Feeling

At last, the three of them arrived at the gates of the Hyuga residence.

"We're here..." Hinata stopped walking. "Thank you for seeing me home."

She turned around, clasped her hands in front of her, and gave Naruto and Satsuki a solemn bow.

Naruto was just about to say something when Satsuki stepped forward first. "All right, we'll be going now." Her voice was deliberately calm, but her grip on Naruto's wrist did not loosen in the slightest.

"You should learn to be braver in the future. After all... you can't always trouble other people, right?"

Hinata lowered her head even further. "Yes... thank you very much for your guidance."

"Then, see you sometime," Satsuki quickly added, speaking as fast as if she were reciting lines.

Before Naruto could react, Satsuki had already turned and dragged him away. Her grip was astonishingly strong. In the instant they turned, their overlapping figures were reflected in Hinata's pure white eyes.

Hinata stood where she was, watching their retreating backs grow farther away as an inexplicable ache rose in her chest. It was a sight she had never seen before—two children her own age, yet radiating such dazzling confidence. It made her both envious and ashamed of herself.

Complex emotions flickered in her Byakugan. What would she have to do to become as strong as them? What would she have to go through to possess that kind of courage? Those questions swirled in her heart, but she could find no answers.

"Um... Satsuki?" Naruto asked tentatively, confusion in his voice. "This doesn't seem to be the way to my house..."

Satsuki did not turn around. She only tugged harder on Naruto's wrist. "I told you, you're coming home with me today."

"But... I already made dinner! And if I suddenly visit your house, I'll be bothering Aunt Mikoto..."

"You won't!" Satsuki abruptly turned around. "I... you take care of me so much all the time..." Her voice suddenly dropped, carrying a trace of grievance that was hard to notice. "Why are you so unwilling to come to my house...?"

Only then did Naruto notice that her eyes had somehow reddened slightly. Satsuki bit her lower lip, then suddenly spoke as if she had made up her mind. "If you think it's too far... you can stay the night at my house!"

Those words made Naruto stop short, so suddenly that Satsuki had no choice but to release his hand.

"Satsuki!" Naruto placed both hands on her shoulders and forced her to look at him. "What's wrong with you today? You've been acting really strange since earlier!"

Satsuki clutched Naruto's sleeve tightly, only to discover that no matter how hard she pulled, she could not move him. After trying several times, her arm fell limply to her side, her black hair concealing half her face.

"I see..." Her voice suddenly became very soft. "So compared to me... you prefer being with quiet girls like that...?"

"Quiet? You mean Hinata?" Naruto's eyes widened in disbelief. She was seriously jealous over this?

"What are you even thinking? Of course I prefer being with you."

"...Huh?"

Satsuki abruptly raised her head, and a glimmer of light flashed through her dark eyes.

"We've spent so much time together already," Naruto said, his tone unconsciously softening. "You know, I spend almost every afternoon with you now. It's no exaggeration to say that even if I spent the rest of my life with you, I'd never get tired of it!"

"...!"

Those words hit Satsuki's heart like a straight ball. She jerked her hand away as though shocked by electricity and staggered half a step back. The next second, she quickly turned her face aside, her black hair falling like a waterfall and completely hiding her expression.

"What's wrong now? Are you okay?" Naruto stepped forward in confusion, wanting to pat her shoulder.

Satsuki's body shuddered, and she dodged his touch. "I... I understand completely now!" Her tone became strangely unnatural. "So this is how you see me..."

"See you?" Naruto looked at Satsuki's suddenly odd reaction in confusion. Just as he was about to step forward and ask, Satsuki backed away two steps like a startled deer.

"I... I understand what you mean!" An unnatural flush spread across Satsuki's fair cheeks. "Um... I'll be going now...!" She gestured helplessly, even beginning to stammer. "Tomorrow afternoon! I'll be at the place we agreed on, right on time!"

Before she had even finished speaking, Satsuki turned and ran off. Naruto stared in stunned silence at the girl who had just seemed desperate to cling to him, only to flee in panic like a startled rabbit.

Did she start hating me?

Naruto stood there, confusedly replaying their conversation in his mind. Then suddenly—

"Even if I spent the rest of my life with you, I'd never get tired of it."

Those words struck his mind like lightning. Naruto abruptly clutched his head, his cheeks instantly burning hot.

Wasn't that... wasn't that basically the same as a confession or proposal?!

He had only wanted to exaggerate his friendship, yet he had said something so easily misunderstood! Satsuki must have been frightened into running away...

What the hell was I saying...

Naruto ruffled his hair in frustration. He had not realized at all that ever since the system told him he could develop a "romantic" relationship with Satsuki, his mind had no longer been as clear and calm around her as before.

Just as he was immersed in the dejection of being "hated," a crisp system notification suddenly rang in his mind.

Ding!

Congratulations, Host: You have formed a bond with original character "Uchiha Satsuki" (Level 6)!

Points received: 500!

"...What?"

Naruto stood frozen in place. The system notification still echoed in his mind, but his confusion now far outweighed his joy.

I said something so easy to misunderstand... and Satsuki's favorability actually increased?

That realization suddenly made Naruto's heart race. He placed a hand over his chest, feeling the abnormal pounding within.

Could she really... have those feelings for me?!

With a click, the door to Satsuki's room in the Uchiha Clan Head's residence was violently pushed open and shut again. Satsuki leaned against the door and slowly slid to the floor, both hands tightly covering her burning cheeks. Moonlight streamed through the window and fell over her, illuminating her flushed little face.

So that was it...

The thought exploded in Satsuki's mind like fireworks, making her whole body feel light and floaty.

Fragments of the past surfaced uncontrollably: Naruto patiently guiding her training, comforting her whenever she was upset, his unwavering companionship every single day...

So that's how he sees me... Of course! How could ordinary friends possibly do this much for each other?!

If Naruto could hear her thoughts at that moment, he would surely once again be shocked by how precocious children in the Ninja World were.

But what surprised Satsuki herself even more was that she did not feel the slightest rejection. Instead, a sweet feeling welled up from the depths of her heart, leaving her both delighted and at a loss.

"Ugh..."

She buried her burning face in her knees. Insects chirped in the courtyard, but they could not drown out the violent pounding in her chest.

What am I supposed to do with this feeling...?