Chapter 223: Uchiha Satsuki Wants to Rest Together
"Satsuki, what's this...?"
Sakura stared somewhat dazedly at the tent package thrust into her hands. Judging by its size and shape, this was clearly a single-person tent.
Satsuki glanced around the hall—among the scattered candidates who'd already arrived, some were lying directly on the floor while others had crawled into sleeping bags they'd brought. The conditions were quite crude. She explained in a flat tone.
"In this kind of environment, girls need a space that can guarantee some privacy. This is an extra one I prepared. You can use it."
Though the tent's main purpose was only to provide a relatively private space, inside this tower under strict surveillance by Konoha's ANBU, theoretically no real danger would occur—if anyone truly harbored ill intentions, they'd likely face immediate arrest by Konoha's ANBU.
Yet faced with Satsuki's seemingly casual "goodwill," Sakura's heart surged with intense gratitude.
Satsuki... she's actually being this considerate of me! Such thoughtful care from the person she admired nearly brought tears to her eyes. "Are you sure? Thank you so much! I'll use it with a grateful heart!"
Watching Sakura leave while clutching the tent with a deeply moved expression, Satsuki forcibly suppressed the corners of her mouth that threatened to rise.
Perfect, phase one successful. This way, Sakura won't come bothering us.
Next came the most critical step—inviting Naruto! As long as she spoke up first, with Naruto's personality, he absolutely wouldn't refuse this kind offer!
After Sakura walked away, Satsuki quickly retrieved another tent package from her storage scroll, this one noticeably larger. This was a two-person tent she'd bought quite some time ago—could it finally come in handy today?
It's decided then... I'll just tell him this is all that's left, and two people squeezing together... there's no helping it, right?
Determined that she "must succeed," Satsuki took a deep breath and walked toward Naruto, who'd been standing at the tower entrance observing whether any new candidates had arrived.
"Naruto..."
Hearing the call from behind, Naruto turned his head to see Satsuki standing not far away. Her expression seemed somewhat strange, her cheeks flushed with an unnatural blush, both hands seemingly nervously held behind her back.
Naruto looked up at the sky that had completely darkened, only now realizing how late it had gotten.
On the first day, among Konoha's teams besides Team Seven and Team Three, no other squads had reached the central tower. Though Naruto's earlier Tailed Beast Ball might have scared off quite a few candidates, the ANBU should've already notified everyone that the exam would proceed normally.
Aside from Shikamaru, with his other friends' personalities, they shouldn't give up easily.
Naruto guessed Satsuki had probably come to call him back to rest. Come to think of it, Konoha really hadn't prepared dedicated rest rooms for candidates. Spending the night here would only be slightly better than camping on a mountaintop or in a tree hollow in the forest.
Just as Satsuki prepared to voice the excuse she'd already prepared, Naruto spoke first.
"Satsuki, could you please close your eyes first?"
"...?!"
This completely unexpected request left Satsuki instantly stunned, her heart beginning to race uncontrollably. Close, close my eyes? Since it wasn't Naruto saying something about her preparing a tent or whatever, Satsuki didn't immediately interrupt, only staring blankly at Naruto.
"I have a surprise for you," Naruto added with a smile.
A surprise?! Those two words were like a stone thrown into a lake, stirring up massive ripples in Satsuki's heart. Combined with that ambiguous request from just now, she instantly recalled classic scenes from those romance novels she'd secretly read to "capture" Naruto's heart...
Could it be... Naruto can finally no longer hold back, unable to wait any longer?!
This realization sent a wave of immense joy washing over her. Satsuki immediately complied obediently, closing her eyes full of anticipation, her long lashes trembling slightly with excitement. Then she felt Naruto's palm gently grasp her shoulder...
It's coming?! This... I'm not dreaming, right?!
She could almost hear her heart pounding like a drum in her chest, all her senses tensed, waiting for that imagined contact to arrive.
However, the expected sensation never came. A moment later, Naruto's voice sounded by her ear again.
"Okay, you can open your eyes now."
...Huh? The bewilderment of dashed expectations left Satsuki momentarily unresponsive. Full of confusion, she slowly opened her eyes—
The sight that met her gaze left her completely frozen in place.
Where was the central tower? The familiar courtyard, the traditional Japanese-style architecture... this was clearly... the Uchiha clan head's residence?!
Satsuki's thoughts were like an old computer trying to load a poorly optimized, massive game, instantly falling into complete lag and unresponsiveness.
"How's that? Pretty amazing, right?" Naruto said with a somewhat proud tone. "This jutsu—as long as I set up markers at the destination in advance, I can instantly teleport even from this far away. This way, we can all go home and rest properly at night during these exam days."
...Go home?
Those words were like a bucket of cold water, instantly extinguishing all the anticipation and romantic fantasies Satsuki had accumulated throughout the afternoon. Wait... so it's this jutsu's fault?!
"I'll go send Sakura home too, then come pick you up tomorrow morning. Good night, Satsuki."
However, before Satsuki could recover from the massive disappointment, Naruto was already smiling and waving goodbye. Her fingers had just lifted, not yet managing to grab his sleeve, when Naruto's figure had already vanished with a "whoosh," leaving only cold air behind.
"...Ngh—!"
Massive disappointment and frustration instantly broke through the dam of reason. Satsuki violently threw the two-person tent package she'd been clutching tightly onto the ground!
Why?! Why did things turn out this way?!
Those heart-racing romance novel scenarios in her mind had somehow been forcibly transformed into a comedy in reality! This intense contrast nearly brought tears of frustration to her eyes.
After sulking in place for quite a while, Satsuki eventually bent down and silently picked up the tent that had carried so many of her "plans," walking dejectedly toward her front door and reaching out to push it open—
"...It's locked?"
She discovered in surprise that the door was locked from the inside. But the lights inside were clearly still on, and at this hour both parents should be home, right?
Confused, Satsuki knocked on the door. A few seconds later, rustling sounds of slight panic came from behind the door.
"Oh my? Satsuki, you... weren't you taking the Chunin Exam?" The one who opened the door was her mother Mikoto, whose face bore an unnatural flush, her breathing seeming somewhat labored, her kimono appearing rather disheveled, as if hastily put on...
Seeing her mother's appearance, then thinking back to her own "tragic" experience just now.
What should I do... I kind of want to die...
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