"Ah, wait a moment, I'm coming!"
In the afternoon, sunlight streamed through the window into Naruto's small but meticulously tidy apartment. Naruto, wearing a slightly old apron and holding a cleaning rag, was busy tidying up.
Hearing the sudden knock on the door, he immediately called out, guessing it might be Satsuki coming to find him. He quickly walked to the door.
Opening the door, he indeed saw Satsuki's familiar figure standing outside. However, she looked a bit strange today; unlike her usual direct entrance, she was slightly bowing her head, with her hands behind her back, as if hiding something, looking hesitant and fidgety.
"Oh, it's Satsuki," Naruto said with a smile, stepping aside to let her in, even though he found her posture a bit odd. "Come in first. If you want to go out, wait for me a bit, I haven't finished cleaning yet."
Satsuki softly hummed, her head still down, and quickly walked into the room. Naruto habitually went to the refrigerator, took out a bottle of iced strawberry milk, and handed it to her as usual. "Sit for a while, I'll be done soon."
Satsuki, her face slightly red, took the milk and sat down at the dining table, simultaneously placing the square box, wrapped in a clean cloth, that she had been hiding behind her back, onto the table.
Her heart was pounding. Inside this box was something she had spent the entire afternoon meticulously preparing. Kakashi-sensei's words echoed in her mind.
"Listen up, Satsuki! This is the most direct, most classic method! To conquer a man's heart, you must first conquer his stomach! Although Naruto's cooking is incredibly good, this step is still essential!"
"Because when a girl personally makes a bento for a man, it not only shows him your thoughtfulness and sincerity, but more importantly, it makes him feel cherished and cared for! This is a powerful weapon for increasing affection!"
Kakashi had said this proudly, holding that tattered book.
Satsuki finally gathered her courage and spoke to Naruto, who was still wiping the table nearby, "Nar… Naruto! Um… have… have you had lunch yet?"
Naruto, who was cleaning, paused at her words. His gaze subconsciously turned to the carefully wrapped square box on the table, and he instantly understood something.
It seemed Satsuki was being fidgety today because she had made him a bento? An indescribable warmth instantly surged through Naruto's heart. He had been wondering why Satsuki hadn't come over to help clean as naturally as before, but it turned out she had secretly been busy with this.
Even if he had already eaten lunch, he absolutely couldn't say so now. He replied very naturally, "Not yet, why? Did Satsuki bring something delicious?"
Although this was Satsuki's first time truly cooking, with her vivid memories of watching her mother Mikoto and Naruto cook, and her meticulous, perfectionist replication, the final product actually looked quite presentable. It shouldn't… be too bad, right?
Hearing that Naruto hadn't eaten, Satsuki felt a slight sense of relief, but her next words still came out haltingly. "Um… I… I tried learning how to make bento today… but, I made a bit too much… if… if I can't finish it, it would be a waste of food… can… can you help me eat it?"
"Oh, really? Sure, thank you then." Naruto pulled out a chair and sat down, took the bento box Satsuki handed him, and then opened the lid without hesitation.
Watching Naruto accept it so directly and prepare to taste it, Satsuki felt an uncontrollable surge of joy and anticipation.
Inside the bento box were common Japanese dishes: two rice balls, next to them yellow tamagoyaki, and a piece of meat patty that looked nicely pan-fried.
Naruto was actually filled with novelty and anticipation at the thought of eating a meal personally prepared by Satsuki. He picked up the chopsticks provided in the bento box, took a piece of the seemingly most harmless tamagoyaki, and put it into his mouth.
The next moment—
"...Boom."
A sound like huge waves crashing against rocks seemed to echo in Naruto's mind.
A salty taste, like a tsunami, instantly swept through his entire mouth, violently assaulting his taste buds!
How could this tamagoyaki… be so salty?! Naruto felt as if his tongue was almost pickled! He almost used all his willpower and expression management skills as a Ninja to desperately suppress the uncontrollable, twisting, unnatural expression that was about to appear on his face, forcibly maintaining the actions of chewing and swallowing.
That's right… this dish, infused with Satsuki's sincerity, its taste could no longer be simply described as "bad"… because it was simply inedible!
Uchiha Satsuki, as the daughter of the Uchiha Clan Leader, the strongest clan in Konoha, had received various elite educations since childhood: Ninjutsu, Taijutsu, Shurikenjutsu, tactical theory… but only in the area of household chores and cooking, it was a completely neglected field!
For a young lady of her status, her life goal was to constantly grow stronger and revive the clan's glory! Trivial matters like cooking were naturally handled by her mother; she was a dignified young lady who never had to lift a finger!
Unfortunately, Satsuki's first attempt at cooking completely failed. With her mother Mikoto coincidentally out temporarily and no one to guide her, she perfectly confused the proportions of salt and sugar! And perhaps due to nervousness, her hands trembled, adding too much several times… Naturally, the cautious Satsuki had actually done "experiments." The first taste-tester in the family—Uchiha Fugaku, after learning that this seemingly presentable bento was specially made by his daughter for that "blond kid" Uzumaki Naruto, for some complex reason?
He actually managed to suppress the twitching on his face and the discomfort in his throat, giving a "tastes pretty good" evaluation without changing his expression! It wasn't until Satsuki left that he gulped down a large pot of water, revealing an extremely pained expression.
Naruto's hand, holding the chopsticks, trembled slightly, but he forcibly steadied it. Just then, he heard Satsuki ask with anticipation and a hint of nervousness, "How is it? Does it… suit your taste?"
Looking at Satsuki's bright, hopeful dark eyes, Naruto simply couldn't bring himself to say anything that would disappoint her. He tried to swallow the incredibly salty tamagoyaki in his mouth, forcing out a smile that was as natural as possible, "...Mmm, it's, it's alright… it's okay."
Immersed in joy, Satsuki didn't notice the forced nature of Naruto's smile and the subtle hint of pain beneath it. Instead, she was greatly encouraged by Naruto's "affirmation," and with a touch of shyness and excitement, she suggested, "Re-really? Then… then I can make more in the future! That way, Naruto, you won't have to work so hard cooking for yourself when you return from missions!"
"Pfft—cough, cough, cough!" Hearing this, Naruto almost choked on his own saliva, and his heart suddenly sank! Eating this every day? It would be life-threatening!
He quickly waved his hands, "No, no, no! No need! I appreciate your kindness, Satsuki! But leave small matters like cooking to me! I prefer cooking, and I'm fast too! Really! How can I let you go through all this trouble every day!"
Perhaps Naruto's refusal was too quick and firm, and the abnormality in his tone finally caught Satsuki's attention. She carefully looked at Naruto's face, which was still trying to maintain a smile but was subtly pale and stiff, and recalled his seemingly extremely difficult subtle movements when swallowing earlier… A thought that made her heart sink suddenly emerged. Naruto's expression… wasn't it a bit too forced? Could it be… She almost instinctively, with a Ninja's excellent agility, suddenly reached out and snatched the chopsticks from Naruto's hand!
Naruto, still enduring the painful aftertaste of the incredibly salty food in his mouth, was a half-beat slow in his reaction. By the time he realized what Satsuki intended to do and frantically tried to stop her— "Wait! Satsuki, don't—!"
It was already too late.
Satsuki didn't hesitate at all, quickly putting the bento tamagoyaki into her own mouth… "Ugh…!"