At Aunt Mikoto's words, Naruko froze for a moment, then pressed her lips together, seemingly still debating whether to keep "ignoring" Sasuke.
But with her mother giving her a gentle nudge and her father watching her with a smile of encouragement, she finally rose, slowly and reluctantly, still holding the elegantly wrapped long box she had kept beside her all this time.
She did not look at Sasuke, only saying quietly to Mikoto and Kushina, "Aunt Mikoto, Mom, I'll head over first."
Then she turned and walked toward Sasuke's room. Her steps were unhurried, but her retreating figure radiated a stubborn air of "It's not like I want to go."
At the sight, the heavy ache in Sasuke's chest instantly gave way to a mix of nerves, anticipation, and uncertainty.
He hurried to his feet as well, gave the adults a quick bow, said, "Excuse me," and hastened after her.
The two children disappeared, one after the other, behind the sliding door of the tatami room.
Inside, the adults' conversation grew a little quieter, and Mikoto and Kushina exchanged a knowing, smiling glance.
Fugaku and Minato continued raising their cups, their conversation naturally moving on to other subjects, as though that little interlude had been nothing more than an ordinary moment at the dinner table.
The door to Sasuke's room closed softly, shutting out the faint sounds of the adults laughing and talking downstairs.
Soft lamplight illuminated the familiar space, but it could not dispel the invisible veil of awkward, delicate silence hanging between them.
Naruko Uzumaki walked straight to the chair beside the desk and sat down, her back ramrod straight, her hands resting on her knees. Her gaze settled on the Ninjutsu diagram on the opposite wall, studying it intently as though a rare flower had suddenly bloomed