Chapter 169: A Poor Start
"Ah, wait a moment, I'll be right there!"
In the afternoon, sunlight streamed through the windows into Naruto's small but tidy apartment. Naruto was wearing a somewhat worn apron, holding a cleaning cloth as he busied himself with housework.
Hearing the sudden knock at the door, he immediately called out in response, guessing it might be Satsuki coming to see him. He quickly walked to the door.
Opening it, he indeed saw Satsuki's familiar figure standing outside. But she seemed strange today—unlike usual when she would directly come in, she kept her head slightly lowered with her hands behind her back, as if hiding something, looking hesitant and fidgety.
"It's Satsuki," Naruto found her posture a bit odd but didn't think much of it, smiling as he stepped aside to let her pass. "Come in first. If you want to go out, just wait a bit—I haven't finished cleaning yet."
Satsuki softly hummed in acknowledgment, keeping her head down as she quickly entered the room. Naruto habitually went to the refrigerator, took out a chilled bottle of strawberry milk, and handed it to her as usual. "Sit for a while—I'll be done soon."
Satsuki's face slightly reddened as she accepted the milk, sitting down at the dining table while placing a square box wrapped in clean cloth that she'd been hiding behind her back onto the table.
Her heart was beating rapidly. This box contained something she'd spent the entire afternoon carefully preparing. Kakashi-sensei's words echoed in her mind.
"Listen well, Satsuki! This is the most direct, classic method! To conquer a man's heart, you must first conquer his stomach! Although that Naruto kid's cooking is incredibly good, this step is still essential!"
"Because when a girl personally makes a bento for a man, it not only shows your thoughtfulness and feelings, but more importantly, it makes him feel cherished and cared for! This is the ultimate weapon for raising affection levels!"
Kakashi had said this proudly while holding that broken book.
Satsuki finally mustered her courage and spoke to Naruto, who was continuing to wipe the table nearby. "Na-Naruto! Um... have you... have you eaten lunch?"
Naruto, who was cleaning, was startled by her words. His gaze unconsciously turned to the carefully wrapped box on the table, instantly understanding something.
So Satsuki's fidgeting today was because she made him a bento? An indescribable warmth instantly surged through Naruto's heart. He'd wondered why Satsuki hadn't naturally come to help clean like before—turns out she was secretly busy with this.
Even though he'd already eaten lunch, he absolutely couldn't say so now. He responded very naturally, "Not yet. What's wrong? Did you bring something good, Satsuki?"
Though this was Satsuki's first time truly cooking, relying on deep memories from watching her mother Mikoto and Naruto cook, plus meticulous attention to detail in pursuit of perfection, the final product actually looked quite presentable. It should... not be too bad, right?
Hearing Naruto hadn't eaten yet, Satsuki felt slightly relieved, but her next words still came out stuttering. "Um... I... I tried learning to make bento today... but I made a bit too much... if it goes uneaten, wasting food would be bad... so... help me finish it."
"I see, sure, thanks then." Naruto pulled out a chair to sit down, accepting the bento box Satsuki handed him and opening the lid without hesitation.
Seeing Naruto so directly accept and prepare to taste it, Satsuki felt an irrepressible surge of joy and anticipation.
The bento box contained common Japanese dishes—two rice balls, yellow tamagoyaki beside them, and what appeared to be a nicely colored grilled meat patty.
Being able to eat food personally made by Satsuki filled Naruto with genuine curiosity and anticipation. He picked up the chopsticks prepared in the bento box, chose the most harmless-looking piece of tamagoyaki, and put it in his mouth.
The next moment—
..Crash.
A sound like massive waves hitting rocks seemed to echo in Naruto's mind.
Saltiness swept through his entire mouth like a tsunami, violently assaulting his taste buds!
How could this tamagoyaki be so salty?! Naruto felt like his tongue was being pickled! He used every ounce of his ninja willpower and expression control to suppress the uncontrollable, twisted expression threatening to emerge on his face, forcing himself to maintain the motions of chewing and swallowing.
That's right... this dish infused with Satsuki's feelings could no longer be described as simply "bad"... because it was fundamentally inedible!
Uchiha Satsuki, as the daughter of the strongest clan leader in Konoha, had received various elite educations from childhood—ninjutsu, taijutsu, shuriken techniques, tactical theory... but domestic skills like cooking were completely neglected areas.
For someone of her status, her life goal was to continuously grow stronger and restore clan glory! Cooking was naturally her mother's responsibility—she was a proper young lady who never touched such mundane tasks!
Unfortunately, Satsuki's first cooking attempt was completely botched. With her mother Mikoto temporarily out and no guidance available, she perfectly confused the ratios of salt and sugar! And probably due to nervousness, she accidentally added extra several times...
Of course, cautious Satsuki had conducted an "experiment." The first taste-tester at home—Uchiha Fugaku—after learning this presentable-looking bento was specifically made by his daughter for that "blonde brat" Uzumaki Naruto, for whatever complex reasons, actually suppressed the twitching in his face and throat discomfort to give an evaluation of "tastes pretty good"! Only after Satsuki left did he frantically gulp down water, showing an extremely pained expression.
Naruto's hand holding the chopsticks trembled slightly, but he forced it steady. Just then, he heard Satsuki ask with anticipation and some nervousness, "How is it? Does the taste... suit your palate?"
Looking at Satsuki's bright, expectant dark eyes full of hope, Naruto simply couldn't say anything that would hurt her. He struggled to swallow the deadly salty tamagoyaki, forcing out as natural a smile as possible. "...Mm, it's... it's okay... pretty good."
Lost in joy, Satsuki didn't notice the strain beneath Naruto's smile or that barely perceptible pain. Instead, she was greatly encouraged by Naruto's "affirmation," her cheeks flushing with shyness and excitement as she suggested, "Re-really? Then... then I can make more in the future! That way when you come back from missions, you won't have to work so hard cooking for yourself!"
"Pfft—cough cough cough!" Hearing this, Naruto nearly choked on his own saliva, his heart plummeting! Eating this every day? That would be fatal!
He quickly waved his hands, "No no no! That's not necessary! I appreciate your thoughtfulness, Satsuki! But cooking is something I should handle! I enjoy cooking, and I'm fast at it! Really! How could I trouble you with this every day!"
Perhaps Naruto refused too quickly and decisively—the abnormality in his tone finally caught Satsuki's attention. She carefully observed Naruto's face, which was still trying to maintain a smile but seemed vaguely pale and stiff, recalling his seemingly extremely difficult swallowing motions from before...
A thought that made her heart sink suddenly emerged. Naruto's expression... wasn't it a bit too forced? Could it be that...
Almost instinctively, with a ninja's excellent agility, she suddenly reached out and snatched the chopsticks from Naruto's hand!
Naruto, struggling with the painfully salty aftertaste in his mouth, reacted half a beat too slow. When he realized what Satsuki intended to do and panicked, trying to stop her—"Wait! Satsuki don't—!"
It was too late.
Without hesitation, Satsuki quickly put the bento's tamagoyaki into her own mouth...
"Ugh...!"
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