"Naruto, do you like this Tamagoyaki? Come on, eat more, you're welcome."
At noon, Uchiha Clan Compound, Clan Head's Residence is in the spacious but subtle restaurant. The dining table was filled with exquisite dishes. Clan Head Fugaku Uchiha was holding public chopsticks and expressionlessly putting a large piece of golden tamagoyaki into Naruto's bowl that was piled like a hill.
Naruto, who was sitting opposite, tried hard to maintain a polite smile on his face, but his smile seemed a bit stiff and forced.
First of all, although Fugaku spoke seemingly polite and enthusiastic words, his tone was as calm as if he was reading a mission report. There was no real intimacy, but a sense of alienation in a business-like manner. This feeling of extreme mismatch between words and tone made people feel very awkward.
Secondly, and what made Naruto most stressed - the bowl in front of him was almost full of food. It was crumbling and there was almost no place to put down his chopsticks.
However, Fugaku seemed to have no intention of stopping at all, and even began to accurately add new dishes to the tip of the existing "hill", quite like challenging architecture and playing "Jenga" rhythm.
It seems that although the former Uchiha Clan Head agreed to Naruto's previous move of "making an appointment with Satsuki", he still had a lot of resentment in his heart and was silently venting his dissatisfaction in this seemingly enthusiastic but actually "embarrassing" way.
"Really, husband, it will Naruto be very troublesome if you do this. The bowl can barely hold it, how can the child eat it?"
Fortunately, Mikoto, who was sitting aside, finally couldn't stand it anymore and stopped Fugaku's childish "retaliation" behavior.
"Sorry, Naruto," Mikoto turned his head and showed a warm and apologetic smile to Naruto, "Your uncle Fugaku just 'cares' about you too much, so don't take it to heart. Come, auntie, help you get some out."
As she spoke, she naturally took a small empty bowl and gently smoothed out most of the "little mountain of food" in the Naruto bowl that was in danger of falling over at the first touch.
Completely different from Fugaku's emotionless "fake enthusiasm", the tone of Mikoto's words to Naruto and the concern in his eyes were filled with an almost parent-child level of tenderness and affinity. It was a kind of love from the heart, as if Naruto had been treated as his own child.
Mikoto's behavior instantly relaxed the atmosphere at the dinner table, and also made Naruto relax and be able to eat in peace.
His "offensive" was stopped by his wife. Fugaku couldn't help being slightly startled, and a trace of surprise flashed through his heart. He had just used such childish behavior towards a junior, almost like a naughty child's prank. This was really out of character.
He raised his eyes to look across from her, and met the eyes of his daughter Satsuki with obvious resentment.
Fugaku felt a thump in his heart. It seemed that in the next few days, Satsuki might be very indifferent to him.
When he thought that his daughter might not even look at him, Fugaku couldn't help but feel a little regret and loss in his heart.
In the end, the lunch ended in this slightly awkward and delicate atmosphere. After taking a short rest after the meal, Satsuki and Naruto were ready to leave for the meeting point at the entrance of the village. Team 7 still had a few more D-rank mission to perform in the afternoon.
"I'm going out, mom." After putting on her shoes at the entrance, Satsuki said to her parents in the house, but she deliberately only looked at Mikoto and completely missed Fugaku. With this clear and clear behavior, she expressed her slight dissatisfaction with her father's behavior during lunch.
Naruto also quickly bowed politely to the room, "Thank you for the hospitality, Uncle Fugaku, Aunt Mikoto, today's lunch was very delicious, I'm sorry to bother you."
"Well, be careful on the road and work hard on your mission." Mikoto smiled and bid farewell to the two of them gently, his eyes especially falling on the hands they were holding - although it was Satsuki who held it, Naruto held it with his backhand very naturally.
Looking at this heartwarming scene, the smile on Mikoto's face became softer and more gratifying.
Then, she watched her husband turn around and walk back into the house without saying a word, looking a little dull, and followed her husband back with a helpless and tolerant smile.
In the living room, Fugaku was sitting silently on the tatami, his back straight and his face still with the usual emotionless expression.
Based on the couple's relationship and understanding for many years, Mikoto could see through at a glance the secret anger underneath her husband's calm appearance - probably because of his daughter's apparent partiality and Naruto's "crime" of "kidnapping" his precious daughter.
She sighed softly, walked to her husband, and sat down on her knees, with the hem of her kimono spread out on the tatami.
"Husband, don't do this kind of thing again in the future. You and I can see that child's feelings towards Satsuki, and if you do this, Satsuki will also be very unhappy."
"... Yeah." Fugaku made a short and dull response from his throat, which was regarded as acknowledging his wife's statement. He still tilted his head and refused to look at Mikoto.
Mikoto Seeing the awkward look on her husband's face, caring so much in his heart but still trying to hold on on the surface, he couldn't help but cover his mouth and chuckle.
After so many years, he is still the same - is very satisfied with Satsuki's talent and progress, but he can't express a direct compliment.
ZZZA recognized Naruto's determination and ability to protect Satsuki, but he chose to express his trivial "dissatisfaction" in this childish way.
"To be honest," Mikoto leaned slightly towards her husband, "Satsuki can meet Naruto, isn't our family lucky? In your heart... you are actually very grateful to that child, right?"
"At that time, Naruto was always by Satsuki's side. Moreover, you can see that he was very responsible for his future plans."
Mikoto is 100% supportive and happy that Naruto and Satsuki can develop that kind of relationship. Rather, this has actually been her deepest wish for a long time.
Many years ago, before Naruto was born. She and her friend Kushina Uzumaki often get together. Seeing their pregnant friends, the two of them laughed and agreed that if Kushina gave birth to a girl, the two children would become the most beautiful sisters. If it was a boy, then they would simply arrange a baby wedding for them, and then kiss them.
Of course, the premise of this beautiful agreement is that...Fourth Hokage and his wife are still together.
Nowadays, times have changed and things have changed. Without any interference from their fathers, the two children came together naturally, which gave Mikoto great comfort and surprise. In a twists and turns, fate continued the promise of death.
"... It's not because of him."
Fugaku spoke again, with an indescribable bitterness in his voice. He still didn't look at his wife, his eyes were lowered, staring at the lines on the tatami.
So, what is Fugaku's real thought deep inside?
His denial is not directed at Naruto himself. The root of that bitterness may stem more from a sense of powerlessness and guilt.
(There are more updates today)