked through the window and clearly saw the scene inside the room: the blonde boy was smiling as he brought out dishes, the black-haired girl, though her cheeks were flushed, was no longer cold, and the pink-haired girl was actively helping to set out bowls and chopsticks. The three of them sat around the small table, and the atmosphere seemed unexpectedly harmonious.
Those two had not excluded their new teammate, who seemed relatively weaker and a bit timid.
Seeing this scene, Kakashi's exposed eye curved slightly, revealing a genuine, relieved smile.
"Obito… It seems that this time, we can really look forward to it."
The next second, his figure silently disappeared from the utility pole again.
— — — — — —
At five o'clock the next morning, the sky was still dim. Naruto had already packed up, carefully placing three prepared bento boxes, containing meticulously made sandwiches, and the still quiet Pokémon egg into his backpack, ready to head to Training Ground Three for the well-known "bell-stealing" exercise.
He knew Kakashi would be 100% late, but considering that the other party was, after all, his elder, and also his father Minato's former disciple… Hmm? How should this relationship be defined? Junior uncle? Or senior uncle?
He shook his head, deciding not to dwell on this complicated relationship. Although he wouldn't be late, he still prepared breakfast, not following Kakashi's mischievous suggestion.
Everything was ready, and he pushed open his door—
"Yo, Naruto, good morning."
A familiar voice rang out in the cool morning mist. Uchiha Satsuki was already standing gracefully not far outside his door, carrying a bit of the morning dampness.
"Satsuki? What are you doing here?" Naruto was a little surprised, then smiled, "Good morning. Have you been here long?"
"No," Satsuki immediately denied, "I just arrived too; I was about to go to the training ground, so let's walk together since it's on the way."
Naruto was silent for a moment. Intuitively, the 'just arrived' and 'on the way' probably contained a lot of exaggeration. But he just smiled and nodded, "Okay, that works out perfectly."
The two walked side by side, stepping into the hazy morning light, towards the training ground.
Only Satsuki herself knew that she had been waiting quietly outside the door for quite a while to 'just happen' to catch Naruto leaving.
She calculated the time, neither wanting to disturb Naruto's rest nor willing to miss any opportunity to walk with him.