newbobooks Chapter 107 Companionship
Chapter 107 Companionship
After his clone hurriedly delivered the umbrella he had bought, Naruto opened the large enough umbrella and held it steadily over their heads, creating a small shelter.
And so, the two of them shared an umbrella and walked slowly through the now desolate streets of the Uchiha clan's territory.
The rain outside grew heavier and heavier, eventually turning into a torrential downpour. The dense raindrops pounded against the umbrella, making a continuous sound.
Although the umbrella was large enough to completely cover the two of them, the raging wind still carried cold rain, which would occasionally come from the side and wet their sleeves and trouser legs.
Finally, the clan head's residence appeared in the rain. Naruto folded his umbrella and leaned against the porch. Satsuki reached out and pushed open the cold sliding door.
squeak-
The two went inside. The entryway was dimly lit, with only the hazy light filtering in from the window outlining the furniture.
Zuo Yue stood blankly in the entryway, staring vacantly at the familiar furnishings in front of her... Tears welled up uncontrollably once again, mingling with the raindrops dripping from her hair, and silently slid down her cheeks.
In her memory, every time she returned from school or training, her mother's gentle voice would always come from inside as soon as she pushed open this door. "Welcome back, Satsuki."
Now, there is only deathly silence.
The deathly silence sharply reminded her of a cruel reality: her mother was now lying in a hospital bed, clinging to life, and her father was also unconscious. This family was no longer the same.
Of course, Naruto knew in his heart that this situation was much, much better than the absolute despair of losing both parents in the original work.
He knew that with the power of the Crazy Diamond to restore everything, Zuo Yue would see her parents return home safely by tomorrow at the latest. But at this moment, he couldn't tell them this "surprise" in advance.
Just as Zuoyue was immersed in her grief, a hand patted her head, which was wet with rain.
"Alright," Naruto's voice rang out from the side, "you'll really catch a cold if you stay here any longer. Let's go warm up first."
He looked around at the somewhat dim surroundings. "Where's the hearth? Can you take me there? Let's start a fire and dry our clothes first."
Zuo Yue was stunned for a moment. Lighting a fire for warmth... such an ordinary thing, in stark contrast to the immense sadness and emptiness in her heart at this moment, actually helped her to temporarily break free from her grief.
She nodded and led Naruto through the familiar corridor to a traditional Japanese-style room. In the center of the room was the hearth Naruto had mentioned.
A shallow square pit was dug in the middle of the tatami mat, filled with a thick layer of charcoal ash, and a height-adjustable hook hung from the ceiling above.
Naruto crouched down and inspected the hearth. He found that although the charcoal underneath was cold, it seemed quite dry and hadn't become damp. Without further delay, he formed a simple hand seal, approached the pile of charcoal, and gently blew on it—
call!
A small, precisely controlled burst of Fire Release chakra shot from his mouth, instantly igniting the dry charcoal.
The flames leaped merrily, making soft crackling sounds.
The room, which had been deathly silent, was finally broken by the sound of burning charcoal.
Satsuki sat to the side, hugging her knees, lost in thought as the flames flickered.
The firelight flickered on her pale face. She knew very well that if she were alone in this empty mansion, she would succumb to utter despair, perhaps just curling up in a cold corner, letting sadness and cold consume her, doing nothing at all.
Just then, Naruto's voice rang out again, interrupting her thoughts.
"Sorry, I just rummaged through the cabinet without permission... Use this to rest."
Satsuki looked up and saw Naruto holding two thick-looking blankets, and handing one of them to her.
"Let's rest for a bit and warm up," Naruto continued. "I'll make lunch in a little while. What would you like to eat?"
However, Satsuki seemed not to hear a word Naruto said after that. Her attention was completely drawn to the two blankets, and a tense expression suddenly appeared on her face; she even unconsciously straightened her posture.
"Um... wait!" she stammered, interrupting Naruto, "This... in which room did you find it?"
Her sudden, strange reaction left Naruto somewhat bewildered, but he still answered honestly, "It's the wardrobe in the room at the very end of the hallway, the one that looks like the biggest one. What's wrong? Can't I use it?"
Upon hearing this, Zuo Yue breathed a sigh of relief, quickly shook her head, and looked away erratically: "No...it's nothing! It's usable...it's perfectly fine..."
Although Naruto was somewhat puzzled by Sasuke's inexplicable nervousness and guilty conscience, he considerately refrained from asking further questions and simply suppressed his curiosity for the time being.
He picked up the iron kettle hanging on the hook, walked to the tap in the corner of the room, filled it with water, and prepared to boil some hot water to make tea and dispel the chill from the two of them.
There was little conversation in the room after that. Satsuki simply curled up quietly in the blanket, holding the teacup that was gradually warming in her hands.
My gaze silently followed Naruto's busy figure in front of me—watching him carefully tend the fire, watching him pour boiling water into the teacup, watching the rising steam blur his serious profile.
Then I watched as he gently and carefully placed the steaming cup of tea, exuding a delicate fragrance, in front of me.
"Be careful, it's hot," he would always whisper a reminder.
Zuo Yue's lips moved slightly, as if she wanted to say something, perhaps to express her gratitude, or perhaps something else, but in the end, those words remained unspoken on her tongue.
She simply wrapped the blanket tighter around herself, watching as Naruto also draped another blanket over himself and sat naturally beside her, holding his own cup of hot tea, both of them gazing blankly at the leaping fire.
The sounds of rain and the crackling of firewood intertwined to create a soothing white noise.
Soon it was noon. The torrential rain outside showed no sign of stopping; on the contrary, it poured down even harder.
Naruto turned his gaze to the small refrigerator in the corner of the room, and after obtaining Satsuki's consent with his eyes, he got up and walked over.
Opening the refrigerator door, I was surprised to find a complete and fresh selection of ingredients; the vegetables were crisp and the meats were all properly prepared. This was clearly a carefully prepared stash of food by Aunt Meiqin for her family.
Naruto even found several fish that had been cleaned and marinated in sauce, carefully wrapped in plastic wrap.
Aunt Mikoto is so thoughtful...
In the end, Naruto decided to use what he had on hand, making use of the existing hearth. He skewered the marinated fish with clean iron skewers, then carefully placed them at an angle along the edge of the hearth, a suitable distance from the charcoal fire, and slowly grilled them.
Soon, the oil in the fish was forced out by the high temperature and dripped onto the charcoal fire. The rich aroma of grilled fish, along with the light smoke, quickly filled the room, mixing with the fragrance of tea and the smell of charcoal, creating a warm and comforting atmosphere.
Enveloped in the fragrance, Zuo Yue's tense and sorrowful emotions seemed to be soothed somewhat without her realizing it.
She hugged her knees, watching Naruto's silhouette intently flipping the grilled fish in the light of the leaping flames, feeling the strange tranquility of this near-death experience, and began to feel drowsy.
When the fish was grilled until the skin was golden brown and crispy, and the inside was tender and juicy, Naruto handed the first one that was grilled and looked the best to Satsuki.
"Be careful, it's hot. Eat slowly."
Zuo Yue took the sizzling, fragrant grilled fish and felt the real warmth in her palm.
It's piping hot... freshly cooked...
A strong, complex emotion, a mixture of gratitude, sadness, and a touch of warmth, welled up in her throat, making her feel both like crying and wanting to say something.
But when she looked up, she saw that Naruto across from her had already picked up another skewer of grilled fish without any hesitation, blew on it, and then took a big bite with a satisfied look on his face.
Seeing this, Zuo Yue swallowed back the words that were on the tip of her tongue. She lowered her head slightly to hide her reddened eyes, and carefully blew on the steaming food in her hand before taking a small bite.
The savory, fresh, and tender flavor melts in your mouth...
Anyway, let's eat first.
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