Hardened Heart |Sequel to The Strength of the Weak|

|8|

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With one last exam to make sure she was healthy enough, Satomi was out of the hospital. Naruto was the one to pick her up some clothes, as per her request, and take her out for a stroll around the village since she had been gone for so long.

"Do you mind if we go run a few errands before we go out to eat? I'm sure my house is in need of some cleaning, plus I need a few essential items," Satomi asks as she and Naruto slowly ambled down the street, the still unusually weak Uchiha having a little trouble walking.

"Of course! We can do whatever you want to do, Satomi-chan!" Naruto exclaims, giving the girl a bright grin. He noticed that she looked much better than when she had first woken up, and not only physically. You could look the girl in the eyes and tell that she wasn't haunted by her experiences, it wasn't looming over her shoulders like a shadow waiting to take over.

"There is a department store and a grocery store near the Uchiha complex that we can stop at and grab a few things. Once we drop them off we can go out to Ichiraku's," Satomi decides, tilting her head up to look at the beautiful, blue sky devoid of clouds. The sun that she hadn't felt in a long time beat down on her face like a warm embrace, making her feel at home even after such a long time.

The two childhood friends continued their path through the village streets, chatting casually about their travels and changes about each other as they approached the department store.

"I bet I could beat you in a fight now, Satomi-chan! My training with Pervy Sage was no walk in the park," Naruto brags, smirking amiably at Satomi, who snorted in response.

"We will have to test that theory some time, now won't we?"

In the department store, Naruto and Satomi picked out a few outfits that matched her previous wardrobe, which she had luckily bought from the same chain in another village, as well as shampoo, conditioner, new bedding, and some cleaning supplies.

Naruto, much to Satomi's relief, offered to carry all of the bags so that she wouldn't have to. She was still too weak to be able to do pretty much any lifting, no matter how mundane it may be.

After quickly grabbing a few items from the grocery store, to which Satomi insisted she could carry the lightest bags, they were off to the Uchiha complex. The whole way there, Satomi couldn't keep her mind off of how empty it would be, the ghosts of the Uchiha clan being the only residents.

Approaching the gates, Satomi sighs to herself upon seeing the worn and decrepit wood that once made up the elegant entrance to her prestigious clan headquarters. Naruto glances around in awe, cringing at the sight of a few patches of dried blood still on a couple of house porches. How it wasn't washed away at this point, he would never know.

Satomi's house was at the heart of the compound, the once tall and spotless building looking wistfully deteriorated, nothing like its former glory. The surrounding garden was riddled with overgrown weeds, the unkempt shrubbery showing just how long it had been since someone had taken residency in the complex.

Satomi clenches her teeth and carefully strides up the stairs to the front door, the unlocked gate hiding years of misery and grief. Naruto followed suit, glancing around warily all the while. He felt like he shouldn't be there, like he was not welcomed by the people of Satomi's clan, whether they be dead or alive.

It's not like Satomi would have cared either way.

Satomi and Naruto were greeted with a cloud of dust when the door was slid open, every visible surface covered with a thin sheet of the age defining substance. Everything was where it was when she left, Satomi noted absently, as she took off her shoes at the door and let her feet touch the delicate tatami mat she was so used to as a little girl.