After I hurriedly delivered the umbrella I bought, Naruto opened the umbrella, which was wide enough, and held it steadily above the heads of the two people, forming a small shelter.
Just like that, the two of them held an umbrella and walked slowly on the already dead Uchiha Clan Compound street.
The rain outside became heavier and heavier, and finally it became a heavy downpour. The dense raindrops hit the umbrella surface hard, making a continuous sound.
Although the umbrella was large enough to completely cover the two of them, the raging wind still carried icy rain, which invaded from the side from time to time, soaking their cuffs and trousers.
Finally, Clan Head's Residence appeared in the rain curtain. Naruto put away the umbrella and leaned against the porch. Satsuki reached out and pushed open the cold sliding door.
Squeak——
The two walked in. The entrance was dark, with only the gray light coming from the window outlining the furniture.
Satsuki stood in the entrance hall in a daze, looking blankly at the familiar furnishings in front of him... Tears welled up uncontrollably again, mixed with the raindrops dripping from the tips of his hair, and slid down silently.
In her memory, every time she came back from school or training, when she opened the door, her mother's gentle voice would always come from inside. "Welcome back, Satsuki."
But now, there is only dead silence.
This dead silence reminded her sharply of a cruel truth. Her mother was now lying on the hospital bed, her life hanging by a thread, and her father was also unconscious. This home is no longer what it used to be.
Of course, Naruto knows in his heart that this situation is already too much trouble compared to the absolute despair of his parents' death in the original work.
He knew that with the power of [Crazy Diamond] to repair one child, Satsuki would be able to see her parents return to this home safe and sound by tomorrow at the latest. At this moment, he could not inform this "surprise" in advance.
Just when Satsuki was immersed in sadness and unable to extricate herself, a hand patted her head that was wet by the rain.
"Sorry," Naruto's voice sounded from the side, "You're really going to catch a cold if you stay like this. Go warm yourself first."
He looked around the somewhat dim surroundings and said, "Where is the furnace? Can you take me there? Let's light the fire first and dry the clothes."
Satsuki was stunned for a moment. Lighting a fire to keep warm... This extremely ordinary feeling was in sharp contrast to the huge sadness and emptiness in her heart at the moment. On the contrary, it allowed her to temporarily break away from the sadness.
She nodded and led Naruto through the familiar corridor and arrived at a traditional Japanese room. In the center of the room is the furnace that Naruto mentioned.
A square shallow pit dug in the middle of the tatami is covered with a thick layer of charcoal ash, and a height-adjustable hook hangs from the roof above.
Naruto squatted down and checked the situation in the furnace. I found that although the charcoal block below was cold, it seemed to be very dry and not affected by moisture. He didn't waste any more time, simply made a seal with his hands, moved closer to the pile of charcoal, and blew gently——
A small stream of precisely controlled Fire Release chakra erupted from his mouth, instantly igniting the dry charcoal.
The flames jumped happily and crackled slightly.
The room that was originally completely silent was finally broken by the sound of burning charcoal fire.
Satsuki sat aside holding his knees, fascinated by the dancing flames.
Kakkō appeared clearly on her pale face. She knew very well that if she were alone in this empty mansion at this moment, she would definitely fall into complete self-abasement. She might just huddle in a cold corner and let the sadness and cold swallow her up, doing nothing.
At this moment, Naruto's voice sounded again, interrupting her thoughts.
"Sorry, I just rummaged through the cabinet without permission... Use this to have a rest."
Satsuki raised his head and saw Naruto holding two thick-looking blankets in his hands, and handed one of them to her.
"Let's rest for a while and warm up." Naruto continued, "I'll make lunch in a while. What do you want to eat?"
However, Satsuki didn't listen to what Naruto said at all. Her attention was completely attracted by the two blankets, and a nervous look suddenly appeared on her face, and she even straightened her posture unconsciously.
"Um... wait!" She interrupted Naruto with some stuttering, "Um... which room are you looking for?"
Her sudden and weird reaction made Naruto a little confused, but he still answered honestly. "It's at the very back of the hallway. The room that looks like the biggest is the closet. What's wrong? Can't you use it?"
Hearing this, Satsuki breathed a sigh of relief, shook his head quickly, and looked away with wandering eyes. "No... it's nothing! It's okay... it's no problem at all..."
Although Naruto was a little confused about Satsuki's inexplicable nervousness and guilty feeling just now, he was considerate and did not ask further questions, but suppressed this curiosity in his heart for the time being.
He picked up the iron kettle hanging on the hook and filled it with water next to the faucet in the corner of the room, preparing to boil some hot water to make tea to dispel the chill on the two of them.
For the rest of the time, there wasn't much verbal communication in the room. Satsuki just curled up quietly on the blanket, holding a teacup that gradually warmed up in his hands.
My eyes silently followed the busy figure of Naruto in front of me - watching him carefully tending the fire, watching him pour scalding hot water into the tea cup, watching the dense heat blurring his serious profile.
Then I watched him place the steaming cup of tea with a light fragrance gently and firmly in front of me.
"Be careful." He would always remind in a low voice.
Satsuki's lips moved slightly, as if he wanted to say something, maybe a thank you, maybe a farewell, but in the end those words melted on the tip of his tongue and were not spoken.
She just wrapped the blanket tighter and watched as Naruto put on another blanket and sat beside her, holding her own cup of hot tea and staring at the dancing fire in a daze.
The sound of rain and the crackling of firewood mingled together to create a reassuring white noise.
Soon, it was noon. The heavy rain outside the window still showed no signs of stopping, but instead fell even more heartily.
Naruto turned his attention to the small refrigerator in the corner of the room. After asking Satsuki's consent with his eyes, he stood up and took a look.
When I opened the refrigerator door, I found that the ingredients inside were surprisingly complete and fresh. The vegetables were juicy and the meat was well prepared. This shows that Aunt Mikoto has carefully prepared a reserve for her family.
Naruto even found a few fish that had been cleaned, marinated with sauce, and carefully wrapped in plastic wrap.
Aunt Mikoto is so well prepared...
In the end, Naruto decided to use local materials and use this ready-made floor furnace. He skewered the marinated fish on a clean iron skewer, carefully inserted it diagonally on the edge of the earthen stove at a suitable distance from the charcoal fire, and grilled it slowly.
Soon, the fat in the fish meat was forced out by the high temperature and dripped on the charcoal fire. The rich aroma of grilled fish quickly spread in the room along with the light smoke, mixing with the aroma of tea and charcoal fire, forming an extremely life-like warm atmosphere.
Satsuki Wrapped in this fragrance, the original tense and sad mood seemed to be ironed out a little unknowingly.
She hugged her knees and looked at the profile of Naruto focused on grilling fish reflected in the jumping flames. Feeling the strange and peaceful atmosphere of the aftermath of a disaster, she actually felt a little dazed and sleepy.
When the fish was grilled (golden and crispy on the outside and tender and juicy on the inside), Naruto handed the fish that was grilled first and looked the best to Satsuki.
"Be careful when it's hot and eat slowly."
Satsuki took the skewer of grilled fish that was still steaming and smelling of oil, and felt the real warm touch from the palm of his hand.
It's piping hot... the food has just been cooked...
A strong complex emotion, mixed with gratitude, sadness and a hint of warmth, surged up in her throat, giving her the urge to cry and even more of an urge to say something.
But she raised her head and saw Naruto across from her picking up another skewer of grilled fish without any surprise, blowing on it, and then took a big bite, looking satisfied.
Seeing this scene, Satsuki swallowed the words that were on his lips again. She lowered her head slightly to hide her red eyes, and carefully blew on the steaming food in her hand, then gently took a small bite.
The salty, fragrant and tender taste melts in your mouth...
Anyway... let's eat first.
(Thank you! Boss Giorno Giovanna is certified as a master! Four more updates a day! Thank you boss!)