Chapter 291: Starved for Love and Obsession
Satsuki was somewhat slow to react.
Why... would there be a... dog in Naruto's house?
A pet he'd just bought? This thought emerged only to be immediately dismissed by her. Impossible—he'd just been on the battlefield. How could he have had time to buy a pet? Moreover, this small creature with blue fur and unique temperament—she'd never seen anything like it in Konoha.
While Satsuki puzzled over this, little Zacian on the ground also looked up, using those clear eyes to examine the black-haired girl who'd suddenly barged in.
This scent... so familiar.
While consciousness had still been hazy within the eggshell, perception of the outside world remaining chaotic, aside from Naruto's warm, sun-like reassuring scent, there had indeed been another frequently appearing, affectionate scent. It was this person before it.
Little Zacian tilted its fluffy little head, releasing faint, soft whimpering sounds from its throat, the tip of its tail gently swaying once, expressing natural closeness.
"Satsuki! I'm fine—the war's already over. How about you? You're not injured, are you?"
Naruto's voice filled with concern pulled her back from brief contemplation. He stepped forward several paces, his hands naturally resting on her shoulders, eyes carefully examining her from top to bottom, confirming whether she was completely unharmed.
"Eh! Um, I'm fine," Satsuki's cheeks warmed slightly from his sudden close-range concern, her voice unconsciously softening. "Because your shadow clone was there protecting me the whole time..."
Actually, when Satsuki had seen the Naruto fighting beside her disappear in a puff of white smoke earlier, her heart had indeed felt somewhat empty, even inexplicably a bit angry...
But at this moment, feeling the temperature and pressure from his hands on her shoulders, seeing the undisguised worry in his eyes, that trace of subtle resentment from the shadow clone's dispersal instantly vanished without a trace.
"I see, that's good." Hearing her personal confirmation, Naruto finally seemed to truly relax, his tense shoulders loosening. "Then, what about everyone else?" Though shadow clone memories continuously flowed into his mind, he still wanted personal confirmation from Satsuki.
"Because Kakashi and Guy were there, basically no one was injured." Satsuki answered. "And the fighting didn't have time to spread to the Uchiha compound—Father and Mother are both safe and sound."
Though the village center had been somewhat destroyed by Shukaku, fortunately...
Her gaze once again uncontrollably drifted toward that blue puppy sitting quietly in place, cute yet abnormally composed.
"But, Naruto, what exactly is this?"
The moment those words left her mouth, she immediately remembered something even more important—that golden giant fox that had enveloped the entire village with majesty and warmth. That was definitely Naruto, right?
She had major questions in her heart wanting answers, but right now, the source of this living, breathing little creature right before her eyes came out first.
"...This? Well," Naruto followed her gaze, his face showing a relieved and slightly incredulous smile. "Nothing much—just that egg we've been caring for hatched, just moments ago."
"...Eh?!"
---
That can't be right... This is... a dog?
Satsuki sat on a chair in the living room, her gaze following that small blue figure on the floor. Just moments ago, Naruto had carefully mashed some fresh fruit into puree, then carefully mixed it with warm milk before placing this small bowl before the creature called "Zacian."
An egg... theoretically, under no circumstances could it possibly hatch a canine creature, right?
Though Satsuki's theoretical knowledge wasn't top-tier compared to Naruto and Sakura, in their grade she absolutely ranked among the best. At this moment, her common sense was suffering a small impact.
Little Zacian seemed very interested in the food before it. It first extended its little tongue, tentatively licking the milk mixture in the bowl. The next moment, its eyes clearly brightened. Obviously, Naruto's culinary skills—their charm could apparently transcend species boundaries.
However, this little one then seemed to suddenly realize something, quickly restraining that instant joy befitting a cub, returning to that innately dignified posture.
It then began unhurriedly, taking small sips—though the speed at which the milk in the bowl decreased was somewhat inconsistent with the elegance it deliberately maintained.
Is this really how a just-born puppy should behave?
Satsuki's memory was pulled back to the Ninja Academy period. She remembered when Kiba first brought the several-month-old Akamaru to class, that puppy had shown obvious timid unease facing numerous unfamiliar gazes, needing to hide in Kiba's embrace seeking shelter.
But little Zacian before her was completely different. Its every movement exuded bold, natural composure. Even its steps carried an innate rhythmic quality, vaguely surrounded by an indescribable aura of nobility and pride completely at odds with its tiny size.
What exactly is it...?
Satsuki didn't know that despite being a newborn, as a legendary being crowned with the title "Warrior of the Sword," this composure and majesty were merely the basic posture deeply planted in its soul's origin.
However, though feeling this was incredibly beyond belief, Satsuki never once thought Naruto would deceive her about this matter... Yeah, love-addled filters could sometimes be that unreasonable.
Naruto also poured warm milk for both Satsuki and himself—people could naturally drink it too. More importantly, he did indeed have some matters requiring explanation to Satsuki, regarding his power.
"Um... Naruto." Satsuki held the warm cup, speaking softly.
"Yeah." Naruto responded, waiting for her next words.
"Your current strength—about what level has it reached?"
"That? Well..." Naruto carefully contemplated. Previously hiding his strength before Satsuki was to avoid excessively damaging her confidence, and more importantly, fearing she'd consequently take extreme paths and be tempted away by Orochimaru.
And now, Orochimaru had actually redirected his target toward himself...
Though that guy was now completely sealed, a turtle in a jar. Once he found the right opportunity, he'd secretly transfer this troublesome cargo to the Ember organization, pushing the blame onto "Menma."
The matter of strength couldn't be hidden from Satsuki forever... Anyway, the Flying Thunder God seal was already imprinted—Satsuki would never escape Naruto's sight.
If... if Satsuki truly dared harbor thoughts of leaving... Naruto had already prepared himself mentally to employ some rather extreme measures...
He carefully chose his words, ultimately providing a clear answer. "Probably... yes, equivalent to... like what you saw in the village today."
"That fox?" Satsuki immediately associated it with that guardian deity-like Nine-Tails fox radiating brilliant golden light and supreme majesty.
"Yeah." Naruto nodded, confirming her guess.
Brief silence spread between them. This atmosphere made Naruto feel inexplicably tense. He somewhat feared what he'd hear next would be Satsuki's accusations, questioning why he'd hidden this before, deceived her. Just as he organized words wanting to explain something, Satsuki finally spoke again.
"Then, Naruto, I'll just ask one question." Satsuki raised her eyes, those deep black pupils looking straight into Naruto's azure ones. "I only need to know the answer to this question."
She took a slight breath, then asked word by word: "That power—for your body... it won't take you away, will it?"
In her black pupils churned some emotion deep to the point of obsession, that light profoundly chilling.
"You won't lie to me, right? If someday this power tries to take you from my side..." Her voice was abnormally resolute. "Promise me—before then, use it to take my life first."
She gazed at him, eyes showing undisguised desperate dependence. "I cannot bear... living alone in a purgatory filled with memories of you."
***
80+advance chapters at patreon.com/Eatinpieces