Pulling aside the familiar warm curtain, rich bone broth aroma imdiately washed over them. Through the rising steam, Naruto stepped confidently into this ran shop he'd visited countless tis.
"Old man, I'm here for my usual!" Naruto called out energetically. "Two miso tonkotsu char siu ran! Please!"
He stepped aside to make room, with a black-haired girl following behind him standing at the entrance.
"Co on, Satsuki," Naruto smiled while pulling out a chair. "Thanks for walking ho. As a thank you, let treat you to a bowl of ran! Ichiraku-ojisan's cooking is the best in Konoha!"
Satsuki's ears turned slightly red as she sat down with feigned composure. "...Since you insist on treating , I suppose I can reluctantly keep you company."
Teuchi poked his head out from the kitchen, his face beaming with smiles. "Oh! It's Naruto and little Satsuki! Two miso tonkotsu char siu ran, right? Coming right up!"
Through the swirling steam, a brown-haired girl was busy at the cutting board. Aya, Teuchi's daughter, looked up at the sound and showed the two regular custors a gentle smile.
As they sat waiting for their ran, Naruto propped his chin on his hands against the wooden table, studying Satsuki across from him with keen interest.
"So how was it, Satsuki?" Naruto's voice carried barely contained anticipation. "How did your first day at the ninja academy feel?"
Hearing the question, Satsuki tilted her head thoughtfully for a mont. "...Honestly, not great." She showed a slightly disdainful expression. "Those basic chakra theories the teacher explained—Father taught all that three years ago."
However, her eyes soon brightened. "But the afternoon sparring with you was pretty good." She lifted her chin slightly with a hint of challenge. "Let's have another match next ti we get the chance."
This answer was completely within Naruto's expectations, making him laugh. "Can't help it," he shrugged. "Not everyone is like us, training since we could walk. Most of our classmates are encountering the ninja world for the first ti... naturally the teacher has to prioritize everyone else."
Suddenly, as if rembering sothing interesting, Naruto unconsciously leaned forward. "Oh right, did you notice any interesting characters in our class?"
"Interesting characters?"
"Yeah!" Naruto nodded. "There are many like you—children from ninja families. Like those two guys who raised their hands to surrender before sparring even began. The pineapple-head is the Nara heir, and the chubby one is the Akimichi young master."
Satsuki thoughtfully recalled the scene, then showed an unimpressed expression. "Those two? So what if they're from prestigious families? If they don't even have the courage to fight, there's no way they can beco excellent ninja."
Faced with Satsuki's proud declaration, Naruto just smiled indulgently. Just then, Teuchi pushed aside the kitchen curtain and approached carrying two bowls of steaming ran.
"Sorry for the wait! Special miso tonkotsu char siu ran, coming up!"
As the ran was gently placed on the table, rich aromas imdiately filled the space between them. Naruto was surprised to find not only his bowl piled high with char siu like a small mountain, but Satsuki's portion was equally impressive—roughly estimated at least three tis the normal amount.
"Old man... this is..." Naruto's eyes widened, chopsticks hovering over the char siu mountain, unsure where to begin.
Teuchi wiped his hands with his apron, his face full of kind smiles. "I heard today was the ninja academy's opening day, right?"
"Consider it a celebration gift. Today's ran is on the house—you two eat up!"
"Oh! Really?" Naruto imdiately perked up. "That's aweso! Then old man, could I get so more fish cake and bamboo shoots?"
"Sure thing!" Teuchi laughed heartily as he turned around. "Fish cake and bamboo shoots coming right up!"
The two quietly enjoyed the delicious al before them. Naruto and Satsuki maintained their usual dining silence—except for that one ti long ago when Naruto had counseled Satsuki, they'd never had the habit of chatting while eating.
Satsuki sipped the rich broth in small mouthfuls, experiencing this entirely novel dining experience. As the Uchiha heiress, her three daily als were always traditional Japanese cuisine carefully prepared by her mother—beautifully plated and nutritionally balanced.
---
Experiences like sitting in noisy street-side shops eating common people's food were almost entirely things Naruto had brought into her life.
Her mories drifted involuntarily to the past. Back then, her sister would occasionally take her for dango, though Satsuki never understood why her sister was so fascinated by those sickeningly sweet rice dumplings. But seeing her sister's satisfied smile each ti, she would always swallow her complaints of "too sweet."
But from so point onward, her sister beca increasingly busy, coming ho less frequently, sotis disappearing for days. What exactly was her sister so busy with?
In the past, Satsuki would have been secretly hurt by her sister's distance. But now, looking up at the blonde boy wolfing down his food across from her, that familiar sense of loss had miraculously faded considerably.
From the day they'd t, Naruto had entered her life like a ray of sunlight, appearing punctually at their agreed eting place almost every day. Without realizing it, this boy with his brilliant smile had beco part of her life.
Satsuki gazed at Naruto's profile shrouded in steam. Through the rising white mist, his eyelashes trembled gently with each hearty slurp of noodles. Broth clung to the corner of his mouth, though he remained completely unaware, still imrsed in the joy of delicious food.
Watching such pure happiness, Satsuki's heart felt as if soaked in warm water, unconsciously softening as her gaze grew focused and tender.
"Um... what's wrong, Satsuki?" Naruto noticed her stare and suddenly turned his head, seeing this rare gentle expression.
"Why are you looking at like that? Did I get sothing on my face?"
"...Maybe it's because I like you..."
The words slipped out as if they had minds of their own. The next second, Satsuki saw Naruto freeze completely, his chopsticks clattering onto the table as his azure eyes widened in circles, filled with incredulous light.
...What?
Wait, wait, wait! What did I just say?!
Alarms blared in Satsuki's mind as she finally realized she'd unconsciously said sothing terrible.
Her pale cheeks reddened at a visible pace. She frantically waved her hands, explaining incoherently. "That... it's not that! I ant! That..."
I need... I need to find a way out of this!
Her brain spun frantically until inspiration struck.
"...Right! I ant skiing!"
Her voice suddenly pitched higher. "I was wondering if we could use skiing to train chakra control!"
(Note: In Japanese, "suki" ans both "like" and "ski")
Naruto stared for several seconds before showing a look of understanding. "...Oh, I see." He scratched his head and picked up his chopsticks again.
"That might work. When snow season cos, let's try it."
Satsuki secretly breathed a sigh of relief, though her heart still pounded frantically. She hurriedly averted her gaze, only to et Aya's eyes as she collected dishes. The other girl returned a kind smile, finally allowing Satsuki's tense nerves to relax.
Too close... looks like I managed to cover that up...
What she didn't notice was that when Aya turned away, her professional smile instantly transford into the brilliant grin of soone who'd discovered treasure, her hands unconsciously cupping her cheeks.
'Oh my... so cute...!' Aya squealed internally. 'What was that? An unguarded mont of true feelings? Ahhhh, youth is so beautiful...!'
User Comments
0 comments from readers