Chapter 107: Companionship
After the shadow clone hurriedly delivered the purchased umbrella, Naruto opened the sufficiently large umbrella and held it steadily over both their heads, creating a small shelter.
Just like that, the two shared an umbrella, walking slowly through the already deathly silent streets of the Uchiha compound.
The rain outside grew heavier, eventually becoming a torrential downpour with dense raindrops forcefully hammering the umbrella surface, creating a continuous drumming sound.
Although the umbrella was large enough to completely cover both of them, the raging wind still carried icy rainwater that occasionally attacked from the sides, soaking their sleeves and pant legs.
Finally, the clan head's residence appeared through the curtain of rain. Naruto closed the umbrella and leaned it against the corridor. Satsuki reached out and pushed open the cold sliding door.
Creak—
The two entered, finding the entryway shrouded in darkness, with only the gray, dim light filtering through windows outlining the furniture's contours.
Satsuki stood dazedly in the entryway, her gaze hollow as she looked at the familiar furnishings ahead... Tears once again spilled uncontrollably, mixing with rainwater dripping from her hair tips, sliding down silently.
In her memories, every time she returned from school or training and pushed open this door, her mother's gentle voice would always be the first thing to greet her from inside. "Welcome home, Satsuki."
Now, there was only dead silence.
This silence sharply reminded her of a cruel truth: her mother was now lying in a hospital bed, hanging between life and death, and her father was similarly unconscious. This home was no longer what it used to be.
Of course, Naruto knew in his heart that this situation was already far better than the absolute despair of both parents' deaths in the original story.
He knew that under Crazy Diamond's power to restore everything, by tomorrow at the latest, Satsuki would see her parents return home safe and sound. But at this moment, he couldn't reveal this "surprise" early.
Just as Satsuki was drowning in sorrow, a hand patted her rain-dampened head.
"Come on," Naruto's voice sounded from beside her. "Staying like this will really make you catch cold. Let's go warm up first."
He looked around the somewhat dim surroundings. "Where's the hearth? Can you show me? Let's get a fire going and dry our clothes first."
Satsuki was stunned. Starting a fire for warmth... such an ordinary, everyday thing formed a sharp contrast with the enormous grief and emptiness in her heart, actually helping her temporarily break free from her sorrowful emotions a little.
She nodded and led Naruto through the familiar corridor to a traditional Japanese room. In the center of the room was exactly what Naruto had mentioned—the hearth.
A square shallow pit dug into the center of the tatami mats, lined with a thick layer of charcoal ash, with an adjustable height hook hanging from the ceiling above.
Naruto crouched down and examined the hearth's condition. He found that while the charcoal blocks below were cold, they seemed quite dry and hadn't gotten damp. He wasted no more time, quickly formed a simple hand seal, leaned close to the charcoal pile, and gently blew—
Whoosh!
A small, precisely controlled stream of Katon chakra emerged from his mouth, instantly igniting the dry charcoal.
Flames danced cheerfully upward, creating soft crackling sounds.
The previously dead-silent room was finally broken from its suffocating silence by the sound of burning charcoal.
Satsuki sat nearby hugging her knees, staring entranced at the dancing flames.
The firelight flickered on and off across her pale face. She was very aware that if she were alone in this empty mansion right now, she would definitely fall into complete self-abandonment, possibly just curling up in some cold corner, letting sorrow and cold consume her, doing nothing at all.
Just then, Naruto's voice sounded again, interrupting her thoughts.
"Sorry, I took the liberty of searching through the cabinets just now... Use this to rest a bit."
Satsuki looked up to see Naruto holding two thick-looking blankets, extending one toward her.
"Rest for a while first, warm yourself up." Naruto continued. "I'll make lunch in a bit. What would you like to eat?"
However, Satsuki seemed to completely miss Naruto's latter words. Her attention was entirely captured by those two blankets, tension suddenly appearing on her face as she unconsciously straightened her sitting posture.
"Um... wait!" She interrupted Naruto somewhat stutteringly. "These... which room did you find them in?"
This sudden, strange reaction left Naruto somewhat puzzled, but he still answered honestly. "From the wardrobe in that largest-looking room at the very end of the corridor. What's wrong? Can't we use them?"
Hearing this, Satsuki let out a huge sigh of relief and quickly shook her head, her gaze evasively looking elsewhere. "No... nothing! We can use them... completely fine..."
Though Naruto felt somewhat confused by Satsuki's inexplicable tension and guilty conscience just now, he considerately didn't press the matter, only temporarily suppressing this curiosity in his heart.
He picked up the iron kettle hanging on the hook, went to the water tap in the room's corner to fill it with water, preparing to boil some hot water for tea to dispel the chill from both their bodies.
In the time that followed, there wasn't much conversation in the room. Satsuki just quietly curled up in her blanket, hands wrapped around her gradually warming teacup.
Her gaze silently followed Naruto's busy figure before her—watching him carefully tend the fire, watching him pour scalding hot water into teacups, watching the rising steam blur his serious profile.
Then watching him gently, steadily place that steaming cup of tea with its faint, pleasant fragrance in front of her.
"Careful, it's hot," he would always remind her in a low voice.
Satsuki's lips moved slightly, as if wanting to say something—perhaps thanks, perhaps something else—but ultimately those words dissolved on her tongue tip, remaining unspoken.
She only pulled her blanket tighter around herself, watching Naruto also drape the other blanket over himself and naturally sit beside her, holding his own cup of hot tea as they both stared blankly at the dancing flames.
The sound of rain and crackling firewood wove together, creating a reassuring white noise.
Soon, it was noon. The storm outside showed no signs of letting up, raining even more torrentially.
Naruto's gaze turned to the small refrigerator in the room's corner. After getting Satsuki's consent with his eyes, he got up and went over.
Opening the refrigerator door, he found it unexpectedly well-stocked with fresh ingredients—crisp vegetables and properly prepared meats. This was obviously provisions Mikoto-san had carefully prepared for her family.
Naruto even discovered several fish that had already been cleaned and marinated in sauce, carefully wrapped in plastic wrap.
Mikoto-san really was so thoroughly prepared...
Ultimately, Naruto decided to make use of what was available, utilizing the existing hearth. He skewered the marinated fish on clean iron skewers, then carefully angled them at an appropriate distance from the charcoal fire along the hearth's edge, slowly grilling them.
Soon, the fish's oils were drawn out by the high heat, dripping onto the charcoal fire. The rich aroma of grilled fish accompanied by light smoke quickly permeated the room, mixing with the tea fragrance and charcoal scent to form an extremely homey, warm atmosphere.
Enveloped by this aroma, Satsuki's originally tense and sorrowful emotions seemed to be somewhat soothed without her realizing it.
She hugged her knees, watching Naruto's profile as he focused on turning the grilling fish in the dancing firelight, feeling this post-disaster-like strange peaceful atmosphere, and actually began to drowsily feel sleepy.
When the fish was grilled to golden, crispy skin with tender, juicy interior, Naruto handed the first and best-looking one to Satsuki.
"Careful, it's hot. Eat slowly."
Satsuki accepted the skewer still sizzling with steam and emanating the fragrance of oils, feeling the solid, real warmth transmitted to her palms.
It's piping hot... freshly made food...
A strong, complex emotion mixing gratitude, sorrow, and a trace of warmth surged up her throat, making her feel the urge to cry again, and even more the urge to say something.
But she looked up to see Naruto across from her had already unselfconsciously picked up another grilled fish skewer, blown on it, then taken a big bite with a satisfied expression.
Seeing this scene, the words that had reached Satsuki's lips were swallowed back down. She lowered her head slightly, hiding her somewhat reddened eyes, also carefully blowing on the steaming food in her hands, then gently taking a small bite.
The salty, fresh, fragrant, tender flavor spread in her mouth...
Anyway, first... let's eat first.