Chapter 207 No Longer a Dog
The corners of Yuxi's mouth slightly raised, and a strange light flowed in her golden pupils.
She gently tucked a strand of her stray blonde hair behind her ear, her voice flowing like a mountain spring: "Why are you so nervous?"
These words struck Naruto's mind like a bolt of lightning.
He looked up suddenly, his blue eyes widened, and his lips trembled but no sound came out.
Inside the sealed space, the Nine-Tailed Fox had curled up into a ball, letting out a low whimper from its throat.
"I...I..." Naruto stammered, his fingers unconsciously gripping the edge of the table.
The wooden tabletop creaked under his force.
Yuxi's gaze passed over Naruto, as if it directly penetrated his body, and looked at the existence sealed deep inside.
"Nine Tails, long time no see. You still love to scare children." Her voice was soft, but with an inexplicable sense of oppression.
Kyuubi was completely speechless.
The uncle walked out of the kitchen with a bowl of steaming ramen, but suddenly felt an inexplicable chill.
He looked around in confusion, and finally placed the ramen in front of Yuxi: "Please enjoy, this is our special miso barbecued pork ramen."
"Thank you." Yuxi nodded politely, then turned to Naruto, "Would you like to come and sit with us? It's so boring to eat alone."
Naruto swallowed, beads of sweat beading on his forehead.
Kyuubi screamed in his mind, "Don't go there! She'll kill you!"
But another strange feeling arose in Naruto's heart.
There didn't seem to be any hostility in her eyes towards this legendary strong man.
"Can I...can I?" Naruto asked cautiously, but his body stood up involuntarily.
Yu Xi smiled, and that smile was like the sun shining through the dark clouds: "Of course, I just happen to have something to ask you."
Naruto dragged his stiff steps to the seat opposite Yuxi and sat down.
Looking closely, it seemed as if there was a flame burning quietly deep in Yuxi's golden pupils.
"Do you know me?" Naruto finally mustered up the courage to ask, his voice an octave lower than usual.
Yuxi gently stirred the ramen with chopsticks, the steam rising in front of her: "Well, the son of the Fourth Hokage, how could I not know him?"
Naruto's heart nearly stopped.
The store suddenly became eerily quiet, with only the sound of rain hitting the roof and the occasional clatter of spatulas coming from the kitchen.
Naruto felt his throat tighten, numerous questions racing through his mind, but he couldn't ask any of them.
Yu Xi seemed to see through his thoughts and whispered, "Eat the noodles first. They won't taste good if they get cold."
She waved to the hand-beating uncle, "Give this child a bowl of the same."
When the steaming bowl of ramen was placed in front of him, Naruto realized how hungry he was.
He devoured his food, temporarily forgetting his fears and doubts.
Yuxi ate elegantly and slowly, observing the blond boy out of the corner of her eyes from time to time.
"Eat slowly, no one is going to snatch it from you." She handed over a tissue.
Naruto took the tissue, wiped the soup from the corner of his mouth, and scratched his head embarrassedly.
Yuxi's gaze softened, and the atmosphere in the store seemed to relax a little.
Before he knew it, Naruto found himself no longer so nervous.
Although Yu Xi is terribly powerful, his speech and behavior are surprisingly approachable.
The sound of rain outside the window gradually subsided, and the lights in the store seemed particularly warm in the night after the rain.
Yuxi suddenly looked at Naruto with curiosity, blinked her big eyes, and asked, "Naruto, do you have someone you like?"
This sudden question caught Naruto completely unprepared.
His body trembled violently as if he was struck by lightning, and his whole face turned red in an instant.
He stammered in response, "Ah! W-why are you asking this all of a sudden?!"
Seeing this, Yuxi smiled and explained, "Don't be so nervous, I'm just chatting casually."
Naruto breathed a sigh of relief, but still scratched his head uncomfortably.
He hesitated for a moment before mumbling softly, "Well... I liked Sakura at first."
His voice became smaller and smaller, as if he was a little embarrassed, "I think about how to make her happy every day..."
Yuxi nodded, encouraging him to continue.
Naruto took a deep breath and continued, "But later... my mother told me that Sakura didn't like me at all and asked me not to be a lapdog..."
Hearing this, Yuxi raised her eyebrows.
The corners of his mouth slightly raised, revealing an expression that seemed like a smile but not a smile.
"Kushina said that?" Yuxi's tone was filled with a hint of surprise.
"Yeah!" Naruto's expression immediately brightened up when he mentioned his mother, "She said Hinata is pretty good. Now I like Hinata, and Hinata likes me too!"
At the end, Naruto's voice unconsciously raised an octave.
There was a happy smile on his face, a joy that came from the heart.
Yu Xi just stared at him quietly, and there seemed to be a hint of relief flickering in her golden eyes.
"Yeah, sure, the plot does change a lot." Yu Xi murmured softly.
"Hinata is really a good girl, she is very brave." Yuxi continued, her voice soft and gentle.
Naruto heard this and nodded vigorously.
A look of approval appeared on his face: "Yes! She looks so quiet and weak, but in fact she is very strong! Just like the last time during the Chunin Exam..."
At this point, Naruto suddenly stopped talking as if he realized something.
He scratched the back of his head sheepishly and said, "Uh, um...did I say too much?"
"No," Yu Xi raised the corner of her mouth slightly, revealing a faint smile, and shook her head gently, "I think what you said is very good."
Her eyes inadvertently swept across the clock on the wall.
I realized that it was already very late, almost midnight.
If you don’t go back now, you will be punished by Sister Kaguya.
Yu Xi immediately stood up and picked up the oil-paper umbrella leaning against the table.
The umbrella has a light goose yellow color.
It is painted with exquisite golden maple leaf patterns, which are particularly eye-catching under the dim light.
Seeing this, Naruto quickly stood up as well, and said apologetically, "Ah, yeah, I'm sorry for taking you so long!"
"It's okay," Yu Xi replied with a smile, "If there is a chance, we will meet again."
After saying that, she opened the oil-paper umbrella and walked towards the door.
She turned and walked towards the door, her clogs making a crisp sound on the wet floor.
Naruto stood still and suddenly mustered up the courage to shout, "Sister Yuxi!"
Yuxi stopped and tilted her head slightly.
Naruto actually knew it was her. It seemed that the Nine-Tailed Fox told him.
"Thank you for the ramen!" Naruto bowed deeply, "And... it was nice talking to you!"
Naruto watched her back disappear on the street after the rain, and a strange feeling surged in his heart.
"She doesn't seem... that scary." Naruto said to himself.
