Naruko - Naruto

The air in the Hidden Leaf Village had a crisp, almost electric quality to it tonight, a whisper of the approaching autumn that made even the usually boisterous marketplace quiet down to a murmur. For Naruko Uzumaki, however, the chill was a welcome sensation, a stark contrast to the simmering heat that had been building within her for weeks. She clutched the worn wooden basket a little tighter, its contents – a carefully selected assortment of rare herbs and nourishing tonics for her ailing sensei – doing little to distract from the more pressing, personal ache in her chest.