Satsuki took a moment to process it.
Why... was there a... dog in Naruto's house?
Was it a pet he had just bought? The thought had barely surfaced before she dismissed it herself. Impossible. He had been on the battlefield just moments ago—how could he have had time to buy a pet? Besides, she had never seen such a small creature in Konoha, with blue fur and such a distinctive bearing.
As Satsuki stood there in confusion, little Zacian on the floor also raised her head and studied the black-haired girl who had suddenly entered with clear eyes.
This presence... felt so familiar.
Back when her consciousness had still been hazy inside the eggshell, when her perception of the outside world had been nothing but chaos, aside from Naruto's warm, reassuring presence like sunlight, there had indeed been another presence that often appeared, one full of affection. It was the person before her.
Little Zacian tilted her fluffy head. A faint, soft whimper came from her throat, and the tip of her tail gave a gentle wag, naturally expressing her sense of closeness.
"Satsuki! I'm fine. The war is over. How about you? Were you hurt?"
Naruto's concerned voice pulled her from her brief thoughts. He stepped forward in a few strides, naturally placing his hands on her shoulders as his eyes carefully swept over her, checking whether she was unharmed.
"Ah! Um, I'm fine," Satsuki said, her cheeks growing faintly warm at his sudden close concern, her voice unconsciously softening. "Because your Shadow Clone was protecting me the whole time, Naruto..."
Actually, when Satsuki had seen the Naruto fighting beside her vanish in a puff of white smoke, she had indeed felt a little empty inside. She had even been inexplicably upset...
But now, feeling the warmth and strength