An icy sense of unease seized Satsuki's heart without warning. Her body began to tremble slightly, not from the chill of the night wind, but from the faint yet increasingly distinct smell of blood in the air.
That scent awakened humanity's most primal fear within her—the fear of death, of loss, of unforeseeable disaster.
Her fingers trembled uncontrollably as she instinctively grabbed the only support beside her: Naruto's sleeve. She clutched the fabric tightly in her hand, drawing a faint sense of security from it.
Yet reason screamed in her mind.
If... if something truly terrible has happened, just like I think...
Naruto... should leave here immediately!
It was absolutely unacceptable to drag the person most important to her into possible danger. That thought was crystal clear. But another, more primal and overwhelming emotion—a tidal wave called "fear"—instantly swallowed that faint glimmer of reason.
To remain alone in this darkness, filled with deathly silence and the stench of blood? The thought chilled her to the bone. Her fingers clenched around his sleeve so hard that her knuckles turned white.
She raised her head and looked at Naruto, her eyes filled with fierce struggle. Her lips parted, yet no sound came out. She did not know whether to order him to leave or beg him to stay.
In the end, all her conflict, fear, and dependence lay bare across her face.
Naruto saw that Satsuki's obsidian-like eyes, always so proud or indignant, were looking at him with an expression he had never seen before—one nearly heartbroken.
Those eyes brimmed with helplessness and pleading, like a small animal shivering in a storm as it sought shelter.
Naruto gently covered Satsuki's cold fingers with his palm. "It's okay. Something seems wrong up ahead, right? Don't be afraid. I'll stay by your side."
To