Naruto looked down at the small cat doll in his hand, dressed in a mini Uchiha Clan uniform, and a warm smile unconsciously curved his lips. He was already contemplating where in his room would be the best place to put it.
Although the things Satsuki had given him were too numerous to count by now—from daily necessities to most of his furniture, almost everything had been replaced by her with newer, better versions for various reasons.
But a gift like this, handmade by her stitch by stitch, was a first. This gesture was more precious than any expensive gift.
Satsuki had specifically emphasized, "Don't put it in a cabinet to gather dust," clearly worried that her effort would be neglected or unappreciated. Naruto naturally understood this slightly petulant instruction; how could he not treat this gift, imbued with Satsuki's feelings, with the utmost care?
It definitely had to be placed somewhere easily accessible, where he could see it every day. Naruto gently stroked the soft fabric head of the doll cat, and the first place that came to mind was his bedside table.
However, that prime spot was already occupied by a small incubator. Inside the incubator lay a Pokémon egg with green patterns—a legendary item rewarded by the system years ago. Yet, after all these years, it remained motionless, showing no signs of hatching.
"It's a legendary reward, but it's been useless for all these years..." Naruto grumbled inwardly with a hint of helplessness, but what could he do? Besides continuing to patiently nurture it, there seemed to be no other option.
Finally, his gaze fell upon the small study room, which also functioned as half a kitchen. This was where Naruto usually read books and studied Ninjutsu scrolls.
The reason the kitchen function was moved here was that, a long time ago, he worried the cooking fumes from the original living room kitchen would bother Satsuki, who often visited, so he specifically remodeled it.
Naruto walked to the desk and carefully placed the small cat doll in a corner of the desktop, leaning it against a stack of books.
He sat down and once again reached out to touch the doll's head, finding it cuter the more he looked at it, especially its large, reflective black eyes.
And so, with the cat doll quietly accompanying him, Naruto unrolled the Sealing Scroll.
That's right, this item was still in his possession. It was truly somewhat surreal to think that a forbidden Ninjutsu scroll, containing Konoha Village's highest secrets, had been guarded by a Genin for such a long time.
Naruto, of course, wouldn't voluntarily return it—since the Third Hokage had never asked for it back, he naturally regarded it as an excellent learning opportunity. His goal was to memorize all the forbidden Ninjutsu theories recorded on the scroll; as for whether he could successfully perform them, that would have to be slowly attempted and explored in the future.
——————
Uchiha Clan Compound, Clan Head's Residence.
Satsuki returned home with a barely perceptible hint of urgency in her light footsteps. At the entrance, her mother, Mikoto, greeted her with a smile.
"Satsuki, welcome home."
"Yes, I'm home."
Facing her gently smiling mother, Satsuki responded in a soft tone. She noticed her mother seemed particularly cheerful today, with a relaxed and content expression on her face.
And her father, Fugaku, was not in the living room, but at this moment, Satsuki had no extra thoughts to spare for that, although she had originally planned to continue showing him some coldness due to his childish actions at noon.
After a brief greeting, Satsuki walked directly to her room. This room was now entirely managed by her, and it was always locked when she wasn't home.
Of course, if she wanted to maintain her privacy, her parents fully respected her wishes.
The door closed behind her with a soft click, completely cutting off external sounds.
She leaned against the door panel, letting out a soft sigh. The room was still neat, exactly as she had left it. Aside from the clay doll Naruto had given her before on the desk, there were almost no other decorations, making it look very simple.
However, when her gaze shifted to the bed, the scene abruptly changed—a meticulously crafted life-sized Naruto body pillow was prominently displayed on the bed. And this was merely the beginning of a certain "theme" in the room.
She walked to the wardrobe on one side of the room. Then she slowly pulled it open.
Inside the wardrobe, besides her neatly hung Uchiha Clan uniforms and everyday clothes, a significant portion of space was occupied by another style of clothing—light orange athletic jackets.
These clothes were clearly not her size or style, and upon closer inspection, all showed varying degrees of wear: subtle fraying at the cuffs and a slight looseness around the collars from washing.
These... were all clothes Naruto had asked Satsuki to help him throw away in the past.
Satsuki's gaze lingered on these clothes, her fingertips finally resting on the most worn light orange jacket. She carefully took it out; a faint, almost imperceptible scent of Naruto still clung to the fabric, which unconsciously softened her taut lips.
She hugged the jacket and walked to the bed. The well-made life-sized Naruto body pillow lay there quietly. Satsuki bent down and meticulously dressed the old jacket onto the body pillow, carefully adjusting the collar and cuffs.
After doing all this, she stood by the bed, quietly gazing at this "substitute" wrapped in Naruto's old clothes. The composure and arrogance she maintained in front of outsiders on a daily basis gradually melted away like ice and snow, replaced by a deep, almost overwhelming attachment. In her dark eyes, an emotion so strong it bordered on obsession surged, like a deep pool with turbulent undercurrents.
She could no longer suppress the restless emotions within her, which, due to real-world constraints, she couldn't directly vent. She reached out and tightly embraced this special body pillow, her knuckles turning slightly white from the force.
Holding it, she walked to the desk and sat down, burying her face deep into the shoulder of the old jacket, gently rubbing back and forth, feeling the rough texture of the fabric and the faint scent, letting out a sigh of satisfaction mixed with a hint of suppression.
"Only for me..." After a moment of tenderness, she looked up, her gaze falling on the large-headed computer she had recently purchased for her desk. A mix of excitement and tension flickered in her eyes.
She took a deep breath, then with slightly trembling fingers, pressed the power button.
The screen lit up, its pale blue light reflecting on her fair face. The image gradually became clear—it was a real-time feed of Naruto, currently in the small study of his own apartment, intently poring over the Sealing Scroll!
Satsuki's pupils widened slightly, and her breathing hitched for a moment. She tightly hugged the body pillow in her arms, her eyes fixed on the unsuspecting blond youth on the screen, a complex expression appearing on her face—there was satisfied possession, unfathomable obsession, and a subtle shiver of thrill from this secret act.
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