Chapter 179: Prank
What's going on?! Why did Naruto turn around?! Could it be... he discovered me?! That shouldn't be possible!
Seeing Naruto's investigating gaze turn toward her, Satsuki immediately panicked, her heart pounding like drums. Though she'd already resolved to explain everything to Naruto about today, she... she hadn't thought of the perfect script yet! What should the opening line be? How should she control the apologetic tone?
Under Satsuki's anxious and flustered gaze, Naruto didn't loudly expose her disguise, but instead began walking at an unhurried pace toward her—or rather, toward this "tree"—and stopped right in front.
What... what does he want to do? Satsuki's heart nearly jumped out of her throat. Maybe... maybe he's just suspicious? As long as I don't transform back, he might think he guessed wrong and leave?
Right! As long as I don't admit it, I'm still a tree!
It seems the more you care about someone, the lower your IQ becomes. Moreover, Satsuki's behavior just now could be considered "eavesdropping" to some degree... Satsuki felt she'd already lost enough face today—almost overflowing—and really didn't want to add "caught eavesdropping" to the list.
Naruto stood quietly before the "tree." He could clearly sense the information Gold Experience fed back—the life energy belonging to Satsuki inside this "tree" was fluctuating violently from extreme tension and panic.
For some reason, seeing Satsuki thinking she was so well hidden, the guilt and heartache Naruto felt from earlier misunderstandings suddenly mixed with an indescribable... impulse to tease her a bit.
Under Satsuki's confused and nervous gaze from hiding behind the tree, Naruto bent down and picked up a thin, long twig from the ground.
What does Naruto want to do? Alarm bells rang in Satsuki's heart as an extremely ominous premonition arose.
Wait... could he be planning to...?!
Satsuki's worst premonition became reality the next moment.
Naruto held that small twig and, without using force, just very, very gently poked the trunk of the tree Satsuki had transformed into with the tip.
"!"
Satsuki sharply inhaled, nearly crying out and breaking the transformation from this sudden touch! She forcibly suppressed that exclamation that almost escaped her throat.
Very strange.
The place Naruto poked wasn't any sensitive area, just an ordinary trunk, and he hadn't used any force at all—could even be said to be extremely careful.
But... Satsuki still felt an indescribable, subtle yet clear ticklish sensation and flutter that, like an electric current, instantly shot through her entire body from that touched point!
This feeling... was too strange! And too... embarrassing!
As if what Naruto poked wasn't rough bark, but her completely unguarded, most sensitive weak point. Making her entire "tree" unable to help wanting to tremble slightly.
Like a prank between children, Naruto didn't have many complex thoughts right now. He just instinctively, with a bit of curiosity and probing intent, wanted to play a tickling-like prank on this creature "hiding" in the tree, thinking its disguise was perfect.
Of course, for Naruto who deliberately avoided all areas that might actually cause harm or be too sensitive, if Satsuki truly had no reaction to tickling, his behavior would probably just be classified as an annoying brat's punishable actions.
But the facts before him proved—
Naruto watched as this "tree" before him, under his gentle poke, couldn't control itself and trembled extremely slightly, like branches swaying from a breeze, but there was no wind right now.
Oh? Seems like Satsuki has no resistance to tickling and such contact?
This discovery made Naruto's lips curve up slightly. His prankster mentality intensified as he raised the small twig again and gently poked once more.
"!"
The "tree's" trembling became even more obvious, even the leaves rustling audibly.
"Mmm...!"
Satsuki hiding in the tree was nearly collapsing! She desperately clenched her teeth to barely suppress that impulse mixing shocked cries and strange whimpers that almost burst from her throat.
All her muscles tensed from extreme restraint, causing the entire tree to begin trembling slightly at an unnatural frequency, the leaves' shaking amplitude growing larger and larger.
This feeling was really too strange for Satsuki.
That gentle touch itself didn't bring pain, but brought an irrepressible ticklish sensation and flutter that made her want to curl up.
The feeling of desperately restraining herself was indeed uncomfortable—there was an airflow rushing left and right in her chest but unable to find an outlet, suffocating her almost to oxygen deprivation.
But... but for some reason... beneath this intense shame and discomfort that almost made her lose control... there was faintly mixed in a trace of strange... pleasure?
Stop, stop it... idiot! Don't poke anymore... I, I can't hold on much longer...!
This extremely contradictory psychology made Satsuki's brain nearly overheat and crash, only able to rely on instinct to barely hold on, maintaining the precarious transformation technique.
Finally, under Naruto's small twig's another playful gentle poke, Satsuki's nerves and endurance stretched to their limits completely collapsed!
With a soft "poof," accompanied by rapidly dispersing white smoke, the "trembling" tree before Naruto's eyes instantly disappeared.
In its place was Uchiha Satsuki herself—she was slightly bent at the waist, hands somewhat weakly supporting her knees, cheeks red as ripe tomatoes, breathing rapidly with her chest heaving violently. Those beautiful black eyes were covered with a layer of tearful mist from forcibly suppressing laughter and shame, her gaze evasive, completely unable to look directly at Naruto.
Clearly, that series of "tree-poking" attacks had caused tons of "mental damage" to her.
Seeing Satsuki's rarely seen, disheveled yet adorable appearance, Naruto couldn't help but laugh. He instinctively reached out his hand, wanting to pat her shoulder as usual and say "caught you" or "are you alright?"
However, the moment his hand lifted, Satsuki suddenly jumped back a small step, dodging his touch.
She puffed out her cheeks like a hamster stuffed with food, turning her head to the side, deliberately not looking at Naruto, radiating an aura of "I'm throwing a tantrum."
Of course, this small temper wasn't directed at Naruto. It was more that she was angry at herself—angry that she would do something as mortifying as hiding and transforming into a tree?
Angry that she was so useless, having such a big reaction from being poked a few times? Angry that she'd been staging various social death scenes in front of Naruto all day today!
Enormous shame and frustration made her currently just want to find a crack to crawl into, or at least... let her cool down her nearly overheated brain and cheeks before explaining everything.
****
80+advance chapters at patreon.com/Eatinpieces