radicalducati Chapter 654 Daily Life in Zhang Village
Chapter 654 Daily Life in Zhang Village
"...It seems like Satsuki dislikes Gaara, but he and Naruto are good friends, right? Did he do something to upset Satsuki?"
Minato carefully considered his words. He still remembered how heavy the wedding gift Gaara sent to Naruto was—it was no ordinary state gift; it was a gift that had to be gathered from the very top of the Sand Village's warehouse.
He felt that this affection should not be neglected, and if there was any misunderstanding between Satsuki and Gaara, he, as their father, might be able to help mediate.
"...Is there anywhere?"
Zuo Yue raised her hand to cover her forehead, feeling a headache coming on. What places? There were too many. So many that if she were to list them all out, it would sound like she was making up some utterly absurd lie.
For example, the fact that guy made a female version of Naruto's puppet and kept it by his side is enough to make Minato's brain shut down on the spot.
"Alright, Dad, don't worry about these things. I understand Satsuki. After all, Satsuki is an Uchiha."
Naruto quickly stepped in to smooth things over; if he hadn't stopped the conversation, Sasuke would have really laid out all his reasons one by one.
If my dad knew that my best friend made a female version of himself as a puppet and kept it by his side, he would definitely think the wrong thing.
Even if things seem to be crooked from the start.
Although Minato still had doubts, he wisely nodded when he saw Naruto's expression and did not ask any further questions.
He tightened his apron a little more, his gentle smile returning to his face, and naturally changed the subject.
"It seems your journey has come to an end. Welcome back, Naruto, Satsuki. Since it's your first day back home, why don't you stay for dinner? I recently developed a new dish called—Secret Technique: Golden Flash: Spiral Super Dance: Special Broth Awakening Heaven-Shattering Bullet!"
"Smack."
Kushina reached out from behind without expression and slapped Minato on the back of the head.
"It's just ramen that's been quickly spun and tossed out with chakra, then topped with chili oil and a few slices of char siu. Minato, how many times have I told you not to name your dishes like that? Ever since you've had some free time, you've become so smug. I've never seen you so carefree before."
"As expected of Dad!"
Naruto's eyes lit up the moment Minato announced the name of the dish, and he gave a thumbs up, his face full of heartfelt admiration.
"To name something of this caliber, something as simple as ramen, that's a level of naming that surpasses most ninjutsu developers!"
"See! This is all your fault!"
Kushina turned her head and glared at Minato, pointing her finger at Naruto, who was still praising the names of the dishes.
Minato chuckled innocently twice, then raised his hand to rub the back of his head where the handprint still lingered.
Unaware that his naming style was truly terrible, he genuinely didn't think there was anything wrong with it. Every word accurately described the core elements of the dish, and it sounded very powerful. He couldn't understand what Kushina was angry about.
"Alright, it's getting late, you guys should go home now."
Kushina let go of Minato, who was still doubting himself, dusted off non-existent dust from her hands, and turned to Naruto and Satsuki.
"Huh? Aren't you going to stay and have dinner before you leave?"
Minato was silenced by Kushina's glare before he could finish speaking. Minato wisely shut his mouth.
"Okay, okay, it's all over now, don't worry, just keep living your life. Go home now, be careful on the road."
As Kushina spoke, she gently pushed the two of them out of the house. Her movements were gentle but not swaying. After seeing Naruto and Satsuki to the entrance, she peeked out to check the sky to make sure there was no sign of rain before nodding in satisfaction and closing the door slightly.
"Kushina, why are you rushing them to leave? Naruto and the others just got back, they should at least have a meal before they leave—"
"Are you stupid?!"
Kushina quickly closed the door, turned around, lowered her voice, leaned close to Minato, and poked his chest with her index finger.
Her expression was a mixture of exasperated frustration and gleaming anticipation for her grandchildren.
"This is the time when we absolutely cannot waste any more time! These two young people have just returned from their honeymoon, and their relationship is at its best. You want them to stay and keep you company while you research your so-called 'Bomb Ramen'? Don't you want to see our grandchildren ahead of time?"
Minato's expression immediately transitioned—from confusion to realization, to his ears turning red at a visible speed.
He opened his mouth as if to say something, then closed it again. In the end, he just raised his hand to touch his nose somewhat embarrassedly, nodded, and stood at the door with Kushina, watching Naruto and Satsuki leave side by side through the crack in the door until the two figures completely melted into the twilight of the Uchiha clan's territory.
------
The day before Gaara was to arrive in Konoha, Naruto was locked up at home by Sasuke.
To be precise, it was Satsuki who announced in an uncompromising tone, "Naruto is not allowed to leave the village until Gaara leaves. I will cook all three meals a day, buy whatever he needs, and write down any snacks he wants for me in advance. In short—he is not allowed to leave the village, and he is absolutely not allowed to see that person."
As for the reason, Naruto actually knew the answer. He had glimpsed his friend's heart. Naruto didn't have that kind of orientation, and besides, he was already married. The person he had chosen and committed to was Sasuke. So he chose to go along with Sasuke's arrangements, even though it might make Gaara a little lonely.
"Okay, then I'll stay home for the next few days. I've been traveling around in this other world too much lately, so it'll be good to take a break."
"But Satsuki is really becoming more and more like a jealous jar. How come I never noticed you were so jealous before?"
"...There's nothing we can do about it."
Zuoyue leaned against him and said in a muffled voice.
After agreeing to Satsuki's request, Naruto turned his attention to another matter—reviving Gaara's family. To be precise, Gaara's uncle Yashamaru and mother Karura.
He had already entrusted Hashirama Senju with the special care of these two souls. Now the time was almost ripe. The threat had been eliminated, the ninja world was recovering, and Sunagakure, under the rule of the Fifth Kazekage, was back on track. It was time to reunite this family that had been separated for so long.
Naruto contacted Hashirama Senju through the Pure Land and explained the plan in detail—to have Hashirama briefly return to the human world as a "sage" and deliver Yashamaru and Karura to Gaara's family.
Hashirama patted his chest and said he'd take care of it, even offering to use his Wood Release to build a few forests for Sunagakure to improve the environment of the Land of Wind.
After the plan was finalized, Naruto still felt a little regretful. He really wanted to see Gaara reunite with his mother, but things had already turned out well enough. It was wonderful that Gaara could reunite with his mother and uncle.
And so, during the days when Naruto stayed indoors, time suddenly became exceptionally generous.
Every morning I wake up naturally to find the bed beside me empty, and the kitchen is filled with the crisp sounds of spatulas clattering and food sizzling in the oil.
Naruto rubbed his eyes and pushed open the door, where he saw Satsuki standing in front of the stove wearing a house apron, her long black hair loosely tied into a low ponytail and draped over her shoulders.
The dishes on the table are different every day—sometimes it's a traditional Japanese breakfast, and sometimes she'll impulsively try making desserts, then frown, take a bite herself, and say, "It's still too sweet," before pushing the rest towards Naruto. Naruto will then smile, pick up the spoon she's put down, and eat every last bit of her remaining half.
Mornings are usually movie time. A movie from another world plays on the huge TV in the living room, the two of them snuggled up in the kotatsu, the coffee table piled high with snacks and drinks.
They watched classic old movies and Disney animated films, occasionally interspersed with dinosaur documentaries that Satsuki preferred.
The afternoons are game time. Naruto brought back a wide variety of video games from another world, and besides Naruto and Sasuke, Kurama (the Nine-Tails) would also point at the screen with its tail in the spiritual world.
Naruto had considered promoting these things; if the culture and technology of another world could be introduced into the ninja world, it might make the lives of ordinary people more interesting. However, he really didn't want to engage in any kind of cultural invasion—to be precise, he had little interest in pushing such a big thing forward.
However, it wouldn't be good to keep something this interesting to himself, so he thought he might hand over the development and promotion work to Orochimaru, who was working for the Jin organization.
But what I look forward to most is the evening. As for what we do—it's something between husband and wife, those who know, know.
Both of them were young and had ridiculously good stamina. One was a perfect Jinchuriki with the Sage of Six Paths physique, and the other was the owner of the Mangekyou Sharingan with nine tomoe. So, during the few days that Naruto stayed at home, he spent a period of time that was a little lazy and a little too happy.