Chapter 373: Shuyu, Sarada… Living Together?!
"Isn't there any way to solve this?"
Uchiha Itachi's expression was steadily darkening.
"Of course there is. According to S.H.I.E.L.D.'s simulations, Nick Fury's right hand, which can nullify all forms of energy, just so happens to counter the no-fly zone measures of the Hero Prison. That's also why, after failing to recruit Fury, the Great Dark Heaven didn't imprison him there."
Shunhi added this piece of background lore.
Only then did Uchiha Itachi's expression ease slightly. Though getting the Director of S.H.I.E.L.D. to help rescue Sasuke and Naruto seemed virtually impossible, having a solution—no matter how slim—was still better than having no options at all.
"Right! What about Sarada?"
Itachi turned to Shunhi.
Sakura, now transformed into Aqua, and Sasuke, now turned into Rei, had been imprisoned together in Hero Prison. As it stood, Sarada had effectively lost both her parents and was left all alone.
"..."
To be honest, Shunhi didn't know what to do either. Although today's Ichiraku Ramen had expanded significantly compared to before, the expansion was focused solely on the customer area. The space for resting hadn't increased at all.
Hosting both Shunhi and Uchiha Itachi already made the place feel cramped. If they added Sarada to the mix, space would definitely become an issue… No, it's not that it couldn't fit her—Shunhi suspected that he'd just get kicked out, leaving only Uchiha Itachi and Sarada behind.
That would solve the space issue.
Still, judging by Itachi's demeanor, unless Sarada's living arrangements were settled, he wouldn't be at ease. After all, Sarada had lost her parents, and the only family she had left in this world was Itachi. Naturally, Itachi wouldn't want her out of his sight.
In the Hidden Leaf Village...
"Sarada."
Shuyu approached Sarada.
With her home destroyed and her parents gone, Sarada was wandering aimlessly. Only upon seeing Shuyu did she show the faintest reaction.
"Shuyu…"
"Sarada, come live with me."
Uchiha Itachi came right out and said it.
"Eh? Live together?" A visible blush bloomed across Sarada's cheeks. Holding her glasses nervously, she stammered, "L-L-L… Live together?!"
The grief from losing her parents was completely blown away by Itachi's sudden statement.
"Live together?" Itachi frowned slightly in confusion at this increasingly popular modern phrase. "Live"—as in stay—"together"—as in in the same place. Living together simply meant staying in the same place, right? After thinking it through, he nodded. "Yes, live together."
Hearing Itachi's firm answer, Sarada began swaying where she stood, and from sheer embarrassment… fainted.
---
"Eh? Where… am I?"
Sarada struggled to open her eyes and stared at the unfamiliar ceiling, her mind drifting back to just before she passed out.
Warm sunlight had bathed Shuyu as he extended the offer to live together. Every time she thought about it, Sarada's face flushed again.
"Sarada, you're awake."
"Shuyu!" Sarada shot up in bed. "Where am I?"
"Captain Yamato built this new house for you."
Shuyu answered plainly.
He had assumed Sarada, like himself, would be stuck with nowhere to stay for a while. But perhaps because of Sasuke's years of service to the village—or maybe because she was Boruto's friend—Boruto had gone ahead and asked Yamato to build a house for her.
"Um, Shuyu… about that living-together thing…"
"Now that you have a place of your own, I can rest easy."
Shuyu spoke calmly.
"Eh? So… the living together thing… is off?" Sarada suddenly felt she might've sounded too eager to live with Shuyu. She quickly rephrased, "I-I mean… do you have a place to stay?"
"Yeah." Shuyu nodded. "I'm staying with Shunhi, in the Ichiraku Ramen shop."
"Huh? You're living in the shop? Are you getting enough rest like that?"
"It's fine." As a ninja, Shuyu had long since trained himself to sleep anywhere. "Why do you ask?"
"No reason… I just thought… if you didn't have a place to stay, you could live here… with me."
"Live here with you?"
Itachi mulled it over seriously. Staying with Sarada would allow him to take better care of his niece while Sasuke was away. But it would also make intel sharing with Shunhi more difficult.
"Ah, but since you do have a place to stay, then I guess—"
"I'll live here with you."
Uchiha Itachi nodded. In the end, he decided to stay with Sarada.
Given the recent string of major events, Itachi had realized something: even the Leaf Village was no longer truly safe. If anything, every major crisis seemed to involve the destruction of the village.
"Eh?!"
Though flustered, Sarada shyly nodded.
"You haven't eaten yet, right?"
Shuyu stood up as he asked.
"No."
Sarada nodded.
"Then I'll make something for you. How about a fried egg?"
"Sure… anything's fine…"
Her voice got quieter and quieter. Itachi figured she just hadn't fully recovered yet.
As Shuyu walked out the door, Sarada buried herself under the covers, muttering with embarrassment, "I actually agreed to let Shuyu live here… What am I doing…? Is this what they call cohabitation on TV? Wait, does Shuyu even know how to cook?"
Realizing that, Sarada jumped out of bed and headed to the kitchen.
Actually, she did know a bit about cooking herself.
In the kitchen…
"Shuyu…"
Wearing slippers, Sarada entered the kitchen—only to find Shuyu in an apron, standing before a cutting board with several eggs, a bowl, and a whisk laid out neatly in front of him.
Suddenly, Shuyu's eyes snapped open—revealing a pair of Mangekyō Sharingan.
With practiced ease, he cracked the eggs into the bowl, whisked them, and poured them into the pan.
"Amaterasu."
Black flames enveloped the egg mixture, demonstrating Shuyu's precise control over his ocular powers.
Glancing at the clock on the wall, he silently counted the seconds before plating the cooked egg.
Just as he turned around, he locked eyes with Sarada, who had seen the whole thing.
"...Shuyu, is that how you normally cook?"
"No," Shuyu shook his head. "I don't cook much. When I'm out on missions, I usually just eat ration pills."
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