signingbooks Chapter 43 Feeling
Chapter 43 Feeling
Finally, the three arrived at the entrance of the Hyuga mansion.
"We're here..." Hinata stopped. "Thank you for taking me home."
She turned around, clasped her hands in front of her, and solemnly bowed to Naruto and Satsuki.
Naruto was about to say something when Satsuki stepped forward first. "Well, we'll be going then." Her tone was deliberately calm, but the grip on Naruto's wrist didn't loosen at all.
"You need to learn to be braver from now on, after all... you can't always be a burden to others, right?"
Hinata lowered her head even further. "Yes... thank you so much for your guidance."
"Well then, see you again sometime." Satsuki replied almost impatiently, speaking so fast it sounded like she was reciting lines.
Before Naruto could react, Satsuki had already grabbed his hand and turned to leave. The force was astonishing; in the instant they turned, Hinata's pure white eyes reflected their intertwined figures.
Hinata stood there, watching the two figures walk away into the distance, a strange pang of sadness rising in her chest. It was a sight she had never seen before—two people her age, yet radiating such dazzling confidence. It filled her with both longing and inferiority.
A complex mix of emotions flickered in her eyes. How could she become as strong as them? What did she have to go through to gain that kind of courage? These questions swirled in her mind, but she couldn't find the answers.
------
"Um... Satsuki?" Naruto asked tentatively, his voice tinged with confusion, "This doesn't seem to be the way home..."
Faced with this question, Satsuki didn't turn around, but instead gripped Naruto's wrist even tighter. "I already told you, you're coming home with me today."
But... I really have already prepared the bento! And visiting your house suddenly would be too much trouble for Aunt Mikoto..."
"No way!" Zuo Yue suddenly turned around. "I...I've received so much care from you..." Her voice suddenly lowered, carrying a hint of barely perceptible grievance, "Why won't you come to my house..."
Naruto then noticed that her eyes had become slightly red. Satsuki bit her lower lip, and as if making a decision, suddenly said, "If you think it's too far... you can stay at my place!"
These words made Naruto stop abruptly, his grip so strong that Satsuki had to let go.
"Satsuki!" Naruto pressed his hands on her shoulders, forcing her to look him in the eye. "What's wrong with you today? You've been acting really strange since just now!"
Satsuki gripped Naruto's sleeve tightly, but found that no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't pull him up. After several attempts, her arm fell limply to her side, her black hair obscuring half of her face.
"I see..." Her voice suddenly became very soft, "So, you prefer being with quiet girls rather than me..."
"Wenjing? You mean Hinata?" Naruto's eyes widened in disbelief. This jealousy is really intense.
"What are you thinking? Of course I prefer being with you."
"...Huh?"
Zuo Yue suddenly raised her head, a glint of light flashing in her dark eyes.
"We've been together for so long," Naruto's tone softened unconsciously, "You know, I spend almost every afternoon with you now. It's no exaggeration to say I'd never get tired of you, even if I spent my whole life with you!"
"......!"
These words struck Zuo Yue like a straight ball, hitting her right in the heart. She jerked her hand away as if electrocuted, staggering half a step backward. The next second, she quickly turned her face away, her black hair cascading down like a waterfall, completely obscuring her expression.
"What's wrong now? Are you alright?" Naruto stepped forward, puzzled, and tried to pat her shoulder.
Satsuki's body trembled violently, pulling away from his touch. "I...I completely understand!" Her tone became unusually strange, "So that's how you see me..."
"What do you think?" Naruto looked at Satsuki's suddenly strange reaction with confusion. He was about to step forward to ask when Satsuki suddenly took two steps back like a startled deer.
"I...I understand what you're thinking!" A blush crept across Zuo Yue's fair cheeks. "Um...I'll be going now...!" She gestured awkwardly, her words becoming hesitant and stuttering. "Tomorrow afternoon! I'll be at our agreed-upon place on time!"
Before she could finish speaking, Satsuki had already turned and run away. Naruto stared in disbelief as the girl who had just been clinging to him was now fleeing in panic like a frightened rabbit.
...Am I being disliked?
Naruto stood there, confused as he recalled the conversation, when suddenly—
"I would never get tired of spending my whole life with you."
These words struck his mind like lightning. Naruto clutched his head, his cheeks instantly burning hot.
This...this sounds almost like a marriage proposal!
He only meant to exaggerate his friendship, but he said something so easily misunderstood! Satsuki must have been frightened to run away...
What am I even saying...?
Naruto scratched his hair in frustration. He was completely unaware that ever since the system notified him that he could develop a "romantic" relationship with Satsuki, his thinking had become less clear and calm when he was around her.
Just as he was immersed in the frustration of being "hated," a crisp system notification sound suddenly rang in his mind.
【Ding! 】
[Congratulations, host! You have established a bond with the original character "Uchiha Satsuki" (Level 6)!]
Points earned: 500!
"...What?"
Naruto stood frozen in place, the system's notification sound still echoing in his mind, but at this moment, his confusion far outweighed his joy.
He said something that could be misunderstood... but Satsuki's affection level actually increased?
This realization caused Naruto's heart to suddenly race. He touched his chest, feeling the unusual pounding there.
Could it be that she really... has those kinds of feelings for me?!
------
With a "thud," the door to Satsuki's room in the Uchiha clan head's mansion was suddenly pushed open and then slammed shut. Satsuki leaned against the door and slowly slid down to the floor, her hands tightly covering her burning cheeks. Moonlight streamed through the window, illuminating her flushed face.
Oh, I see...
The thought exploded in Zuo Yue's mind like fireworks, making her feel lightheaded.
Those past moments uncontrollably surfaced: Naruto patiently teaching her training, comforting her when she was frustrated, his unwavering companionship every single day...
So that's how he saw me... Yeah! How could ordinary friends go to such lengths?!
If Naruto could hear her thoughts right now, he would be shocked once again by the precociousness of the children in the ninja world.
But what surprised Zuo Yue even more was that she didn't feel any rejection at all. Instead, a sweet feeling welled up from the bottom of her heart, making her both happy and at a loss.
"Ugh..."
She buried her burning face in her knees. The chirping of insects in the courtyard could not mask the violent pounding of her heart.
This feeling... what should I do...?