NARUTO SHINDEN – OYAKO NO HI

NARUTO’S TRUE STORY – PARENT AND CHILD DAY

Masashi Kishimoto, Mirei Miyamoto

CONTENTS

PROLOGUE

CHAPTER 1: Father and daughter, dashing through Konoha

CHAPTER 2: Father and daughter, the forms of happiness

CHAPTER 3: Father and daughter, dining table for one

CHAPTER 4: Father and daughter, cold flames and boiling fire

EPILOGUE

SHINO’S INTERLUDES

INTERLUDE 1: With Shino-sensei! Lunch!

INTERLUDE 2: With Shino-sensei! Gemaki!

INTERLUDE 3: With Shino-sensei! Parent and child!

INTERLUDE 4: With Shino-sensei! Helicopter parent?

 CHARACTERS

Uzumaki Naruto Seventh Hokage. Hero of the Village Hidden in the Leaves. Former
member of Team 7.
Uzumaki Hinata Byakugan user from the Hyūga family. Former member of Team 8.
Uzumaki Boruto Genin of the Village Hidden in the Leaves. His hobby is the Gemaki
(TCG).
Uzumaki Himawari Boruto’s younger sister. She inherited the Byakugan.
Hyūga Hiashi Head of the Hyūga family and Hinata’s father. Byakugan Master.

Uchiha Sasuke Naruto’s friend, as well as rival. Former member of Team 7.

Uchiha Sakura Sasuke’s wife as well as master of medical ninjutsu. Former member
of Team 7.
Uchiha Sarada Genin of the Village Hidden in the Leaves. Boruto’s classmate.

Akimichi Chōji Master of the Baika no Jutsu. Former member of Team 10, as well as
one of the Inoshikachō.
Akimichi Karui Chōji’s wife. Former ninja of the Village Hidden in the Clouds.
Akimichi Chōchō Genin of the Village Hidden in the Leaves. She loves food.

Nara Shikamaru Hokage counsellor. Former member of Team 10, as well as one of the
Inoshikachō.
Nara Temari Older sister of the Fifth Kazekage, Gaara. Shikamaru’s wife.
Nara Shikadai Genin of the Village Hidden in the Leaves. Boruto’s best friend.

Yamanaka Sai Master of the Chōjū-giga. Fromer Anbu.

Yamanaka Ino Daughter of the Yamanaka Flower Shop. Former member of Team 10,
as well as one of the Inoshikachō.
Yamanaka Inojin Sai and Ino’s son. He inherited the Chōjū-giga.

Rock Lee Konoha’s number one genius of hard work. Former member of Team
3.
Metal Lee Rock Lee’s son. He’s hard-working but he’s weak at performing in
public.
Tenten Owner of the ninja tool shop “Ninja Tools Roll Roll Roll”. Former
member of Team 3.

Hatake Kakashi Sixth Hokage. He was the teacher of Naruto and the others of team 7.
Inuzuka Kiba He’s a ninja dog user, and has Akamaru as a partner. Former member
of Team 8.
Aburame Shino Teacher of the Ninja Academy. Former member of Team 8.
PROLOGUE

«Parent and Child Day?»

The voice of the Seventh Hokage, Uzumaki Naruto, resounded in the Hokage’s office, which
was a mess of scrolls and half-opened cardboard boxes.
He placed the document he had read out loud on the desk with a thud, and raised his head. On
the direction he had turned his bewildered eyes to, there was the figure of the man who
worked as the Hokage’s counsellor — Nara Shikamaru.
«Yeah. Name the new holiday. That’s a request from our colleagues of the new town.»
Even if he had heard Shikamaru’s additional explanation, Naruto repeated his question,
without understanding.
«A name for the holiday… what does it mean dattebayo?»
«Come on. It’s like the way of calling a festival. In the first place, the nuance of ‘holiday’
varies from those guys and us.»
«Hmm…»
With a vague reply, Naruto gazed at the door of the Hokage’s office.
As if he was staring at the towering Hokage Rock in that direction, and the new town that
spread beyond that.

More than a decade before, the Village Hidden in the Leaves had literally turned into an
empty wasteland because of Pain’s attack, the first one to be done in the Fourth Shinobi
World War. A vast land hollowed out, with houses squashed flat. The village had been
thoroughly blown up from the basis.
However, there was also something that had remained without having been wiped out. It was
the Hokage Rock.
Where there was the Hokage Rock, there was Konoha. It was unthinkable for the villagers to
revive Konoha in a new plot of land, turning their back to the successive generations of
Hokage that had been watching over them for long years.
They would surely revive it again in that very place!
This feeling was connected with the reconstruction of the village, and its miraculous growth.
The general stores that had kept running their business since the foundation of the village
changed into around-the-clock, jack-of-all-trades stores, and they never lowered their
doorway curtains to close.
Inside and outside the village steel rails had been laid out, and long and narrow iron cars
called Thunder Cars had began running above them. Also the cultural exchange with the
other villages, which needed several days in order to keep in touch, had become much easier
thanks to that.
High buildings had been made one after the other behind the Hokage Rock, and from the
huge monitors installed on their walls the news not only of the Land of Fire, but of every
country as well, were transmitted. “Something like buildings looking down to the Hokage
Rock is execrable” — that’s how the elders of the Honourable Council had opposed it, but
the convenience was hard to be cast aside, and also their voices had gradually become
quieter.
The large apartments that were to be used as the residence of several hundreds of people
called even more immigrants into the village, and nowadays it could be said that the
population of the village consisted of more people that weren’t shinobi rather than the other
way around. It was an epoch in which even in the Academy Naruto had attended the ninjutsu
courses did not reach their quota, and they were forced to establish some general courses.
Even that could be called a proof that they were at peace though.
Now the Village Hidden in the Leaves had stopped hiding, and had become one of the
metropolises of the Land of Fire.

Naruto and the others called the surface where the skyscrapers were standing in a row ‘new
town’.
Of course, they just named it like that for convenience, there was no qualitative difference
such as new and old in Konoha. Even if most of the people who lived in the new town
weren’t shinobi, all the villagers were like a family for Naruto.
Although one difference between the shinobi and those who weren’t shinobi appeared in their
cycle of life, after all.
That only thing was free time.
The shinobi world was instable, and yet absurd. It’s not that their time of duty was set, and it
was hard to have a particular day-off. Because of that, days-off became “the days when
casually there’s not a mission” for shinobi. There were few shinobi that looked forward to
holidays they didn’t even know when they’d arrive.
However, for those who weren’t shinobi holidays were “days of relaxation that arrive at fixed
intervals”. They had demanded to add a day-off once a week, and if some memorial days
wouldn’t become holidays. Also the matter of this time was related to that.
«Well, turning red a date of the calendar by itself is sad.»
Naruto fetched the Hokage seal, «The name doesn’t matter, right? There’s no reason to
oppose it ‘ttebayo.» and applied the seal on the document in his hands with a plop.
«It’s decided.»
The document was promptly tossed into the “approved box” by Shikamaru’s hand.
Thus, the holiday “Parent and Child Day” was created in the Village Hidden in the Leaves.
«…however, the Parent and Child Day… what kind of day is it, exactly?»
«According to the written application, apparently it’s a day in which you deepen your parent-
child bond. The title is not very much, but essentially it means that parents and children have
fun together while going shopping or in a trip and so forth.»
«Parent-child bond… huh?»
A shadow fell on Naruto’s expression. The thing that was on his mind were his two children.
Boruto and Himawari. He wondered when the heck he’d finally spend some father-children
time with them.
«Well, what if we do some family support service as well?»
Maybe because he had guessed that, Shikamaru’s voice turned intentionally cheerful.
«Take it easy at home once in a while. At any rate, even if you go back home you’ll just
sleep, and you can’t talk enough with your brats, right? ‘Cause I’ll also help to arrange the
schedule.»
«Shikamaru… Hehe, thank you.»
Naruto and Shikamaru exchanged a bright smile, but their two gazes slowly lowered to the
floor.
There, a mountain of documents had fallen from the desk, and had scattered so much that it
could be mistaken for the pattern of the floor.
«…we’ll arrange it, you know?»
There was something empty mixed in Shikamaru’s voice.
«Yeah.»
Naruto’s reply was strong.
«The Parent and Child Day… isn’t it nice. I’ll absolutely go back home ‘ttebayo!»
 NARUTO’S TRUE STORY – PARENT AND CHILD DAY
by Mirei Miyamoto

CHAPTER 1: FATHER AND DAUGHTER, DASHING THROUGH KONOHA

He hadn’t been able to go back home.

To be accurate, he was indeed going back home on “Parent and Child Day”, but it was so
early in the morning that the sun hadn’t completely risen yet. Then, even if he had gone back
home, he’d have no choice but keep sleeping until evening. One day entirely wasted.
Naruto, who was going down the deserted residential district, was staggering like a drunkard.
It’s not that he had drunk saké, he was just sleepy.
«…ya…aawn.»
He let out a big yawn, and a tear leaked out of his lax lachrymal gland.
“How many days have passed since the last time I finally had some sleep?” His work, so
exhausting that he wasn’t even sure of it, had lasted several days. Even though he had a hard
time just looking at the documents that were there initially, when the shopkeepers came to
know about the establishment of the Parent and Child Day and wanted to expose their stands,
they had rushed to the Hokage residence. Despatches making reservations of the places. The
procedures with them had ended just a moment ago.
When he had got ready to go back home, Shizune, who was unable to watch without doing
anything, had given him a pill to keep him awake, but it smelled like an unwashed fishtank,
so he passed. Thinking back now, he should have accepted it without being so picky.
Without realising that he was being sloppy because of his drowsiness, a mountain of garbage
bags amassed on the roadside looked like a useful bed for napping to him, and he was even
extremely jealous of a cat that was sleeping on a fence. It looked so comfortable.
According to the teachings of his master, Jiraiya, the “three vices” that spoiled the shinobi
were related to alcohol, money and women.
In other words, it wasn’t a problem for him, as a shinobi, to be spoiled and to succumb to the
vice of sleeping. Even if he chuckled “That’s right!” frightening the fast-asleep cat slapping
his hands in front of it, it shouldn’t have been a problem for him, as a shinobi. Putting aside
the fact that thinking like that was childish.
When he apologised to the cat in his mind, he could finally see his own house.
The outside looked like as if they had spread a bucket open like a fan, and put it on a two-tier
cake.
There were also voices that said it was modest, considering that it was the Hokage’s private
home, since he governed the village, but if he had built a luxurious house taking advantage of
his wealth, he’d have been scolded by his deceased teacher with a “You’re indulging yourself
in the vice of money”. But above all that, a house like that wouldn’t have suited Naruto’s
taste.
«I’m home…» Naruto said in a low voice (he didn’t have the energy to emit a loud voice
though) in order not to wake up his wife and children, who were probably asleep already, and
opened the door of his house.
Nevertheless.
The ‘ome’ part of “I’m home…” came out unexpectedly loud. Or rather, the intonation was
slightly off. He put a question mark at the end of the sentence, as if it was a “Hum?”.
«Himawari?»
For some reason, his daughter Himawari was sleeping in the entryway.
«Hima? Oi, are you okay?»
Since she was perfectly wrapped up in blankets, it’s not that it looked like she had fallen
senseless because of an illness, but…
When he shook her shoulder, she slightly opened her small eyes.
«Ah, Papa… welcome home.»
«What are you doing in place like this?»
Himawari’s eyes, which were bleary because she had just woken up, and Naruto’s eyes,
which were bleary for the lack of sleep, met. If you had to say which one of them looked like
they wanted to sleep the most, they wanted to sleep to the same degree.
«Hm…?»
Himawari rubbed her eyelids without being able to shake off the sleepiness. Then, a
crumpling sound came from inside her hand. As if she had remembered something thanks to
that, she muttered «Ah!» and a bright light filled her eyes.
«Papa, here! Buy this!»
Crawling out of the blankets, she spread a leaflet – the paper rolled into a ball on her hands –
and showed it to him.
«“Nine-Tailed! Kuraama”…?»
Naruto read out loud the big round characters written on it. There weren’t only characters in
leaflet, but they had inserted also the picture of a long and thin egg, and the illustration of a
lovely super-deformed fox. A lot of tufty tails had been attached to the fox.
A fox with lots of tails, named Kuraama…
He thought “Is it maybe…”, but apart from that…
«By any chance…»
He looked at the blankets, with no child wrapped in them anymore, that were spreading
loosely on the piece of wood on the front edge of the entryway.
«Have you been waiting for me in the entryway on purpose to tell me that?»
«Yeah.» Himawari nodded frankly.
«‘Cause Mama told me before she went out. That you’d come home within yesterday, Papa.»
«Uh…»
Her pure words became a hook that pierced his side. Surely she had been told by his wife
Hinata that he’d settle his work within the day before and he’d go back home so they’d have
plenty of time to welcome the “Parent and Child Day”.
«Sorry, some work left… it wasn’t finished, and…» he explained while scratching his hair
cut short.
Naruto suddenly understood the meaning in Himawari’s words.
«Mum went out?»
He peered into the house beyond Himawari’s head. The second floor, the bedroom, the living
room… he couldn’t sense Hinata’s presence anywhere.
«Yeah. Yesterday morning, she said she was going to Granddad’s.»
—There were two people that corresponded to Himawari’s grandfather.
First of all, Naruto’s father, Minato. But his father had died more than thirty years before.
That’s why the Granddad Hinata went to visit was Hyūga Hiashi.
«To Granddad’s place? Why again…»
Hiashi was the head of the Hyūga family. He wondered if she had planned to go and visit
him. Moreover, it was yesterday morning. It was a whole day before. She shouldn’t have left
the house empty for so long without telling him anything…
No.
The one who had told her that he’d come home within the day before was none other than
Naruto himself. Hinata had just believed his words. That’s why she decided to leave the
children to him. In other words—
He had betrayed his wife’s trust.
(…Damn it…)
Gloomily, Naruto collapsed on the entryway, and hung his head.
«Papa, are you okay? Why are you mimicking a turtle?»
«Ahh… that’s nothing ‘ttebayo…»
He got up, unsteady on his feet, and waved his hand.
«Are you sure you’re okay, Himawari? Mum hasn’t been here since morning, right? How
about meals?»
«Mama made breakfast and lunch. Not dinner though—»
With a fleeting glance, Himawari looked at the second floor over her shoulder.
«Oniichan made it.»
«Boruto?»
Following Himawari’s gaze, he looked towards Boruto’s – Boruto, his son – room, which
was on the second floor as well. He could hear a faint noise.
«He… your reliable “Oniichan” did it, huh?»
Suppressing a smile, Naruto said «Eheh.» and rubbed the bridge of his nose.
«Is that so, Boruto cooked?»
When he asked “What did he made?”, «Err…» Himawari cast her eyes down, and pondered
for a while.
«He cooked eggs, and he cooked meat! And then, rice!»
«…hn?»
She had answered with the names of the ingredients, not the cooked food. For some reason he
could guess the results, but the important thing was his feelings towards his little sister.
That’s why it was okay, probably.
Now that he realised it, something like the lingering scent of burnt things was wafting from
the kitchen. He could easily imagine the sink filled with dirty dishes and blackened frying
pans.
«Well then, dad will manage to make today’s meal somehow. First of all… let me take a
nap.»
Waah, a yawn escaped from Naruto’s mouth.
«You’re still sleepy, Himawari, aren’t you? You have to sleep properly in a futon, not in such
a hard floor… alright, dad will carry you to the futon!»
Saying so, he tried to pick his daughter up in his arms, but «No!» he was strongly rejected,
and forced back.
«Eh…?»
When he was at a loss of words at that unexpected reaction, Himawari swayed the leaflet of
before. The leaflet “Nine-Tailed! Kuraama”.
«You can’t sleep! This, let’s go buy it now? Okay?»
«Y-yeah…»
“I see”, Naruto was relieved.
«I got it. But, another time. Dad is super-sleepy…»
«Not another time! Look, look here.»
Himawari pointed at a part of the leaflet. There was “Parent and Child Day limited edition!
Special sale!” written on it. It was a business that took advantage of the Parent and Child
Day. He wondered if the shopkeepers that had gathered at the Hokage residence had planned
it. Their quick-wittedness to detect a business opportunity would surely leave even ninja that
used ocular-techniques speechless.
«See? If it’s not today, we can’t buy it, right?»
«There’s nothing that can be bought just one day. If you have patience until your next
birthday, I’ll buy one or two, or a mountain of toys like that ‘ttebayo.»
«No–!»
Rejected again. Himawari’s high-pitched voice resounded sharply in his lack-of-sleep head.
He instinctively faltered, and Himawari’s hand, which was clutching the leaflet, dropped
slowly.
«But Papa…»
His daughter’s wet eyes glanced sharply up to him.
«You won’t keep your promise.»
«Ugh…»
The words she had muttered were straightforward, and pierced the pit of his stomach. He
wanted to deny them with a “That’s not true ‘ttebayo”, but it painfully was as Himawari said.
Despite he had promised they’d play together, he hadn’t finished his work, and he had relied
on his Shadow Clones. That’s why he ended up being discovered releasing the technique.
«T-trust Dad. Next time, we’ll surely play together. Huh?»
«…»
Swelling her cheeks sulkily, Himawari kept quiet.
«Haha…ha…» leaving a dry laugh in the entryway, Naruto started heading to his own room.
One step, another step, he felt Himawari’s gaze on his back.
His steps slowed down little by little, and Naruto stopped at the fifth step.
He put both his hands on his waist, and took a deep breath, feeling ashamed.
«—tch!»
Naruto has slapped both his cheeks.
«P-Papa?»
When he turned towards Himawari, who was startled, Naruto showed his white teeth with a
grin.
«I’ll just have a shower in a lickety-split. Himawari, get ready to go out, too!»
Himawari blinked with surprise.
«Yeah!»
Smiling right away, she dashed to her room on the second floor.
After he made sure the door was closed, Naruto slapped his cheeks once again.
This time, it was even stronger than before.

***
«What’s that…»
Naruto was standing speechless in front of “Masuda Toy Shop”, a toy store that was in the
old town of the village.
Compared to the other wholesale stores of the new town, Masuda Shop was falling behind
even if it was in a shop area and it had all the items. Even so, unlike the wholesale stores that
lined indiscriminately the new products, Masuda Shop unfolded the merchandise reading
with great care between the lines of the children’s trends.
If the newest-made game gained popularity and the interest of children weakened, they
narrowed down the goods received, and as soon as they did so they predominantly sold a
character that everybody imagined had collapsed, and they had also become a source of
fashion.
Masuda Shop was Naruto’s toy purveyor. Besides the aforementioned circumstances, it was
the closest to his home.
Every time he passed in front of the shop, his heart became warm remembering Himawari, in
high spirits for the toys, and Boruto when he was a child, who rejoiced for any kind of
present, but—
The front of Masuda Shop was now completely crowded with people.
Everyone was drawing closer to Masuda Shop, just like a protest movement, raising their
voices.
«Hey! Open the shop, quick!»
«How much longer will you make us wait!? What do we do if our legs become heavy! My
legs hurt, I’m not a wooden puppet, you know? I’m no shuriken target either!?»
«I say that this is an amateurish business! A-ma-teu-rish! And this is supposed to be the great
Masuda Shop!?»
A lot of them were ladies about the same age as Naruto, or a little older. By the way, it was
before the opening time of the shop.
While staring at the crowd from a distance, Naruto asked Himawari, who was next to him
and had her round eyes open wide just like him «Don’t tell me that all the people here… have
gathered here after seeing that leaflet?»
«It may be, right? Kuraama is super popular now.»
«Eeeh…»
Overwhelmed by the quantity of zeal of those ladies, Naruto could mutter only that.
«C-customers! Please, calm down!»
A heroic voice blended among those angry voices. It was an employer of Masuda Shop. He
was standing before the shutter, and had turned pale like a rabbit surrounded by a pride of
lions.
«The shop will open in no time! In order to avert confusion inside the shop, please enter in
the shop one customer at a time! Please, form a line now, so one by one starting from the
first—»
«A line? Are you kidding!»
«Right! Can you exactly know who will go first and who will go second?»
«N-no… that’s…»
«See!? If a blockhead who came after me gets in line in front of me, who will take the
responsibility!»
«If it’s so, we’ll distribute numbered tickets in a lottery, so one by one starting with the first
number—»
«Lottery! Ha, don’t say cheeky things, please. We have children waiting in anticipation for us
at home. Listen up, open the shop quickly!»
«Right, right!» voices that agreed with it continued. Apparently, the women had been waiting
since early morning because they had been pestered by their children about Kuraama or other
things.
(Mothers are strong, they say.)
He thought heartily — or rather, filled with trepidation. All the more, since the scene before
his eyes showed the employee jostled by the hands of the mothers, who were urging him.
(It means that they’re buying Kuraama. Will I slip through this group of scary mums and go
inside the shop?)
“If it wasn’t me the one there, but Hinata, what would she do? Would she fight against the
crowd of mothers without shying away?” he tried to ask himself, but the answer appeared
immediately. In general, even if she was quiet, she was a strong woman inside. If it were for
her daughter, she would surely push her way through without caring about herself.
«However, I didn’t think it was that popular, that Kuraama thing. What kind of toy is that?»
he asked, and Himawari answered with an innocent smile.
«Err, they created a fox called Nine-Tailed Mythological Fox Spirit.»
«And the name of this fox is Kuraama?»
«Yeah. It’s super cute, but the real thing is not that cute, and its eyes look around restlessly.»
«…mh. Surely, the expression of its eyes isn’t nice.»
«Papa, have you ever seen the real Kuraama?»
«Just a little.»
Apparently, he had mistaken Kuraama with Kurama.
Surely, he remembered he had scanned a document that inquired the pros and cons of the
development of Kurama-themed merchandise.
Kurama, who was once feared as a natural calamity and had left great scars on the village,
became merchandise and attracted people’s attention… that moment, the small thorn that
pierced Naruto’s heart had come out.
He had felt that the feeling of fear and hatred towards Kurama had weakened, and he had
finally been accepted.
That time, he was deeply moved and had affixed the seal on the document, but who would
have imagined that it would turn into a toy for children…
Anyhow, apparently his decision wasn’t wrong. Looking at his daughter, who kept talking
merrily, Naruto thought so even more.
«—well, at first it’s inside an egg, then it raises it brushing it gently, and when it rises you
encourage it clapping your hands, and it comes out of the egg.»
«Foxes are born from eggs…?»
He had the feeling it was wrong, but he wondered how. A “?” floated on Naruto’s head.
«It’s round, and it’s happy if you give it some tiny food. I’ve heard that they’re called “Food
Pills”, but there are some kinds, and if you feed them the red ones the colour of its fur
becomes dark.»
«It eats very cute things, Kuraama.»
«If you hit its head, you can’t even play with it.»
«Being hit, Kuraama…?»
He imagined the figure of his daughter hitting the cute-looking fox drawn in the leaflet with
her fist. It gave off a quite shocking impression, but since it was intended for children the
way they hit wasn’t probably too violent.
“Even so”, a bitter smile floated on Naruto’s face.
«It’s born from the egg, you prepare the food for it… in other words, it’s just like a baby,
Kuraama.»
Maybe it was difficult to sympathise with Himawari, but his eyes blinked.
It happened when Naruto tried to withdraw his bitter smile. A voice roared from the bottom
of his stomach.

«Oi. Who’s a baby…?»

It wasn’t the toy Kuraama — it was the voice of the true, genuine Kurama. Maybe because he
was upset of being treated as a baby, although it was a fictitious character that imitated him,
the colour of his disappointment was visibly dark.
It’d be a trouble if he held a grudge in the distant future. Trying to reply, Naruto turned his
consciousness inside his own body, but «Oh? When you think about someone… isn’t it
Naruto!»
One of the customers that had gathered at the Masuda Shop recognised Naruto, and called
him all of a sudden. Because of that, he missed the chance to talk with Kurama.
«Kiba! So weird, meeting in a place like this.»
The owner of the voice was a classmate of his at the time of the Academy, and a friend he
had escaped death together in many missions — Inuzuka Kiba. Also his hair, which were
sticking out artlessly when they were kids, now were combed all swept back, and had
assumed a certain wild appearance together with a pointed goatee.
A white thing moved slowly at Kiba’s feet. It was Akamaru the ninja dog. He went to
Naruto’s feet as if to avoid the noisy group of mothers, he clumsily dropped on the ground
and fell asleep.
For Akamaru, who had already reached the limit of an old dog, that tumult was probably
annoying.
Moreover, a small dog was following after him, trotting. It was Akemaru, who looked very
similar to Akamaru when he was a puppy.
«If you talk about weird things, you bastard being together with your daughter is weirder. Yo.
Are you going shopping with your old man today?»
Himawari had stretched her hand to stroke Akemaru, but when she was called by Kiba she
nodded heartily, and hid behind Naruto.
«Hey. You have to greet him properly, right?»
He tried to make her apologise, but it looked like Kiba wasn’t bothered at all, and said «It’s
okay, it’s okay. Call it fear of strangers or shyness, she’s like Hinata. Or rather, she grew up
so much, didn’t she? She was like this just the other day.» he said, showing a space of three
centimetres with his hands in front of his chest.
«Say what you like, she wasn’t that tiny. She’s not a puppy dog.»
«It’s something you don’t realise. Especially if you’re always together with her.»
Kiba laughed cheerfully, and «So…» he continued his speech.
«You’re here. Aiming at Kuraama, too?»
«Yeah. Himawari demanded it to me…»
He gently stroked Himawari’s hair, who was still hidden behind him.
«What are you doing here, dattebayo? Don’t tell me that you’ve got tired of looking after
dogs and you want to look after foxes… or something?»
«Eh, very funny. I’ve been begged by an acquaintance, but—» Kiba had started to say, but
then he faltered.
«—No, I haven’t been begged… but she looked at the leaflet and was so freaking happy
saying things like “That fox is so cute–!”, so maybe she’ll be happy if I secretly give it to her
as a present… I guess…»
Towards the end of the sentence, Kiba’s eyes wandered around, and his voice faded away.
Naruto stared at his condition with an unexpected expression.
«Why that face!»
«Because it’s a surprise present for a woman, right? Isn’t it nice! Hinata’s been worrying that
both you and Shino would end up alone.»
«T-this has nothing to do with the former Team 8!»
«Aah. Kiba’s got no fox-loving girlfriend…»
«For your information! She’s a hardcore cat supporter… or rather, since they’re cats, I should
say she’s a softcore…? Anyway, she’s a woman through and through! This time she was
deceived only for a moment by a fox!»
Kiba had proudly raised his nose, but as if he had noticed that it was no excuse of sort, he
regained his composure immediately.
«However… it’s a bad timing to be in conflict here.»
«…? What do you mean?»
«It’s Kuraama.»
Kiba stuck his thump out over his shoulders, and pointed to Masuda Shop.
«I quickly searched for it, but it looks like Kuraama’s popularity is uncommon. The arrival of
today’s goods will be of ten, twenty pieces at most, you know.»
«Wha— just that!?»
In front of Masuda Shop, even if he had estimated they were few, hundreds of people were
crowded closely. Did it mean that just few people would be able to get the Kuraama inside?
«I don’t feel like competing with young ladies, but… well, no hard feelings towards whoever
of us put their hands on Kuraama—»
Before Kiba finished talking, the shutters of Masuda Shop slowly began to rise. A finger that
probably belonged to the shop owner peeked from the crack between the shutters and the
floor — a moment later, it was completely open.
It was the time of opening of the shop.
At the same time, the earth trembled. Everyone gathered at the Masuda Shop rushed into the
shop at once.
«Ah!? Shit, I got a late start!»
Kiba pushed his way through the wave of people in a hurry. Leaving his two pet dogs behind,
his figure disappeared in the turmoil of people.
Angry roars and boos resounded from inside the Masuda Shop, which wasn’t even thirty-
three square meters, and he could even hear screams of pain, maybe because they were
treading on each other’s feet. It was just like a battlefield.
Naruto gulped, and looked at Himawari as if to ask a last confirmation.
«What do we do? Do we wait here?»
Also Himawari looked at Naruto again. She had made an uneasy expression hearing the
shortage of stocks, but apparently she hadn’t given up, and she shook her head.
«…yo!»
Naruto resolved himself, grabbed Himawari’s hand, and followed after Kiba straddling over
Akamaru, who was lying sprawled on the ground.
He advanced while being squashed between the customers jumbled together and the furniture
closely cramped in rows. He couldn’t even breathe enough because of the heat of the crowd,
and if he had lowered his guard just a moment he would have let go Himawari’s hand.
«Sorry, will you let me advance a little!»
He aimed at the inside of the shop, creating a crack between the people with his shoulders.
Since it was such turmoil, he couldn’t even know where the Kuraamas had been placed, but
Naruto had the rough idea that they maybe were in front of the cash register.
Some customers noticed Naruto and exclaimed «Hokage-sama!» and «The Seventh!?», but
he didn’t have time to reply, and kept using his hand to cut his way through instead of
nodding.
«Let me pass — ugh… ah! Never mind if the elbows collided! …hn? You’ve been waiting
for the whole night without sleeping? What a chance meeting, I’ve been up all night too
dattebayo!»
For some reason there were also voices that blamed the dissatisfaction of the turmoil on
Naruto, but he blew them off.
When he finally arrived in front of the cash register somehow, as Naruto had guessed, they
had prepared a basket with a billboard with “Parent and Child Day Limited Edition!” written
on it.
(Is that it!)
He grabbed a narrow egg from there, and he quickly paid the bill.
When he got away from the cash register going against the flow of people, Akamaru, who
was outside the shop, shook his tail as if he was saying “It’s been tiresome”.
He took a short rest. At the same time, the joy of gaining victory rushed inside his body.
«Ihhh… Gotchaaaa!»
Naruto hoisted the bag on his hand high.
«It was full of customers, but I was able to buy it!»
He exchanged a smile with Himawari, who was clinging onto his back. Maybe because she
had gone through a tumultuous maelstrom, her daughter hair was dishevelled, and beads of
sweat had appeared on her forehead.
«Dang it… they were freaking sold out…»
When he adjusted Himawari’s hair, Kiba went out of Masuda Shop, dropping his shoulders
heartbroken. The customers, disappointed just like him, came out in succession, and scattered
around.
«You weren’t able to buy one? You went inside before us!»
«I didn’t know where they heck they had put them. There were so many people that my nose
was of no use at all… jeez.»
«No… you can’t grab toys with your nose in the first place.»
It happened when Naruto was appalled like that.
«Papa?»
Himawari was pulling his sleeve. She was staring with a restless expression at the bag with
the egg in it.
He had been squashed by the wave of people in his condition of sleepless night, and the joints
of his body were screaming in pain. However, it was nothing if he could look at his
daughter’s happy face.
Nevertheless.
«…ah.»
Himawari’s expression, who had taken the egg out of the paper bag, was different from what
he had imagined.
Kiba, who peered into Himawari’s palm, frowned. «Oi, Naruto…»
«Yeah?»
Also Naruto moved by Himawari’s side, and when he lowered his gaze on her palm — he
couldn’t believe his eyes.
«“One-Tailed! Shukaaku”…?»
The thing that was drawn on the egg wasn’t a lovely fox having tufty tails, but a stout fat
raccoon having a round tail.
«It’s not Kuraama!?»
«This is… an imitation made in the Village Hidden in the Sand. It must be the toy that grows
one tail, and not nine.» Kiba explained, but Naruto didn’t listen to his words. He retraced his
steps in a hurry inside the shop, and rushed to the passage where it had become easy to move
because the customers had decreased.
In front of the cash register, Naruto was astonished.
The billboard on display Naruto saw said “Parent and Child Day Limited Edition! Special
sell!”. However, below that they had prepared a basket with “The high-popularity item, the
Nine-Tailed! Kuraama!” written on it, and a basket with “How about getting a raccoon
together with it?” written on it.
There were two baskets.
Maybe because it wasn’t popular enough, the eggs of Shukaaku were still a heap.
While he turned his eyes to the Kuraama basket, where only dust was left, Naruto asked the
employee at the cash register «Err… Kuraama… is there one left…?»
The employee shook his head with an expression that seemed pitiful from the bottom of his
heart.
When he went out of the shop walking as if his strength had forsaken him, Himawari was
sobbing.
She was trembling, her shoulders were shaking, and the two ninja dogs were loitering around
Himawari looking worried.
«—so, you can easily buy a toy like that once the boom has passed!»
The one who was nervously soothing his daughter was none other than Kiba.
«Your birthday… has yet to come, missy? Then, you’ll get it so easily it ain’t even be a joke.
Yeah, absolutely!»
«…Kiba.»
«Besides, your old man is the Hokage, right? The Hokage means that he’s an awesome
person that even I wasn’t able to become. If such an old man raises his voice, any kind of toy
will easily—»
«Kiba. That’s enough ‘ttebayo.»
«Okay but… you…»
Kiba’s gaze went from the sobbing Himawari to Naruto. Its meaning was obvious. “What do
we do with this child?”
«…Himawari.»
While muttering his daughter’s name, Naruto touched her shaking shoulders.
«I’m sorry. Dad should have checked carefully. I was in a hurry and I made a mistake.»
«…»
When he softly stopped Himawari’s hand, who kept wiping away the tears, he could see her
eyes, which had turned red because she had wept them out. Naruto stared at her eyes without
avoiding her gaze.
«We’ll be able to get it.»
«…eh?»
«Kuraama. I’m not saying that we’ll get it next time for sure. But we’ll absolutely get it today
‘ttebayo.»
Himawari cast her eyes down for a while, but in the end she nodded «Yeah» and rubbed her
eyes, and showed him a bashful smile. Naruto thought that it was enough. Everything was
alright, except for her tear-strained face.
«What do you intend to do? Don’t tell me that you’ll use your Hokage authority for real?»
Naruto laughed at Kiba’s question.
«Say, what a convenient authority. The fact that the sales have begun on the Parent and Child
Day surely increased the production for today. I’ll try and visit the others shop one at a time
using my Kage Bunshin ‘ttebayo.»
«The Kage Bunshin, huh.»
Kiba twitched his nose nervously.
«You give off a dead-tired smell like when you’ve just finished a mission… can you do
something like that?!
«It’s just lack of sleep dattebayo… Massive Shadow Clone Technique!»
As Naruto formed hand-seals, a white smoke rose from around him. Their number was —
two.
«…»
It was one hundred percent of the usual.
Naruto stiffened with his fingers still crossed, beaded with cold sweat.
«They’re just two. That’s hardly “massive”…»
Kiba tapped the forehead of a Kage Bunshin with a finger. The Kage Bunshin vanished,
making a popping sound.
«Eh!?»
«Idiot, the Kage Bunshin are useless. Today is like a festival, they’ll end up disappearing
smashed by the crowd. Instead…» Kiba continued. «I’ll lend you a hand. My nose is useless
inside a shop, but I have a rough idea of Kuraama’s smell. If I follow the smell of tuff loam
that uses ink and dandelions, I’ll manage somehow.»
When he was bewildered for that sudden proposal, «You’re misunderstanding» Kiba
emphasised his tone.
«I don’t give a damn if you bastard fall low in esteem, but I’ll have a guilty conscience if it
makes you daughter cry so much. I said no ill feelings if one of us obtained a Kuraama
before, but… now… if it makes her cry… yeah.»
Kiba scratched his cheek looking awkward.
«Is it okay? I’ll search in the new town. You bastard got the old town. When one of us finds
the Kuraama first, with Sage Mode the place where I am… ah, it’s impossible in your
physical condition… well, I’ll join you when I see a good time. Don’t go in places where the
smell is too strong.»
«…yeah.»
«Alright. I’m going, guys!»
Taking Akamaru and Akemaru along, Kiba went towards the Hokage Rock.
After he saw him off until his back disappeared in the traffic jam, Naruto knelt down, and
turned his back towards Himawari.
«Alright. Shall we go, too?»
«…yeah!»
Himawari cheerfully clung to his back.
It was as Kiba had said. Children grow faster than what their parents think. When he had
carried her on his back before, she felt much lighter.
Something he wouldn’t notice if they were always together.
Kiba had said so, but he wondered if he would really fall in this category. He hadn’t been
able to stay together with her at all lately.
…no.
Rather than looking back to the past, he had to do what he could for Himawari now.
With this resolution in his chest, Naruto began running.
***
«Aren’t there “Nine-Tailed! Kuraama” left!?» was the first thing Naruto yelled when he
plunged into the first round-the-clock general store he had caught glimpse of. At the sudden
coming of the Seventh Hokage into the store, the employee opened his mouth wide.
«Ah. Papa, there! There are many left!»
«Really!?»
Urged by Himawari, he looked towards the shelf that was in front of the cash register. Surely,
similar eggs were displayed in a row, but—
«…they’re all Shukaaku.»
«…yeah.»
As far as they could look, every last one of them was a raccoon. On the contrary, it was a pity
that they had remained unsold like that. Rather, why the items of the Village Hidden in the
Sand were being distributed like that in the Village Hidden in the Leaves? He was tempted to
suspect that it was because they weren’t sold there as well and they were circulating.
«It may be funny to buy some and send them to Gaara…»
«Gaara?»
«He’s a friend of mine in Sunagakure. When he was a child, he was always together with
Shukaku — Shukaaku. When he separated from Shukaaku, it’s been difficult for him…»
«He was lonely because his raccoon wasn’t there anymore? He liked him very much.»
«It’s not that. Alright, the next!»
With the same vigour of when he had entered, he jumped out of the general store.

***
«Kuraama… the latest fashion? There are no left, how could I put it… let me ask you a
question instead. Do you think we have it? This is just a flower shop, as you see.»
The place they had tried to go into because it was on their way and they had nothing to lose
was the “Yamanaka Flower Shop” that Yamanaka Ino, one of his classmates of the time of
the Academy, ran. Although multicoloured flowers had welcomed them, there weren’t toys of
any kind.
«You’re right… what is Sai doing dattebayo?»
«He went out with Inojin. I’ll let him know, if you have things to do with him.»
«No, it’s not like that. I’m distracting you while you’re working.»
«Whatever, it’s nothing… aah, Naruto! Wait, wait!»
Ino called Naruto to stop him, and she pulled out one flowers from the ones on sale.
«Here, for Himawari-chan.»
She handed it out to Himawari. It was a sunflower in full bloom.
«Waahh… Thank you, oneesan!»
Also Himawari, who had showed shyness with Kiba, maybe because she had let her guard
down when she received the flower with the same name as her, replied with a bright
expression.
«Kya~ oneesan ♥ I’m giving one extra!»
She really added another sunflower.
Himawari looked very happy, and despite she wanted to see her off on the store front, she
kept waving her hand.
«…I know you received it at great pains, but you can’t hold on dad if you carry it. Wouldn’t
it be better if we go back and leave it at home?»
«Eeh… no way! I’m carrying it! It won’t get in the way if I put it here.»
The “here” Himawari had chosen was the collar of Naruto’s shirt. Tug, tug — the feeling of
the stem was transmitted in his back.
«There–»
When he turned towards a display window nearby, there was the image of him growing
sunflowers from his head just like feelers. It was a quite humorous fashion.
«Does it suit me?» he asked Himawari, who had tilted her head in contemplation, and she
replied «Sure!» with a smile.
«Hehehehe» Also Naruto made an embarrassed smile.

***
«Children these days… Piko-piko, piko-piko… they’re completely engrossed only with piko-
piko… they make fun of how we played in the past…»
The one who had groaned so making a gloomy face was an old woman that ran an old-
established small-time candy store. She had wrinkles since Naruto was a child, but even now
she was covered in wrinkles without change.
Himawari, who was absorbed in the cheap candies and was covered all over with soy flour
around her mouth, tilted her head.
«What’s piko-piko?»
«Boruto plays with it during lunch. It goes piko-piko. That thing.»
«That’s not piko-piko. That’s the new promising hope that bears the next era of the world of
toys, the Thunder Scroll.»
«I was wrong, huh… well, what’s this piko-piko?»
«Piko-piko is piko-piko. He has climbed to an high position, and now he can’t even tell the
difference between a piko-piko and a Thunder Scroll… so sad…»
While saying this sentence, grumbling, the old woman fetched a package from a shelf.
«Well then… you’re looking for a Kuraama.»
«Is it here!?»
«No. Sorry, but it’s not here. But… there are much nicer things.»
Putting on an air of importance, the old woman held out the content of the package.
«An origami.»
«…»
«Why that face. It’s waaa~y more interesting than a piko-piko…»
«Himawari– Clean your mouth a little–»
«Hmm–»
«Aah, don’t! Stop! Don’t use it to wipe your child’s mouth! It’s not a napkin! Listen up, fold
it! Fold it quickly!»
When he folded the origami while the old woman taught him how to do it, he wondered why
so much time had passed since he had tried it. It could be quite fun.
Himawari was enjoying herself with a shuriken made out of silver paper, made a hemp cord
pass through it, and hung it from her neck.
In the end, he hadn’t understood what the heck was a piko-piko.

***
Inside the “Ninja Tools Roll Roll Roll” ninja-tool shop, Naruto opened his half-closed eyes.
Tenten, the owner of the shop, had removed everything, stools included, and was slowly
swaying both her arms like a swing — she was unbelievably slacking off.
«I’m not selling anything. Since it’s Parent and Child Day, the parent-and-child kunai have
finally arrived. I haven’t sold one of them.»
«What’s a parent-and-child kunai?»
«Mh.»
Tenten carelessly pointed to a showcase, still with her head thrown back.
The thing that had been put there was a special-shaped kunai, with strange blades on both
ends of the hilt. One of the blades was long, and the other blade was round like a dip pen, and
even if it was short its point was shining dimly — however…
«…it doesn’t look like it’s for parents and children though?»
«The longer blade is the parent, the shorter blade is the child. Look, isn’t it parent-and-child
like?»
«It’s a strained interpretation… Apart from that, aren’t there some “Nine-Tailed! Kuraama”
toys left?»
Suddenly, Tenten’s swaying stopped. She focused her glazed eyes on Naruto.
«It’s the fourth time I’ve been asked this question today. What’s that? Do you mean that I
should close up this old-fashioned ninja tool shop, and turn it into a toy shop? Also the
Seventh thinks so? You asked because you think so? This shop is out of fashion, so I should
get involved in toys as a subsidiary job… is this what you want to say!?»
«I don’t think so and I’m not even saying it ‘ttebayo…»
«Surely, this is not commmmpletely out of fashion. “There’s a huge gourd left in that shop,
and you can hear people’s voices from inside!” – it’s acknowledged as a spot to make tests of
courage by the children of the neighbourhood, and when I carry too many ironware
inventories I get even customer’s complaints saying things like “The magnetic field goes
amiss just around here”. At least if I had the right to sell the equipment wholesale to the
Military Police or the Academy I wouldn’t end up dangling my fists like this, but that’s
already someone else’s duty…»
«Papa, why is this oneesan crying?»
«Mh… because we’re at peace.»
«Isn’t it a good thing?»
«Yeah.»
Naruto decided to buy some earrings he noticed. On the clip end, some mini-kunai that could
barely get on the tip of his finger were swinging.
When he paid the bill, Tenten, who had got back to her feet, said «How about buying this
item together with them?» and giving him a salesman’s smile, she offered him a parent-and-
child kunai. Naruto was unconsciously blown away by the quickness of the exchange and her
strong commercial spirit.

***
He ran around the old town together with Himawari, and he visited every single shop, but
they didn’t find a Kuraama egg. The sun was about to set already.
Naruto grinded his teeth. If it had been the real Kurama, it was inside himself.
Given the situation, his last hope was just Kiba, who had gone to the new town, but…
«O—i! Narutoooo!»
Kiba’s voice came from above his head. When he looked up, his figure was on the roof of a
diner nearby.
«I found it! It’s the real Kuraama this time!»
«S-seriously!!»
When Kiba kicked a signboard and landed, he showed a thumb-up towards Himawari.
«It was sold-out in every shop, but there was just one left on a stand that was in the Thunder
Car station. In a souvenir shop of a long-haul terminal. Unlike Konoha, the guys of the other
villages aren’t very interested in it.»
«But… is it okay? Weren’t you going to give it as present to your fox-loving girlfriend?»
«She doesn’t like foxes. She likes cats. I’m not telling her that I was buying it in the first
place, so even if there’s no plus there’s no minus.»
«Is that so… you did it! Himawari!»
«Yeah! Thank you! …err, ojichan of the dogs!»
Without minding that he’d been called ojichan, Kiba showed his white teeth.
«Eh, no problem. I’ve given it to Akamaru to carry, he should arrive soon — oh, speaking of
the devil.»
In the direction where Kiba had turned his face to, Akamaru appeared together with Akemaru
from among the crowd.
When he took the paper bag he was holding in his mouth, Kiba stroked his beloved dog’s
head with a scratch scratch.
«Hey there. This is my long-awaited—» Kiba said, plunging his hand on the paper bag, «—
Thunder Burger. Normally, I don’t eat junk food, but this burger is sold additive-free. Also
my dogs are extremely fond of — oi! This is not the bag of a Thunder Burger! What
happened to the Kuraama!? Tch! There’s even a small change of the rest!»
«Hey, Kiba… that is…» Naruto muttered impatiently.
It was inside the crowd Akamaru had appeared from: there was a hooded man that tried to
leave the place in a hurry. In his hands, a paper bag with the symbol of the Thunder Car
printed on it.
«Oi, don’t tell me… no way? They’ve been switched!? Akamaru!? Shit, he hasn’t eaten
anything since morning, so—»
«Kiba!»
When he interrupted Kiba’s complaints in midway, Naruto entrusted him with Himawari,
whom he was carrying on his back, and all the baggage he was holding.
«I leave Himawari to you!»
«You leave — oi!»
Naruto dashed, following the man. Apparently, the man had noticed him too, and his pace
suddenly became faster. The agility with which he avoided the crowd, and his footwork.
Judging from the fact that he had deceived Akamaru, even if he was hungry, there was no
doubt. Also that guy was a ninja.
«That… Wait, dammit!!
He was a ninja of Konoha, and not somebody Naruto didn’t know. Probably also that man
had recognised him. He intended not to show his face, he was deeply wearing a hood, and at
last he began running without caring about the fact that he was knocking passers-by down.
«Ku—»
Without being able of such a rude behaviour, Naruto continued pursuing him while helping
the passers-by that had fallen to stand up. The distance between him and the man was
gradually increasing.
(Today, for the whole day…)
He hadn’t been able to do anything for Himawari.
He had only make her hope for nothing, and made her sad.
Even the Kuraama the man was taking away was the one Kiba had got. That’s why he had to
get it back with his own hands, only that, no matter what it took.
However, because he had been running around Konoha, plus the prolonged lack of sleep, his
physical energy and his chakra were already at the bottom. Even if he used a Body Flicker
Technique it wouldn’t probably have a good effect, just like the Massive Shadow Clone
Technique of that morning. The ways he could take it were limited.
(I don’t want to become… someone that stands out too much in the village!)
Naruto turned his consciousness towards inside himself, and addressed to Kurama.

“Kurama! Sorry, but can’t you lend me a hand! …oi, Kurama?”

“…no way.”
“W-what!?”
“Because you called me a baby… besides, Shukaku? Mistaking me for that shitty
raccoon of all things. I won’t even bother to talk to you.”
“No, no, aren’t you talking to me — anyway! I’m in serious trouble right now! At this
rate Himawari…”
“That’s exactly why.”
“Eh?”
“I’m telling you to manage it by yourself without relying on me. What could you do if
you don’t exert yourself for your daughter, idiot.”
“…”

«Hehe…»
Bringing his consciousness back to reality, he talked to himself while running.
«That’s also true.»
It was just as he had realised not long ago. He’d get just that Kuraama with his own hands.
After that, it was a battle between energy and willpower. He kept running with determination,
and followed after the man.
—I wonder how long we ran.
When they arrived to a deserted alleyway, the man’s pace weakened. As if he had given up
somehow, rather than he had run out of physical strength — as if it was impossible for him to
escape any further.
«I’ve… gotchaaa!» Naruto yelled, and swooped down on the man’s back. He quickly tore off
the hood pushing it out of the way. As he had imagined, the man was a Konoha genin. He
had ordered him to investigate the situation of the national border though.
The man, still pinned down, clenched his teeth, and didn’t even try to look at Naruto’s eyes.
He had never caused troubles until then. Buy why did he dirty his hands with stealing? Then,
when he was asking himself the reason…
«Dad…?»
It was the voice of a child. A boy came out of the alleyway, unsteady on his feet.
«Wha— why did you come out! Listen… listen up, wait inside!»
The man’s voice was trembling. With their conversation and the agitation it conveyed, he
could immediately understand their relationship.
It looked like there was no need to hold him down. Naruto released the man, and asked
«…What does it mean dattebayo?»
However.
The answer didn’t come from the man, but from behind Naruto.
«He wanted to get a Kuraama for his brat at any cost, isn’t it? Just like you.»
It was Kiba. Maybe he had followed him without him being aware of it, and next to him there
was also Himawari’s figure, straddling on Akamaru. When Naruto cast his eyes down as to
ask if it was true, the man changed his attitude, and bowed his forehead to the ground.
«I’m sorry! I just wanted to make my son’s wish come true, absolutely… I searched
anywhere without finding it, and I’ve heard Kiba-san’s voice when I was at a loss… I
succumbed to temptation…»
The man continued his confession full of sobbing.
Since he was going to investigate the country border, he was far away from the village. More
than that, he couldn’t find any time to get in touch with his son as a father. Finally, a day-off
had appeared. His son, whom he met for the first time after a long time, had timidly
demanded him something. It was the “Nine-tailed! Kuraama”.
«…»
Naruto listened to the man’s tale in silence.
He wanted to fulfil his child’s wish. He understood his feelings so much it hurt. However,
that man had crossed a line he shouldn’t have crossed. He had to punish him as one caught
red-handed for stealing. Moreover, before his son’s eyes of all things.
He wondered if he should keep the boy at a distance from that place at least.
He was of two minds, when—
Himawari, who had gone down off Akamaru’s back, picked up the paper bag with the
Kuraama in it, and handed it to the man.
«Here, it’s yours, ojichan. By mistake, you dropped it.»
«…eh?»
A question mark floated on the man’s head.
«Himawari?»
It was the same for Naruto.
Himawari, who looked back to Naruto, made a smile she inherited from her mother, as if she
had seen through everything.
«This ojichan was just trying to go home bringing the Kuraama he had bought for this boy.
That’s right, Papa?»
Naruto could already guess his daughter’s intention.
«Y-yeah.»
He could, but…
«But, is it okay? You wanted it too, Himawari. All along.»
«It’s okay. I have this.» she said, and the thing she fetched was the Shukaaku Naruto had
bought by mistake.
«Because you struggled so hard to give it to me, Papa. I’ll treasure it. Besides…»
She gently stroke the paper shuriken made of silver paper that had fallen from her head.
«Papa, you always look busy and you never play with me, but… for the whole day, we were
able to go in various places together and we had lots of fun. Also my treasures increased a
lot, and now I can’t hold more than that.»
«Hima…»
Himawari didn’t smile, but showed an innocent smiling face that didn’t suit her age. Also
Naruto relaxed his cheeks just like her.
«Oi oi. If your daughter doesn’t want it, I’ll…»
Kiba tried to stretch his hand, but he was bitten by Akamaru and Akemaru and he
immediately drew back with a «Ouch!». He made a bitter smile nonetheless.
Naruto fixed his expression, knelt down, and turned his face to the man who was still
kneeling. He told him in a small voice «This matter of Kuraama is settled, but… the fact that
you pushed away everyone in the village, I can’t let it pass all the same.»
«…yes.»
«For today, I’ll free you from the mission of investigating the country border.»
The man’s focus swayed. Without strength, he hung his head, and closed his eyes firmly.
Naruto placed his hands on the man’s shoulders, who was trembling desperately, and
continued.
«From tomorrow, you’ll guard the main gates. I’ll tell Shikamaru. Because it’s a place that’s
become a symbol of Konoha next to the Hokage Rock. I’m entrusting it to you ‘ttebayo.»
«A demotion… do you mean…. aah, no, I’m sorry. I’ll fulfil this mission giving my very
best—»
Kiba had listen attentively to the man’s words, who was obeying respectfully, and laughed
scornfully.
«Idiot. It means that you won’t be far away from the village. Take good care of your son.»
«Ah…»
Understanding Naruto’s intention, tears streamed again from the corner of the man’s eyes.
«Thank you very much…»
«…well then.»
While grabbing his joints, which had stiffened because he had kept abusing them the whole
day, Naruto slowly stood up.
«Alright, how about going back home?»

***
«Oniicha—n! Luuunch! Papa bought us hamburgers! It’s night already! How long have you
been sleeping—!»
Himawari called her brother from down the stairs.
Following Boruto’s sleepy reply, there was the sound of the door of the entryway opening.
«Ah, Mama! Welcome home… yeah. We’ve just returned home… eh? These things on my
ears? Hehe. They’re nice. Papa bought them for me. Also this! And this, and this…»
Apparently, Hinata had come back home. It looked like that evening they’d be able to have
dinner all the family reunited for the first time in a while.
While dozing on the sofa of the living room, Naruto lent an ear to Himawari’s merry voice.
Also in this day-off, in which he would have just overslept by all rights, looking back now he
had been extremely busy. Ha had not rested at all, but if they’d asked him if he was
disappointed, he’s have denied with a smile.
That was surely a way to spend the “Parent and Child Day”.
…
«—you came home?»
Naruto opened his eyes with a start. Apparently he had unconsciously fallen asleep, and he
hadn’t notice, but — next to him, there was Boruto. He was making an extremely sulky face.
Suddenly understanding why, Naruto stirred on the sofa, and turned to Boruto.
«About yesterday… I’m sorry.»
Boruto, who had crossed his arms behind his head, behaved like a spoiled child, looking
disappointed.
«Something like that is nothing ‘ttebasa.»
«…?»
Apparently it didn’t mean that he was angry for the fact that he hadn’t come back home.
Given that, he wondered if he was pouting because he had been sleeping the whole day. Or…
Maybe — Naruto focused back to the entryway. Himawari’s voice was still talking, showing
Hinata all the things she had got today.
«Boruto, you wanted to go somewhere together with Dad, too?»
«Wha…!?»
As if he was upset, Boruto turned his face away.
«It’s not that ‘ttebasa! I, just… I just wanted to complain because the souvenir hamburgers
are tiny…»
«You haven’t opened the bag yet?»
When he pointed to the bad of Thunder Burgers on the table, also Boruto looked at it, and
stiffened.
«…»
As if he was looking for the next excuse, he opened and closed his mouth like a goldfish.
Then…
His face was hidden so he couldn’t see, but Naruto noticed that Boruto was holding
something. It was a leaflet. It was crumpled inside his hand, just like Himawari that morning.
The name of the shop that was peeking through was— “Ninja Tools Roll Roll Roll”—
While making a bitter smile like he didn’t understand, Naruto put his hand on his breast
pocket.
«Things like games are better really, but… the Thunder Scroll, was it? I don’t understand
well…»
He fetched a long and narrow envelope, and handed it to Boruto.
«…? What’s this?»
«A souvenir dattebayo. Just one hamburger seemed unsatisfying.»
«Eh?»
While tilting his head, Boruto opened the envelope, and—
A kunai with blades on both ends of the hilt sparkled, brand new.
«This is…»
Boruto smiled broadly, but he immediately pouted, and went back to his sulking stance. He
curled the envelope of the kunai in a ball, and he rudely turned back.
However, the moment he was going away he could hear him muttering a small «Thank you.»
«Yeah.»
His reply was even shorter.
After seeing off his unfriendly son again with a bitter smile, Naruto sat deeply on the sofa.
There was still another opponent Naruto had to speak to.

“Hey? O~i? Cheer up already. Choosing Shikaaku was a little mistake dattebayo.
You’re not gonna stay angry at me forever, right? I’m absolutely a fox guy, rather
than a raccoon. I’m adding even fried tofu topping in the ramen, alright? So… are you
listening to me? Hey. Hey, I said. Kurama? Kuraama~?”
INTERLUDE 1: WITH SHINO-SENSEI! LUNCH!

The thing that became the “Parent and Child Day” was established thanks to Naruto, and the
Village Hidden in the Leaves was wrapped by an atmosphere just as if it was a festival.
Laughter and cheers resounded here and there, and the stands lined in a row added to the
sound of flutes and drums their fshhhh… the sound of deep-fried food. Maybe because the
street performers were announcing their amazing tricks, applauses had risen. Everyone in the
village was festive.
Yeah. “Everyone”. This man was no exception.
(The Parent and Child Day, huh?)
Aburame Shino, teacher at the Academy.
Since he was wearing metal goggles on his face with limited emotions, his emotions were
much more unintelligible. However, a smile had clearly appeared on his lips.
(When I’ve heard of it, I wondered if I should voice my dissent for the tendency of ignoring
unmarried people, but… it’s not bad. Because, even I, an unmarried man, am having fun.)
Shino was standing on a street where the stands were lined in a row. On his right hand, he
had a squid skewer and a sausage skewer and a choco-banana. With his left hand, he was
holding a bucket of popcorns. It’s not that he was hungry in particular, he had just bought
them going with the flow.
«Next, I want to see a movie! A movie!»
When he turned his face towards a familiar voice, there was a pupil of his from the Academy.
Also his parents were with him.
Without noticing him, they walked towards the movie theatre, but — they looked very happy.
«…»
At that sight, it’s not that he didn’t feel a twinge of loneliness, but that feeling disappeared
immediately. Sure, he was an unmarried man, but he did have a family to love. It’s not that
he intended to become sentimental with things like “all his pupils at the Academy are like my
family”.
He had a family inside his chest.
Just as to answer to his thought, the bugs in his chest stirred. The bugs that had nested inside
his body at Shino’s birth, in sickness and in health, in joy and in sorrow, were with him day
and night anyway. They were friends with whom he formed a bond that was beyond a family,
so to speak.
«Hm… that time already?» he talked to himself. His sense of time had become completely
dim, since he kept trying the food of various stands, but before he had become aware of it, it
was lunchtime.
Shino searched in the place of the three skewers he was holding in his right hand — without
finding it, he plunged them into the mountain of popcorns — and searched his breast pocket
with his now free hand.
The thing he fetched from there was…
A lovely fox stuffed toy, with nine tufty tails.
«Sorry if I kept you waiting.»
Placing also the popcorns at his feet, he took a thing that looked like a Food Pill with his left
hand. The fox stuffed toy held it in its mouth as if it was real food, and swallowed it.
«Tasty! Tasty!»
«Fufu, is that so?»
«More please! More!»
«Even if I don’t hurry, nobody will take it away. Because also you are my beloved family.»
He had decided to understand as much as possible the things that his pupils found interesting.
Due to this thought, Shino had purchased a “Nine-Tailed! Kuraama”, but he had become
unexpectedly addicted to it, and now he doted it to the point that he wasn’t afraid of calling it
‘his family’.
«My “Kuraama” is smarter than Naruto’s Kurama, and cuter… fufu… fufufu.» Shino
laughed, turning into a doting parent, but his bugs were still noisy inside his chest—
The bugs that had got tired of waiting for their host, who hadn’t supplied them at all of
chakra to use as food, beginning eating chakra with gusto on their of accord, and Shino
ending up fainting, is something that happened two minutes after that.
 NARUTO’S TRUE STORY – PARENT AND CHILD DAY
by Mirei Miyamoto

CHAPTER 2: FATHER AND DAUGHTER, THE FORMS OF HAPPINESS

The day before the “Parent and Child Day”, the Village Hidden in the Leaves where
everyone was enlivened. In this corner.
Uzumaki Hinata passed though the gate of the Hyūga main house, her parents’ home, in a
hurry.
She forgot even to align the sandals she had taken off and scattered in the entryway, and she
ran at full speed through the wooden hallway.
She advanced without hesitation in the residence that boasted a wide plot of land, and she
went around several corners.
«Hanabi!?»
Hinata noticed her younger sister’s figure, and shouted her name.
«…neesama.»
Hanabi sat down hard in front of the closed paper doors, and covered her mouth with the
sleeves of her kimono. Just as if she was concealing her face because she had wept her eyes
out—
It had happened that morning.
She had got in contact with a messenger that said their father, Hyūga Hiashi, had collapsed.
She wanted to rush over there immediately, but also her daughter Himawari had tried to go
with her, and she was at a loss of words. She had wondered what in the world she had to tell
her daughter, who was still young, saying something like “I may have to say goodbye to
Grandfather”.
Without taking a resolution in the end, Hinata went out alone glossing over the details.
While she ran impatiently, even if she had arrived to the main house somehow, the moment
she spotted Hanabi breaking down crying the inside of her heart became cold as if it had been
plunged into ice.
«F…» Hinata asked, her voice trembling.
«Father’s… conditions?»
With a sidelong glance, Hanabi looked at the sliding screen — their father’s bedroom.
However, she immediately averted her eyes, hanging her head down.
«No good. He’s always having nightmares, and it seems like his body just won’t listen to
him…»
«Such thing…»
Hinata was horrified.
Their father, who was the very picture of fortitude and vigour, had always been strict.
Also towards his daughters, also towards his students. And also towards himself.
To protect the Hyūga name, he kept training with determination, no matter how much he
destroyed his physical condition, as a “proof that forging the flesh isn’t enough”. Even if he
thought that lying in a bed is foolish, even if he had never shown the others that he had gone
down to his knees.
There was no way her father would succumb to an illness…
«…by the way.»
Hanabi looked around restlessly, shifting her attention to behind Hinata.
«Boruto? Isn’t he with you?»
«He’s been out in a mission since evening… say, the doctor? The doctor, what…»
«Doctor? Ah, the doctor.»
Hanabi let her eyes wander around for a short while.
«Err, he said to apply a fomentation and rest for a while.»
«Fomentation…? He has a fever and he’s having nightmares…?»
«More importantly, Himawari?»
Hinata felt Hanabi was fixed on her condition, but since she was asked many questions in
rapid succession, she mumbled chewing her words.
«I didn’t know what to say about Father… I left her at home, but…»
«Eh? Do you mean, you came back here alone, neesama? What did—»
Collapsing on her back, Hanabi fell down spread-eagled. Her words were just “What did”.
«Wait… Hanabi? Maybe…»
A faint bikibiki sound — as if they were breaking some walnuts.
The blood vessels rose to surface on both Hinata’s eyes, and a new iris appeared inside her
white eyes. From there, the purest white light was emitted.
The kekkei genkai passed down in the Hyūga clan. The Byakugan.
The Byakugan saw through all the things. The flow of chakra that circled inside the body,
and its nature. It saw through the hidden ambushes hundreds of metres away, and achieved a
field of vision in almost every direction as well. And of course, it saw the things looking
through them.
It was as if things like paper doors, with were made just out of thin paper, weren’t there, if
she had the power of the Byakugan.
Hinata turned her eyes towards her father’s bedroom.
Looking through the paper doors, she peeked into the tatami-matted room. The figure of her
father was in the futon laid out in the middle.
Even though she felt guilty for turning her Byakugan towards her father, Hinata stared at his
body.
There was nothing strange with his lungs or his digestive organs. The circulation of his blood
was smooth, and also his liver was the very image of health, maybe because he hated
excessive drinking. However, only the muscles that went from his spine to his femur were a
little stiff…
«Father’s conditions…»
Hinata stared at Hanabi with her white eyes.
She didn’t even use the Byakugan. Her younger sister wasn’t crying at all.
«It’s just a strained back, right?»
«Yeah.»
Hanabi answered shortly, and moved her limbs struggling still lying down on the hallway.
«Aah aah, I thought I’d finally meet my cute nice and nephew~»
«You… there are lies you can say and lies you cannot—»
«The fact that Father collapsed was true. He made a fool of himself fainting for the pain in
his waist.»
That was a side of her father she had never seen.
Nonetheless, hearing that there was nothing wrong with his life, Hinata felt as if something
deep black that was absorbed inside her chest had been dissolved.
While taking a deep sigh, she sat down hard on the spot.
«While we are at it.»
Hanabi, who had raised half of her body, pointed at their father’s bedroom.
«The one who misses Boruto and the others the most is Father. Despite he said “I don’t dare
to meet my grandchildren in this condition”, he kept asking me with roundabout expressions
like “I wonder if my grandchildren would feel sad if they met me now” and “How could I
comfort them if they cry?”, as if he was having a nightmare. He should have said that he
wanted me to tell you to come and visit loud and clear though.»
Their father was strict in the past. With his daughters, with himself.
However, there was also an exception. Or rather, he could make exceptions. They were his
grandchildren, Boruto and Himawari. The figure of strict head of the family had disappeared.
Every time her father met Boruto and Himawari, he became unbelievably doting. He hugged
them, calling their names with a coaxing voice, he patted their head rubbing their cheeks
together — surely he looked like he thought that the sun shone out of their eyes.
When she was a child, she wasn’t very much in good terms with her father. If she thought
back, the things that rose to her memory was just the smell of rust and iron wafting from
blood and kunai. Even if they had somewhat shortened the distance taking the Chūnin Exams
as a chance, it looked like her father had changed from those days in a way she couldn’t have
imagined.
«Even if he’s sweet with those children… he had never fawned on us.» Hinata muttered,
sighing. Then…
«…How long will you chatter behind my back over there?»
It was their father’s voice coming from the bedroom.
Hinata instinctively straightened her back, but Hanabi played the fool, showing the tip of her
tongue.
«Yes, yees. We’re coming now.»
Hanabi pushed the sliding doors open. On the futon, their father had raised his body.
Her father, whom she met for the first time in a while, had white hair that suited his age, but
both his keen gaze and his intimidating air hadn’t declined at all. How could they become
that way just as he saw the faces of his grandchildren…
Just like Hanabi, her father looked eagerly behind her and asked nervously: «Boruto? Is there
also Himawari?»
Sighing, Hinata sat beside the futon.
«It’s just me. I came in a hurry.»
«…is that so.»
Her father’s shoulders dropped so clearly that even an outsider would have noticed. She felt a
little resentful for his attitude, as if he wanted to say he was disappointed that it was just his
daughter.
At any rate.
(Now that I look at him up close…)
Before she put into words the feelings that had surged in her chest, Hanabi, who had sat next
to her, whispered in her ear «Don’t you think that Father had gotten old maybe?»
She had hit the mark. When she was at a loss of an answer, Hanabi went even nearer to her
face.
«Though I think that maybe you’re the cause, neesama.»
«What do you mean?»
«Neesama, in front of Boruto and Himawari, you came to call father “Grandfather”. For this
reason, also Father got the wrong impression, you know? “Is that so, I’ve finally become a
geezer as well”, he says. Since then, he started referring to himself with “washi” instead of
“watashi”.»
«That’s…»
«‘Not true’, is this you wanted to say?»
Being stared at from such a close distance, the rest of Hinata’s words faded away.
Her father had got old because of her?
She had never thought something like that.
«You two, you shouldn’t say things behind my back that much.»
Having no idea of his daughter’s uneasiness, Hiashi, who had recovered from the shock that
his grandchildren weren’t there, made a bitter smile.
«I’m sorry I made you worry, Hinata.»
«Really… if it’s just a strained back, you should have told me before.»
«What, it was embarrassing. Acknowledging that you’re getting old is more difficult than
what you think.»
Getting old — feeling the awkwardness of those words, Hinata averted her eyes.
When she looked towards Hanabi, looking for a place where she could settle her eyes on, her
younger sister snickered complacently like a child who managed to make a prank. She didn’t
say it out loud, but she conveyed well the words she wanted to say. “Did you notice it at
last?”. She wanted to rebut, but the first to speak was their father.
«By the way, how’s Naruto doing? I’ve heard he’s very busy as ever.»
«Y-yes. Lately, he doesn’t come home very much…»
«In that case—»
Hiashi started to say something, but suddenly he paused.
Keeping silent as if nothing had happened, he closed his eyes and the crease between his
brows became more pronounced.
«…?»
Unlike Hanabi’s expressions, which were easy to understand, Hinata didn’t understand if her
father was trying to say something.
Finally Hiashi opened his eyes, and «How about Boruto and Himawari?» he began chattering
wearing a smile, as if to change the topic and the atmosphere.
Her feeling of discomfort hadn’t disappeared, but it didn’t mean that she would bring it up
again.
«Himawari looks sad when her father doesn’t come home, but… she understands perfectly
Naruto-kun’s job. Boruto…»
He went on his genin missions, he hung out with his friends. And he was on the outs with his
father. The things she had to inform him of were a lot, she was of two minds over how much
telling him, and she kept quiet, but Hiashi apparently had understood her silence with a
special meaning.
«You’re sad because it looks like he’s slowly becoming independent, right?»
«That’s…»
Even if she tried to deny, this time she hesitated.
«Eh, no way. I hit the mark?»
«It’s not that he’s becoming independent in particular, you know? Because that child is a
little bit difficult.»
She clearly denied only that.
«However… lately he came to buy things with his own money, I’m a bit worried, I mean…»
«If he came to receive the recompense of his missions, it’s normal. He must be ashamed of
taking allowances from his parents forever. Well, what did he buy? Snacks? Or games?»
«Pants.»
«Pa…»
Hanabi froze with her mouth still open to pronounce ‘pa’, but she immediately unfroze and
began laughing out loud.
«Ahahahahahaha! What! And you worry for something like that, neesama!? For something
like Boruto buying his own pants!?»
«But the colour that child chose is somehow off… it’s fluorescent pink, you know?»
«He’s got good a taste.»
«When I peeked in his room in the night, it was shining brightly. His bottom.»
«Like a firefly.»
Hanabi made fun of her while wiping away the tears that had gathered on the corner of her
eyes for laughing too much.
Hinata stroke her cheek with a puzzled face, but suddenly her hand stopped. Her father had
fetched a memo book from his chest, and he was writing down something.
Hinata narrowed her eyes. Even if she wasn’t using the Byakugan, she managed to read out
the inside.
“Boruto” “Fluorescent Pink” “Likes” — that’s what her father had written.
«…Father.»
She coughed to remonstrate. The expression of love of her father towards his grandchildren
didn’t only reach the excess. He tried to win their hearts with a huge quantity of presents. If
she didn’t warn him immediately, it wasn’t unlikely that the inside of her house would be
dyed in one colour, fluorescent pink.
But — apparently she was a little too late. Her father turned towards Hanabi and asked
«Hanabi. Among the presents I bought today, is there something fluorescent pink?». While
grumbling «I’m not sure», Hanabi turned towards a corner of the bedroom.
Checking the direction her younger sister had turned to, Hinata braced herself. A mountain of
present, wrapped with colourful wrapping paper, filled up the tokonoma completely.
Then she looked at her father thinking “no way”.
«I got a little bit carried away. You see, I’m like this because I tried to carry them all at
once.»
Her father stroked his waist, looking ashamed. It’s not that she wanted an answer like that,
but before she could say something, bikibiki… the sound that Hanabi was using the
Byakugan.
«Mmh… nope. All of them are black and grey. And light and dark brown.»
«How about the sweets?»
«They’re… black and tea green. And light and dark brown. Father, did you really need to buy
so many rice cookies? Thick soy sauce flavour is easily a double of soy sauce flavour
though.»
«If we halved them, Boruto and Himawari could get on a fight to compete for them.» her
father concluded, extremely serious. Hinata’s head hurt, and she propped up her forehead
with a hand.
Things like fluorescent pink sweets were creepy and wouldn’t be given to her children, and it
was impossible that they’d bite at the cookies to the point that they would get in a fight to
begin with. The taste of the presents her father chose was slightly off somehow. Like Boruto
thinking that shining pants were cool.
«Those children, maybe… don’t like fluorescent pink toys or sweets too much…»
She added, while she was at it «And cookies, too.»
«Oh.»
Her father crossed his arms, moaning with a difficult face.
«Is that so. Then, what do they like?»
It was a question she could guess, but Hinata was at a loss of an answer. When she thought
that her house was covered with things to answer, nothing came to her mind. On the other
hand, she couldn’t tell lies. Because her father was preparing presents with good intentions.
She didn’t want to give him a cold refusal.
After thinking about it, something flashed in Hinata’s mind.
«Come to think of it… there’s something Boruto’s been absorbed into recently. What was its
name… Violent ninjas? A card game with a similar name.»
She felt frustrated because she couldn’t recall the exact name of the brand.
«Aah, Gemaki?»
Unexpectedly, Hanabi cut into the conversation.
Maybe because he had heard a word he was not used to hear, Hiashi’s expression became
sternly handsome.
«Ooh. A card game… gemaki, right?»
«To be accurate, it’s “Extreme Ninja Picture Scroll”. Gemaki for short. It’s a card game with
famous ninjas as a motif… ah, they look like floral playing cards.»
The fluent exposition continued.
Hinata stared at her younger sister, taken aback.
«You’re very well informed.»
«I guess so. They’re the latest fashion. Wait, I should have some in my room.»
Without waiting for her answer, Hanabi left the room.
Hinata, who had been left there, noticed that her father had still a difficult face.
Apparently also her father had noticed that she was looking at him, and deepened the crease
between his eyes with a «Humm.»
«I was thinking about the Gemaki and other stuff. Hanabi said that the theme is famous
ninjas, but they show ninjas of what epoch?»
«Apparently there’s also a card of Naruto-kun, so I think that maybe it applies to ninjas of all
time and places… but I think they’re not suitable for a present. He may become disappointed
if they turn out to be nope cards.»
In one pack of “Extreme Ninja Picture Scroll” were enclosed ten cards, and in this way you
couldn’t know the cards inside until you opened it. For this reason you couldn’t do things like
purchasing them aiming at the cards you wanted.
In other words, buying the “Extreme Ninja Picture Scrolls” was like a bet, so it was
unthinkable to get involved in bets at such a young age, as Hinata told Boruto over and over
again. Nevertheless her son, without listening to a word, even now scattered the nope cards
all around his room like every day.
If she transmitted the present condition to her father, they should persuade him together
considering the future of his grandson, not to speak that he’ll consider it as a present. The fact
that the topic of the “Extreme Ninja Picture Scrolls” had been brought up turned out in her
favour though.
«That’s… not bad.»
Seeing her father nodding, Hinata realised that her expectations were slightly off. She bent
herself forward in a hurry.
«Father? Have you listened properly to what I’ve said? Giving him something you don’t
know if it’s successful, if all of them are nope cards, Boruto might grow to dislike you, you
know, Father?»
She talked on and on, as if it was a half-threat. However, Hiashi didn’t lose his calm attitude.
«I understand. I’m not saying that I’ll give him the Gemaki directly. If the topic is famous
ninjas of all time and places, I should be there as well. I think I’ll give that to Boruto.»
Her father looked satisfied as if it was a good idea, even if he said it himself. On the other
hand, Hinata had ended up holding her head for stirring up that hornet’s nest.
«I’ve kept you waiting.»
Hanabi returned carrying a binder. In proportion to the fact that she had used the moderated
expression “I should have some”, it was extremely thick. She had gaudily decorated it with
her own name, ‘Ha♥na♥bi’.
«Ha-Hanabi?»
Hinata called her sister’s name, expressing her bewilderment.
«You, that… it looks like you became quite enthusiastic for it, but… what’s going on?»
«No–, once you start collecting them once, you never stop.»
Concentrating her strength into her gaze, flabbergasted from the bottom of her heart, Hinata
sighed. No way, it wasn’t just her son, also her father and younger sister were interested in
that gamble-like toy.
«Now. Let me see.»
Hiashi opened the binder. Nine famous ninjas a page were in complete attendance. Pointing
at the card of the First Hokage, Senju Hashirama, covered with gold leaf, Hanabi explained.
«The thing written on the bottom left is the rarity, <SSR> is the super-extremely rare… nh, I
should explain to Father. Like the Five Brights in the flower cards combination. Then, <SR>
is the extremely-rare Four Brights. <R> is rare, the Three Brights. Moreover, there are also
<U> and <C>, but I guess they’re like the cheapest combinations Tan or Kasu.»
Finding the face of Aburame Shino, her former team-mate, with a <C>, Hinata felt she
couldn’t endure to stay there any longer. Shino-kun, a Kasu card…
«I see. If the score of combinations is highly rare, also Boruto will be happy… say, where am
I?»
«Father… here.»
Hanabi turned the pages, and stopped her hand about one-third from the front page. There
was the picture of her father in his younger days — however.
«Stop joking, Hanabi.»
Her father made a bright smile, which could never be guessed from the stern expression
depicted on the card, towards Hanabi.
«That’s <R>. Also Boruto wouldn’t be satisfied with that incomplete thing. As I thought, if I
make him a present, it has to be a <SSR> me. Where is it?»
Hanabi shook her head.
«What. You don’t have it?»
Hanabi kept shaking her head.
«…no way.»
Hanabi stared at her father in silence. Also her father stared at Hanabi.
«I… stop just at <R>, you mean…?»
Hanabi nodded.
«…wha… I, the head of the Hyūga main family… am <R>… at most? Such… Such a foolish
thing…»
Every time her father uttered a word, any emotion that resembled an emotion disappeared
from his face.
«The Hyūga of all people…»
Her father muttered, in a state of trance.
Unable to look at him in the eyes, Hinata looked away. Also Hanabi was probably thinking
the same. In the direction they had turned away, their eyes met. Also this time she
immediately transmitted her what she wanted to say. “Well, which one of us will comfort
him?”. In addition, she also transmitted the thought “After you.” though.
Reluctantly, Hinata smiled vaguely.
«F-Father? You shouldn’t worry that much. It’s not the village’s evaluation, it’s the
evaluation of a toy for children.»
«Yeah, yeah. After all, it depends on the company that produces them. If you take them
seriously, Boruto will laugh at you, you know?»
The two sisters said comforting words in turn, but Hiashi’s eyes were still turning towards the
void. Hanabi waved a hand before his eyes, and tried to ascertain his sanity.
Then “……o”, they heard a strange sound. Like the flapping of a bug’s wings.
Hinata noticed that the origin of that sound was their father. He was whispering in a subdued
voice that wasn’t even a voice.
«—ould I do?»
«Eh?»
«To become <SSR>… what should I do?»
Again, Hinata exchanged an awkward glance with Hanabi.
Comforting him ended up being useless, and their father was being stubborn. She searched
for some words of persuasion, but what should she say to her father in that condition?
Nothing occurred to her mind.
With an unwilling look, Hanabi flipped the pages of the binder.
«If you look at the other <SSR> people… well, they’re awesome personalities. The
successive generations of Hokage, and the Legendary Sannin. I don’t know what are they
using as a criterion for rating, but you should raise your level at the same rank of these
people, right?»
«Gain fame somehow, is that what you’re saying? Surely at this age I can pursue great
achievements.»
Their father let out a self-derogatory smile.
Guessing that the conversation had reached the end, Hinata felt an unpleasant weight. No
way…
«I’ll get a mission at the Hokage’s residence. Look after the house, you two.»
«Father!?»
«Father!?»
Right after their father, who had raised his waist, also the two daughters stood up in a hurry.
«Now… please don’t be absurd.»
«Really. Also the doctor said you should rest.»
They tried to stop him somehow.
«Ha, a pain of this intensity is no big deal.»
Turning a deaf ear to them, their father tried to leave the bedroom. He was pretending to be
tough, but Hinata saw through the clumsiness of the way he walked.
«If some accident happens to you, Father, also the children will be sad, you know?»
«They’d be sad fore sure if they knew their own grandfather is a senile old fool who’s
nothing but a <R>. I have to become a <SSR>, no matter what it takes! To make my cute
grandchildren happy!»
«It’s only a card… come on, think about it well—»
«Stop bugging me!»
It was no use talking further. The paper sliding doors were closed shut with a bang, as a clear
proof of that.
Behind Hinata, who sighed, Hanabi shrugged.

***
Since they couldn’t leave their father alone in that state, Hinata and her younger sister
showed up at the Hokage’s residence.
In front of the door of the Hokage’s office, Nara Shikamaru was scratching his head, looking
annoyed.
«You come here all of a sudden and ‘Send me on a mission’… if you say so. Basically, we’re
not in charge of the requests of missions here, but the service counter at the entrance though.»
Hiashi had closed the distance of one step, as to urge a reply.
«Over there, they deal only with missions with the lowest grade of difficulty. The one I need
is a high-difficulty mission. I don’t care which. Maybe escorting important people or
transporting goods. I don’t intend to be picky about it.»
«Why all of a sudden? Moreover, the head of the Hyūga main family in person.»
«What, it just occurred to me that my body hasn’t weakened. No need to pry into my
business.»
Apparently he had no intention of swallowing that explanation.
«A high-difficulty mission for health… huh. You’ve got a great confidence in yourself.»
Shikamaru didn’t weaken the cynicism included in his gaze.
Hinata felt uneasy because it turned into a situation that caused him trouble, since he was
very busy, but her younger sister was optimistic. She whispered into her hear, while bending
the corner of her mouth in a complacent smile «Apparently he has still got the sense to mind
about the public gaze, if he didn’t answer frankly ‘Because I want to rise the rarity of my
card’.»
«…that’s right. But, don’t tell me that he’s trying to get a mission directly from Naruto-
kun…»
To complete the most difficult mission among the ones that were despatched in the Village
Hidden in the Leaves. That was their father’s goal.
«I’ve just come to see my son-in-law… if I said so, would you let me pass?»
«Unfortunately, the Seventh is busy at the moment. That’s why I’m talking with you, sir.»
“And what a drag it is” — it was clearly written on Shikamaru’s face.
Hinata was uncertain if to tell her father to come another day, but she was caught by
Shikamaru’s words, and called out to him.
«Busy? Naruto-kun?»
«Hn? Yeah. Also today he doesn’t know if he’ll be able to come home or not—» Shikamaru
had started to say, but apparently he noticed that he had made a verbal gaffe. He stopped in
midway, and instead he clicked his tongue.
«…no, even if he’s busy, before the day is over the matter in question will be settled. He was
looking forward to tomorrow’s “Parent and Child Day” too. You don’t have to worry, he’ll
be able to come home tonight.»
When he corrected himself, Hinata’s anxiety didn’t disappear. She had left Himawari at home
foreseeing that Naruto would come back home.
(Naruto-kun… will he be able to come back home really?)
With her gloomy eyes, she stared at the closed door of the Hokage office.
Escaping from that unpleasant atmosphere, Shikamaru lowered his eyes to the clipboard in
his hands.
«…well, there’s the matter of the mission, but… will you accept it alone, sir? Even so…»
«Of course I’ll do it alone» — Hiashi was about to answer, but Hanabi pushed him aside and
went in front of him, and raised three fingers.
«As a three-man cell.»
«Hanabi?»
The voice that called her name was the one of her father and her older sister at the same time.
Hanabi faced her father first, «I know that you’re always training without rest, Father. I’m the
one who knows it better than anyone else. But you’ve not been in a real fight in a long while.
Going in a mission alone without backup is relentless.»
«….hm.»
Being told by Hanabi, who was also his training partner, it seemed that her father didn’t
know what to say.
Continuing, Hanabi shifted her gaze, but Hinata refused, preceding her.
«I think it’s quite a while I haven’t been in a real fight, too.»
«That’s right. Neesama might have a heavier responsibility, since she’s been a common
housewife for ten years or something. But aren’t you worried, neesama, if Father decides to
go alone?»
«That’s… that’s right, but…»
If she had to spoke her real intention, she was sorry for her father but she wanted to go home
right away, since her husband’s homecoming was at risk. For her children’s sake.
She was about to confess her feelings straightforwardly, but…

«Don’t you think that Father had gotten old maybe?»

«Though I think that maybe you’re the cause, neesama.»

The words she had been told by Hanabi at her parents’ home became a wedge, and her words
got stuck in her throat.
«Well, if we cooperate thinking it’s filial piety?»
When she replied with silence without finding anything to object, apparently Shikamaru took
it as a sign that she had accepted. Finally, he told them the content of the mission.
«If the Byakugan users are all present… it’s decided. We’ve got a request from a trader that’s
developing a hot-spring business of Konoha early this morning, but apparently someone has
stolen the explosive powder for his blasting work. The criminal is hiding inside the hotspring.
In the scene of the crime the field of vision isn’t effective because of the steam and tracking
is difficult. However, probably it’s no big deal for the Byakugan. In this paper there’s a map
of the scene of the crime and the details—»

***
«I shouldn’t have come…»
The hotspring they had finally arrived in half a day from the Hokage’s residence.
The one who complained was Hanabi, who was making the arrangements taking the
initiative.
«What’s this smell? It feels like rotten eggs…. aah, this is my favourite kimono… the smell
will stain it and my only good kimono will be spoiled.»
«You should have changed clothes.»
Hinata calmed her younger sister, who was walking behind her, but at the offensive smell that
followed her around no matter how much shallowly she breathed, she winced too. In
addition, near her there was a belt of rocks that had never been touched by human hands. The
ground under their feet was wet for the steam, and moreover, since the ascending path had an
intense inclination…
«—Kya!»
«Ah!»
She had been caught unprepared, and tripped over. The hand she had suddenly raised over
her head trying to keep her balance hit Hanabi’s face hard.
«S-sorry.»
«Neesama, why are you still with sandals…»
Hanabi moaned with a crying voice, holding her nose.
As they had been explained in the Hokage residence, the geyser that surged here and there
surrounded them with smoke, and their vision had turned white. Thanks to the Byakugan they
barely managed to advance, but their eyes were getting wearier and wearier moment by
moment. Moreover.
«…going ahead is useless. We’re taking a detour.»
Their father, who was walking in front of them, changed route.
«Again?»
Hanabi said, blaming him.
«Father, haven’t we been going around in circles in the same place for a while now?»
«If you have some complaints, do as you like. If you go straight ahead, you’ll end up dying in
few seconds.»
Because the natural toxic gas was hanging in the air. They couldn’t even advance as they
liked.
Hanabi was sulking, but maybe because she understood that their father’s reasoning was
correct, she didn’t even try to answer back. Instead, she kept voicing out her dissatisfaction.
«Really, why did the criminal take shelter in a place like this? It’s smelly, it’s sultry, and if
you’re imprudent, you die. I think it’s the worst place for a besiegement.»
«Maybe he thought that it was good if he hid here, since nobody comes.»
«It may be so, if he’s just hiding. But after that?»
«After…? Shikamaru-kun said that he might perform some terrorist acts with the explosive
powder he stole.»
«For this reason, he should go down to the village again. If it’s so, he should have searched
for a deserted house that would turn into his hideout inside the village without secluding
himself in such a remote place from the start.»
She thought that she was just complaining towards the criminal for sure, but apparently it was
quite different.
«Even if you said explosive powder, you know very well the power of using it for explosions.
Is he exposing his life to danger just to hold such a thing? We’re advancing because it’s us,
but, in general, one can’t walk in a place like this, you know?»
«Lately, they’ve been studying various scientific ninja tools… Maybe he has some ninja tool
to detect the smoke and the poison.»
«If he can use it so well, instead of stealing things like dull explosive powder, shouldn’t he be
using awesome highly scientific bombs?»
When Hanabi concluded with «That’s quite weird…»,
«You two. Don’t chatter that much.»
Their father was focused on the direction in front of him. Guessing the situation, also Hinata
strained her Byakugan.
Forty metres ahead, she could see some human shapes inside the steam. They were three, just
like them. All of them were wearing showy masks with pipe-like filters in them. Since they
had taken a detour, they had ended up getting closer than what she had expected at first.
«The poison… is not there. I’ll kill the guy in the middle. Hanabi the one to the right, Hinata
to the left. Let’s go.»
Giving out instructions shortly, their father rushed towards the steam.
Hinata felt perspiration dampening her hands. She had been training with Boruto at home, but
she hadn’t been in a true fight in a while. However, she had no time to hesitate. She had to
follow after her father immediately.
The second Hiashi jumped in front of their eyes, the opponents raised a flustered voice.
«—eh? Who’s that?»
«There’s no use asking questions. I’d do anything for my grandchildren. Get ready!»
Hiashi spread his legs, one in front and one in the back, and lowered his bust a lot.
«Gentle Fist Art: Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms!»
Controlling the points of his fingers, he advanced towards the opponent.
«Eight Trigrams, Two Palms!» «Gah!?»
The three hundred and sixty-one tenketsu the body was dotted with.
«Four Palms!» «Guah!»
Hiashi saw every one of them thanks to his Byakugan.
«Eight Palm!» «Gwo!!»
Plus, with his waist hurting.
«Sixteen Palms!» «Wha!»
With a clever feat that didn’t felt like he had got old.
«Thirty-Two Palms!» «Doh!!»
He hit him accurately.
«Sixty-Four Palms!» «Guh!?»
Suffering the quintessence of the Gentle Fist, the opponent was blown off, at his wit’s end.
The mask he was wearing was disconnected, and drew a perfect parabola.
He looked down onto the opponent, who was twitching without even a scream of death
agony.
«Did you see? The Hyūga are the strongest in Konoha! You better remember that.»
Hiashi declared himself the winner of the fight.
However.
«…?»
Maybe because he sensed a piercing gaze, Hiashi looked around in puzzlement.
Hanabi sighed. And then, Hinata rushed over the opponent that had been blown off in a
hurry. The two opponents they were supposed to finish off glared at Hiashi, and they were
making an intense look inside their masks.
Hanabi gently pointed to the armband that one of them was wearing on his shoulder.
—Konoha’s Licence of Hotspring Excavation.
That’s what was written on the armband.
He had been able to see through the tenketsu, but hurrying too much to make his
grandchildren happy, Hiashi had failed to notice a much more important thing.

***
«Aah… As I thought, it got indelibly stained…»
«Hanabi. Stop sniffing the smell of your kimono like an animal. It’s indecent.»
Half of the night had passed. Hinata and the others, who had climbed the belt of rocks, were
walking at the base of the hotspring plot.
A characteristic smell was rising even from the river that flowed following the street, but if
compared it with the stink of some time ago, it was quite pleasant. Surely it was the scent of
the hotspring.
«If you say so, it’s intense in your clothes as well, you know neesama? Also in Father’s—»
After saying so, Hanabi looked around. Her father wasn’t there.
«Father? —ah, here it is.»
Their father’s figure was far off. He had gloomily dropped his shoulders, and was following
them little by little.
Sorrow was oozing out of his whole body like chakra. As soon as it reached her skin
completely, Hanabi’s expression clouded.
«Well, it’s natural, isn’t it?»
The one Hiashi had knocked down was the man who had requested the mission, and was
working to dig out the hotspring.
To begin with, the request itself was a misinformation.
The explosive powder hadn’t been stolen all along, it was just a miscount. Also the criminals
that had escaped in the plot were just a misinformation, it was a tourist who crept in trying to
soak himself in the source.
Even if the mission had been cancelled and an apology had been sent by the Hokage
residence, it was already too late, and the three of them had missed it while walking up to the
mountain.
Also the excavation workers had turned a blind eye to it since it had been a mutual error, but
without fulfilling his goal of completing a high-difficulty mission, he didn’t even manage to
make Boruto happy. Hiashi was at the acme of depression.
«If you want to call it lame, it was lame, but Father runs ahead without checking things. What
are we a three-man cell for?»
«Shh… also Father is worrying, so don’t insist too much.»
«I know. But he’s not listening. We’re not advancing at all.»
Surely, the way their father was walking was slow. They probably had a short while more
until he reached them.
«What do we do now? Shall we look for an inn?»
Hanabi asked, having a controlling presence.
«If possible, I want to go back home immediately, though… Naruto-kun will surely be late,
and I still have to prepare breakfast…»
«It’s absolutely impossible to come back home from here. Because it’ll be dawn when you
arrive, even if you keep walking without rest. I know that you’re worrying about Himawari
and the others, but…»
Hanabi smiled suddenly, seeing through her anxiety.
«Because I’ve got in touch with Boruto already.»
«Eeh!?»
«He said that he had managed to make lunch somehow, and he’s been enjoying himself
playing games as much as he liked.»
«But… those children alone…»
«Why don’t you trust them a little? He even came to buy his pants by himself.»
«But, but, it’s not what I said before, I mean… when I don’t keep an eye on those
children…»
«Aah, enough!»
Looking irritated, Hanabi’s eyes became stern.
«Face the reality. You won’t be able to go back home today. Boruto and Himawari will be
okay. Besides, I-want-to-enter-in-a-hotspring.»
Swaying the sleeves of her smell-stained kimono, Hanabi stressed every single word as if she
was teaching them to child.
«It will also turn into a hotspring cure for Father. We came all way to a hotspring, so you
should let your hair down once in a while too, neesama.»
«…»
Without waiting for a reply, Hanabi began hastening the conversation of her own accord. She
glanced at the traditional inns around putting a hand on her forehead horizontally.
«Mh… how about that place? Judging from the appearance, it looks good though.»
She finally settled for a traditional inn, and asked for her opinion. The signboard they had put
read “Antler Hotspring” — the moment she looked at that name, Hinata muttered «Ah.»
«…? You don’t like it?»
«Eh — no. It’s not that…»
«Alright. So, let’s go in there.»
She managed to have her way.
Hanabi turned towards their father, who hadn’t caught up with them yet, and yelled
«Fatheeer? We’re going in a hotspriiing! Quiiick! The hot bath will turn cooold!»
She wasn’t sure whether the word hotspring would be effective or not.
But their father’s walking turned just a little faster.

***
In the wide open-air bath surrounded by a wooden fence, splash… the sound of a wooden
bucket echoed.
When the women, who had finished their rinsing hot bath, went towards the dressing rooms,
maybe because it was late already, Hinata and Hanabi were the only clients of the bath.
«Fufu, it seems like we’ve made a reservation.»
Hanabi, who had tied up her hair on top of her head, was stretching a lot leaning her back on
the edge of the bathtub. She was making small pleasant snapping sounds. As if she was
feeling very good, mmmh… she let out.
«I wonder if the people lodging here aren’t too much.»
Hinata rubbed her calf in the hot water. Maybe because she had kept walking for a long time,
she felt a pain as if her joints had stiffened.
She looked at the stars that were peeking from the roof that protected from the rain. It was the
direction where her home was.
«Maybe they’re staying at an inn in town to get ready for tomorrow. The Parent and Child
Day…»
When Hanabi sunk her stretched hands into the water, splosh, ripples spread in the water.
«Nee-sama. Speaking of parent and child memories, what do you remember?»
«Eh? …I remember a lot though. For example… Boruto’s birthday—»
«Wrong. Not the memories with Boruto and Himawari, the memories with Father.»
«With Father?»
«Especially when you were a child. Do you remember something?»
At that sudden question, Hinata lowered her gaze on the surface of the water.
She stared at her own face, swaying in the ripples of water, but only one answer occurred to
her mind, and even if she thought about it until the ripples of water calmed down, she
couldn’t find any other answer.
«Training, I guess.»
«As I thought. Me too.»
In Hanabi’s voice, there was a somewhat cheerful sound.
«I feel like I was training even during the breaks from training. It was normal that time, so I
didn’t think anything in particular though. He had never brought me somewhere to play.»
«Because also Father protected the Hyūga and Konoha with all his might.»
«Yeah, it’s not that it was particularly bad. I like training. But—»
Leaving some space, Hanabi continued.
«When I see Father being all sweet with Boruto and Himawari, maybe Father was overdoing
it, I wonder.»
«…that’s right. Now, Father looks… happier, somehow.»
«You can say that again.»
Giggling, Hinata exchanged a smile with her younger sister.
When finally they both regained their composure, silence fell in the open bath. Just the sound
of stirring water quietly reached their wet eardrums.
They enjoyed the warmth of the hot bath like that for a while.
«…at home.»
After a careful consideration — including a meaning like that, Hanabi opened her mouth.
«When he heard about Hokage-sama’s situation, Father began to say “In that case”, do you
remember?»
Suddenly recalling it, Hinata nodded.
«Yeah. He suddenly fell silent though, so I thought he wanted to change the subject.»
«That time, he was about to say… do you want me to tell you?»
Pushing her way though the hot water, Hanabi approached her, sliding.
«The thing Father was about to say was…»
Closing the distance until their shoulders touched, her younger sister peered into her face.
«“In that case, why don’t you come back here with Boruto and Himawari until Hokage-sama
settled down on his job”…»
«…eh?»
Coming back to her parents’ home, with her children?
At those unexpected words, Hinata stared at her younger sister’s face, and the only thing she
could do was stiffening.
«Neesama, probably it’s difficult to look after Boruto and Himawari all alone, and even
Father would have nothing to say about living with his cute grandchildren. I think it’s not a
bad idea.»
«It’s not bad… do you think that it would be better like that too?»
«If it’s related to Father’s happiness, I approve it too.» Hanabi declared, and then she shut up.
She patiently waited for a reply.
However, she couldn’t jump to a conclusion so simply.
«…»
When she stayed there without answering anything, disappointment floated on her younger
sister’s white eyes.
«No?»
«If it’s for Father’s sake, I’d like to cooperate, but…»
«Right now, Father looks happier than the old days. You said that, neesama.»
«It’s true, but… even if you’re telling me all of a sudden…»
«What’s that.»
Silence fell again. Hanabi’s disappointment wasn’t only in her eyes, but it spread to her
whole body.
«…it remains unsettled.» Hanabi said to break the silence, and stood up from the bathtub.
As she wrapped a towel she had prepared in advance on her skin, bikibiki — she made a
familiar sound.
«Let’s settle this quickly.»
With her Byakugan eyes, Hanabi looked down on her.
«A match, neesama. If I win, you come back home.»
«…not in a place like this. Don’t be silly.» she tried to mediate, but when she looked at
Hanabi’s eyes she understood it wasn’t a joke. Her feelings were clearly transmitted. Her
younger sister was serious.
«What. Lacking confidence in yourself?»
«…»
«You still refuse to speak? Listen up, get ready. Quick.»
She didn’t hesitate, but also Hinata went out of the hot bath and wrapped a towel around her.
Did she have to go all out? Even when she asked it with her eyes, her younger sister’s
intention hardened, and didn’t sway. Unwillingly, she concentrated her strength into her eyes
and made the Byakugan appear.
Confronting with Hanabi.
Hinata remembered their sparring when they were young. The sham battles that were made in
the courtyard of the main house while the Hyūga family watched over them. That time, her
younger sister had been declared the winner, and because of that her father had given up on
her because she wasn’t a ninja genius, but—
Her meditation didn’t last long.
Without a sign or a warning that she was starting, Hanabi swooped down on her.
The palm of her hand was driven into her. Chasing it away with her right arm, she also
averted the spear hand that kept being thrust into her with her left hand. Hanabi, who had
turned around, used her hand like a sword to strike her, but Hinata bent her body, and
avoided it by an inch.
The chakra loaded in every move was so intense that the match could be decided by every
blow.
Also Hinata fired a spear hand, and the moment she saw that she had dodged it she
immediately mowed down her right feet.
As if Hanabi was judging if she could receive that kick, she avoided it moving his body back,
and she began retreating trying to open the distance between them.
Without missing that opportunity, Hinata stepped on, and hit her palm, but — she was
brushed away by the top of her fist, and she lost her centre of gravity.
She could turn that into a counterattack. Hanabi’s palm.
«—!»
Even if she had barely avoided it, if she were chased further it would be too much to avoid.
Hinata pushed out her palm a little longer. A single blow aiming at the chin—
Apparently Hanabi tried to avoid it just by spinning her head, but she was bothered by a
sudden gust created by the force of her fist, and her hair, which was tied up, loosened. Her
brownish black hair fanned out with a thud.
Maybe because she hated that her hair were in the way, Hanabi jumped back, and opened the
distance.
They were both out of breath, but Hinata felt irritated. Her body was heavier than when she
was active and went out in missions.
Worrying about that — it’s not that she was worried, but Hanabi spoke.
«I’m surprised. I intended to settle it at the beginning. Neesama, you’re not that much dull.»
«Because… I’m teaching Boruto the basis at home.»
«Indeed. Before, to make sure whether his Byakugan had appeared or not, Boruto came to
our house. That time, we’ve had a light spar, but… his moves weren’t bad.»
«A spar you say… with Boruto? What were you thinking? That child is still—»
«He’s not a child anymore.» Hanabi stated clearly.
«He’s been entrusted with missions as a genin. Also his taijutsu isn’t second to an adult’s. It’s
not that that child isn’t gaining independence from his parents, it’s you, neesama, that can’t
let him go, isn’t it?»
«That’s…»
«‘Not true’, is this you wanted to say?» Hanabi said, as if she was tracing the conversation
they had at her parents’ house. There was no trace of the prankster-like expression she had
showed that time though.
«Just like Father became “Grandfather”. Time passes. Also that child will grow up. How
about accepting that? I think that it’s also Boruto’s happiness.»
«…»
She thought her children would stay children forever.
Clinging to her in tears because they had skinned their knee, getting in her futon because they
had a bad dream… but Boruto didn’t show tears anymore. He wasn’t afraid of bad dreams
anymore. He wasn’t—
(A child anymore…?)
The words her father said at home passed across her memory.

“Acknowledging that you’re getting old is more difficult than what you think.”

…Hinata thought that it was like that. Time passed, and Boruto was getting far away from
her. She didn’t want to acknowledge this fact, and was turning a blind eye to that. She always
said that her child was difficult.
«Besides… the ones I want to become happy aren’t only Father and Boruto.»
Cutting out the sentimentalism, Hanabi closed the distance again.
«…!»
Also Hinata stepped forward, but her sister was many moves ahead.
Right hand, left hand, and palm were unleashed in succession.
«It’s also you, neesama!»
She lowered her centre of gravity from the posture that avoided her palm, and made her trip
up, but since Hanabi avoided it easily with a jump, she swooped down on her from the sky.
«Me…!?»
She stopped her feet somehow, crossing both her arms. At that blow, which resounded till her
bones, her face grew instinctively stiff.
«Hokage-sama had promised it. The day of your wedding, that he’d make you happy,
neesama.»
Hanabi jumped up from the landing position, and her palm flew one after the other.
«But he has not kept the promise!»
Even while she was yelling, Hanabi didn’t slow down the hand of her fierce attacks, and her
footwork was hectic, from back roundhouse kicks to kicks that mowed her down. Somehow
she avoided falling on her backside, but without a chance to lay down attacks, Hinata
couldn’t jump back.
«He’s too busy with his Hokage work, he doesn’t come back home.»
Keeping the distance that had opened without hesitating, Hanabi assumed the stance that
showed the inside of her palm.
«If he sees an empty house where his family has disappeared—»
She couldn’t avoid it.
Hinata took a resolve, and assumed the stance as well.
«He will also reconsider his family a little!»
The next moment, Hinata and Hanabi’s palms clashed.
The sharp sound that pierced the air resounded in the deserted bath.
Their palms didn’t hit and just passed next to their faces, but they stood there without being
able to move from the situation that made their arms cross. Since the distance was too short,
they couldn’t make a next move.
«…»
Hinata stared at her sister’s eyes, who were right next to her.
She thought that any kind of feeling would be conveyed just with that, and it was really
conveyed. However, what a complicated feeling she had.
Accepting Hanabi’s confession, Hinata muttered in a whisper.
«That’s… not true. Hanabi.»
«What’s not true!?»
Hanabi glanced at Hinata’s side with a sharp expression.
Maybe because she had noticed that there was an opening there, Hanabi had shaken off her
sticky arm, and hit her palm in a flash.
However, that was an opening she had dared to show.
Hinata twisted her torso, and when she avoided it with a flowing movement, knocked
Hanabi’s outstretched arm down.
«Dang—!?»
Looking down on Hanabi’s back, who had fallen forward and had turned virtually empty,
Hinata hesitated for a moment, but — she swung her arm downward right away. Pushing her
back with a slap.
«Ah!»
Without a defence, Hanabi fell prostrate face-first on the wooden floor.
Hinata sighed deeply.
Her sigh wasn’t towards her younger sister, it was a sigh of relief for the fact they had finally
settled the matter.
«My win… right?»
Hanabi was holding her nose, and she turned half face towards her with a glance. She had
released the Byakugan, but she had bitter-looking eyes. However, she didn’t act as if she was
protesting, and instead she said with a tearful voice «What’s not true?»
She spat out the question of some time before again.
Hinata stayed in silence for a while, and she looked around in the open-air bath.
«Here. This hotspring. The Antler Hotspring. For me, it’s a place to remember.»
She narrowed her yearning eyes.
«It’s the place where I came on my honeymoon with Naruto-kun… fufu. It didn’t change at
all from that time.»
«…»
Hanabi frowned, looking unamused, but she continued without minding her.
«As for memories, if there’re some that are left with a form, there are some that don’t. Places,
recollections. Hanabi, do you think you want to forget the memories of your training with
Father?»
«Maybe. The days that didn’t go well and he got angry.»
«And if they’re all?»
«…that’s…»
Hanabi gave an ambiguous answer and fell silent, but her answer was like ‘I understand as
well’.
«My memories concerning Boruto and Himawari are all packed in my current home. The
species of sunflowers I’ve planted in the courtyard, and the heights I’ve carved in the pillar.
That’s…»
She didn’t know if say it or not, but she continued, resolving herself.
«A precious memory of when Boruto was a difficult child.»
That’s why she couldn’t come back home. When she transmitted it, Hanabi made a sad face.
«Besides…»
Her cheeks, which felt chilly after the bath, felt slightly warmer.
«As you said, Hanabi, Naruto-kun looks busy, but… he exactly kept his promise. I’m happy.
From the past, from when we came here on our honeymoon, this feeling has never changed.»
Hinata made a graceful smile.
«I love Naruto-kun—»
«Ah, stop. That’s enough. I got it. Don’t get carried away with speaking fondly of him.»
Hanabi said with a bored voice, shutting her ears. Maybe because she didn’t even want to see
Hinata’s face, who had blushed, she closed also her eyes shut.
«When you talk fondly of him you go on so long, neesama. Really. My ears turn itchy.»
«I don’t speak that much…»
«Well… if you say you’re happy, yeah, whatever.» she said in such a slow voice that it didn’t
reach Hinata’s ears.
«…? What did you say?»
«Nothing.»
Ah-aah, Hanabi took an exaggerated breath.
«I was in high spirits and I lost. I feel completely refreshed after the bath, I’d like to soak
again. You should get warm properly as well, neesama — ah.»
Hanabi was talking while going towards the bathtub, but she had her eyes still closed.
Her feet got caught on the border, and she flopped into it pitching forward — raising a showy
column of water, splashes of hot water scattered around.

***
«Father? How long are you going to sulk?»
The following day. Their way back to the village was probably going to be crowded with
people for the “Parent and Child Day”.
Hiashi was still dropping his shoulders. Since he was walking matching their pace, it seemed
he was better than the day before.
Hinata listened and didn’t listen to the conversation between her younger sister and her
father, who were walking behind her.
«Don’t hang your head in shame. If you don’t walk properly looking in front of you, you’ll
fall. Just like a certain someone yesterday. Even if you don’t drag it out in that way, you
could give Boruto something else besides the Gemaki, you know. Like rice cookies. If it’s
thick soy sauce flavoured or simply soy sauce flavoured double-punch, surely also that child
will get psyched for it.»
«…no.»
Hinata stopped her feet, and turned around. Also her father and her younger sister were
standing still.
«Yesterday I’ve been thinking while I was bathing, but… a thing like that is too much for
teacakes of old people. As I thought, I have to give him something that suits his young
tastes.»
Hanabi lost her voice, looking surprised, but she immediately came to her senses and urged
her father’s opinion «Then, then?»
«What’s its name? Hamburger… was it?»
Hanabi clapped her hands loudly. Maybe because he was pleased by that, their father
continued, garrulous.
«To Himawari, rather than red bean paste and starch syrup… I wonder if it’s better those
pastries that use fresh cream. I mean, cakes and puddings…»
«I think it’s nice. Very nice.»
“Eh?” Hanabi brought up the subject with her.
Hinata nodded.
«If it’s decided…»
Their father started walking again. It was the strong pace that reminded her of years ago.
«As soon as we return to the village, we have to go around a hamburger shop and a cake
shop!»
Leaving his two daughters behind, he rapidly gained speed. He had not run out of energy yet.
«Father gets immediately in high spirits. As long as he doesn’t strain his back again…»
She giggled.
«Father? You need to take care of the baggage, don’t you?»
Also Hanabi followed after him.
Hinata, who had been left alone, stared at the back of his father’s figure, which was becoming
small.
Her father was different, compared to the past. Even the present was about to be different.
There aren’t things that don’t change.
(That… could be surely said about me though.)
She had to change. From a shameful mother that can’t let her children go, to a mother that
can acknowledge precisely the growth of her children.
«Fatheeer! What are you doing! You're leaving us behind!»
Hanabi’s voice was taken aback. When she noticed it, she had been left completely behind.
There were no worries about her family. Because even if her husband doesn’t come back
home, there’s Boruto. She could leave Himawari with that child. For this reason… she might
have to help them out a little with taking care of the baggage.
Following after Hanabi, who was hurrying, Hinata began running.
INTERLUDE 2: WITH SHINO-SENSEI! GEMAKI!

His bugs had finally calmed down, and Shino was strolling down a side street of the old
town.
There was a great noise, and the warm sunlight was pouring incessantly. In that tranquil
atmosphere, he stretched without caring about other people.
However.
«…»
Shino, who was currently stretching both his arms wide, stopped in the middle of his
movement with a posture that looked like a puppet without chakra. He couldn’t believe the
scene in front of his eyes, and his eyes had turned round inside his goggles.
It was Hyūga Hiashi, the head of the Hyūga main family.
Moreover, in front of a small-time candy store.
Hyūga Hiashi was the father of a former team-mate of his, Hinata. It was difficult to say that
they had a friendly father-daughter relationship, even as a compliment, and he had never seen
him together with her at all. He remembered that every time they touched the topic ‘family’,
she became awkward.
For this reason, also Shino had never exchanged a conversation with Hiashi, but…
Not only the discord with Hinata, the problem was also Hiashi himself.
It came to his mind that in some respects he saw the other clans except the Hyūga as inferior.
As a member of the Aburame clan, it wasn’t a pleasant conversation.
Nevertheless, this was a story that had passed already. He had heard that he had become
calmer now.
Shino went to meet Hiashi, and called out to him.
«Hello.»
Hiashi turned around slowly.
«…? You’re surely… Aburame…»
«Shino. I went on missions in the same team as your daughter.»
«Aah. Hinata’s.»
Hiashi smiled broadly. It was hard to believe that the sense of intimidation that made those
who were around him wince in the past had disappeared.
«What are you doing in such—?»
After making sure that it he couldn’t be heard by the owner of the shop that was inside, he
continued.
«In such place.»
The Hyūga family was one of the most famous families of the Village Hidden in the Leaves.
In other words, they were very rich. If they bought candies, they’d go to a department store
that dealt with exclusive cakes of an established name that cost dozens of ryō, and not in a
forlorn small-time candy store, or they’d make someone produce them calling directly the
chef at the residence — he had this mental image.
«What? A little bit of shopping.»
Shino lowered his gaze towards where Hiashi was looking, and grumbled «Aah.»
«“Extreme Ninja Picture Scroll”, huh?»
In short, Gemaki. Also Shino knew them. Actually, he had never bought them, but his pupils
at the Academy went crazy for them.
When he was about to enter in the classroom for the lesson, he overheard his pupils’ voices
from inside.
«Festival Shino!»
«Festival Shino again!
«No way, another Festival Shino!!» —
It was a display, so to speak, of nope cards, where the “Festival Shino”, Shino’s card that had
the lowest rarity <C>, appeared so much that it had become a joke. Every time he caught ear
of his pupils’ voices sighing for that festival, Shino felt thankful to the goggles on his face.
Because even if he wanted to cry, it won’t show and he’d feel at ease.
«You’re interested in the “Extreme Ninja Picture Scrolls”… it’s surprising. That’s because I
thought you wouldn’t get involved in such a vulgar—»
It happened when Shino had started speaking.
Bikibiki — a faint sound he missed. The sound that was made when the Byakugan was
activated.
«—!?»
Putting himself on guard instinctively, when he looked towards Hiashi he was comparing the
packs of Gemaki with his Byakugan eyes.
«That’s <R>… this is also a <R>… hm, this is a <SSR>. Haha, I’ll be able to give a good
present to Boruto.»
No way—
(Checking with the Byakugan, he’s sorting the cards inside!?)
How petty…
Behind Hiashi, who was going towards the paymaster in high spirits, Shino dropped his
shoulders with a slump.
 NARUTO’S TRUE STORY – PARENT AND CHILD DAY
by Mirei Miyamoto

CHAPTER 3: FATHER AND DAUGHTER, DINING TABLE FOR ONE

In a completely dark room—

«The day of the judgement is getting near…»
The voice of a man resounded sternly.
«The people that live in Konoha are complaining. “Lately, there aren’t enough incentives”…
in that case, I shall prepare an incentive and give it to them.»
Kukuku… the man laughed, and fufufu, hihihi… several laughing voices continued after him.
They were four, including the man.
«We’ll make them taste the “Judgement of the Thunder God”.»
This time the man suppressed a laugh, without letting it out in his voice.
In the darkness where nothing was moving, it wasn’t reflected in anyone’s eyes, but…
«For the time being, we’ll try to disseminate it in Konoha. In a place that stands out as much
as possible, which attracts the attention of many people. Kukukuku…»
The man hoisted the thing he was holding to show it off.
However.
«It’s dark though, I can’t see.»
A feminine voice.
«Eh…? Aah, sorry.»
When the man apologised, he fetched a lighter and click — he lit the flame. As he did so, the
completely dark room shone with a red glimmer.
The woman narrowed her eyes, and checked the thing the man was holding — it was a big-
size poster — carefully.
«…wait.»
Then, she moaned «What’s that? There’s the picture of a big hamburger placed on its centre.»
«It’s our new product. The name of the product will surely be “Judgement of the Thunder
God”. We’ve aimed to an absurd spiciness that satisfies our customers that complain because
there haven’t been enough incentives lately. The shock that spreads inside the mouth the
moment you taste it is surely like receiving an attack of the god of thunder—»
«It’s not what I meant…»
Interrupting uninterestedly the speech of the man that had revealed the new product, the
woman shook her head.
«Why the product of the Thunder Burger is being treated in such a grand style. That’s the
poster of “Konoha’s Eating Competition” that takes place every year, right? I’m sponsoring it
as well, you know?»
«Me too!» «Me three!» also the other two left voiced their complaints.
«Even though you tell me so…»
The man — the shop manager of the Thunder Burger — shrugged while paying attention not
to turn off the flame of the lighter.
«Also Ichiraku’s ramen is appearing on the bottom left, also Q’s aging pork loin, in the
bottom middle. Also the Sweet Bean Jam Temple’s rice flour dumplings with red bean soup,
on the bottom right, as you see. Every one of them is there, though they’re tiny.»
«The problem is that they’re tiny!» the old woman, owner of the “Sweet Bean Jam Temple”,
shouted. Also the landlady of the “Yakiniku Q” next to her stiffened her cheeks.
The girl — the second owner of “Ramen Ichiraku”, Ayame — sighed.
«Anyway, remake this poster. As usual, the competition is sponsored by the union of four
shops, so it doesn’t matter what kind of product, please print it with the same size. And—»
Ayame looked restlessly around the room.
«Why is the Thunder Burger’s break room so dark? Have the light bulbs burned out or
something?»
«No. The light bulbs are brand new, just come out few days ago.»
The shop manager went towards the exit, and pushed the switch of the light.
Then, a corner of the room was illuminated. It was an isolated, meagre light.
«…tiny…»
«When I made the kid that works part-time buy the light bulbs, he bought indirect lighting for
some reason. Throwing them away would be wasteful, so I’m keeping them here for the time
being.»
Without touching the matter of the lighting, the landlady of the Yakiniku Q asked «What do
you mean… with the “day of the judgement” you’ve been telling us about?»
«I’m in charge of the live judgement, so I mean that it’s the “day when I’ll serve as the
referee”. It’s like an expression of determination. As you can see, I’m very nervous.»
«…right.»
As if she wanted to say “Asking that was useless”, the landlady of the grilled meat barbecue
dropped her shoulders.
«Shall we go back to the topic?» Ayame said.
«About the prize that we’ll offer to the winner. The rules is to make turns, so… it’s okay if
the Sweet Bean Jam Temple is in charge this year, I wonder?»
«Hmm.» the old proprietress nodded, answering shortly.
«Well, simply adding the topping should be enough. One free dish of rice flour dumplings
with red bean soup. For the period of one year until the next eating competition will take
place again… how about it?»
The old proprietress smiled, looking satisfied. However…
«It’s not enough.» the shop manager blocked her.
«This year, we have to make a great competition somewhat different than usual. Because it
will take place during the “Parent and Child Day” the Seventh established, at any rate. Also
the prize must be extravagant to match it. For the time being… how about an as-much-as-
you-like rice flour dumplings with red bean soup for the whole year?»
«Wha—» the old proprietress had her breath taken away.
«Something like that would make my shop go bankrupt! As if you bastard could forget it,
too…! In Konoha, there’s that man… Akimichi Chōji!!»
This time, everybody gulped except for the old proprietress. Shin— the silence wrapped them
up as if they were frozen.
«Since there’s that guy, all-you-can-eat is a taboo word in this village… right? Also the
grilled meat shop…»
«…that’s right.» the landlady of the Yakiniku Q agreed with a pale face.
«Only for that customer, even I have been restricting the all-you-can-eat…»
«See? Speaking of such a foolish thing like an as-much-as-you-like rice flour dumplings.»
The old proprietress creaked her teeth, looking annoyed.
«I haven’t forgot. I’ve been in charge of the eating competition of four years ago… when I
went ahead and made the prize an all-you-can-drink sweet half-saké, in one day that man
drank the whole stock… my shop almost went bankrupt. However…» the shop manager said,
maybe to soothe the resentful old proprietress, «The fact that it’ll become more gorgeous than
the previous years means that the name of the Sweet Bean Jam Temple will become well
known. Instead, a thing like one rice flour dumpling will keep the customers at a distance,
right?»
«Ngh…!»
Sympathising with the old proprietress, who was at a loss of words, Ayame spoke «Damned
if we go ahead, damned if we stop… I wonder.»
«If you think so, another idea—»
The old proprietress shouted, but then «…no. As I thought, it’s good.» she suddenly lowered
her voice.
«The prize, as you bastard suggested, will be an as-much-as-you-like rice flour dumplings
with red bean soup… there’s no problem for infinite helpings.»
While Ayame and the others looked at each other in wonder, the old proprietress hid her face,
and continued in a low voice.
«The point is, after we’ll make publicity for my shop in a large scale, it’s good as long as I
don’t suffer damage. It’s simple. Because I have the best secret plan… you’ll see…
hihihihi…»

***
«Bwahhahahahahahaha!» the hearty laughter of the sixteen head of the Akimichi —
Akimichi Chōji — resounded in the living room of the Akimichi family.
Lying down on the sofa before the television, he was devouring some potato chips greedily.
«Haha— Hiihihihaha…. ohff!»
He didn’t stop laughing, and the faces of the comic duo reflected on the television were
covered with the remains of the potato chips that were spitted out of his mouth. Maybe
because that was fun as well, «Ha—hahahehahaha!» Chōji kept laughing clapping his
stomach, in addition to that. His fat belly made a pleasant pat-pat noise, and his bottom made
a “Pfhh—!” as to accompany it.
«Oops. I clapped my stomach too hard…bwahahahaha!» Chōji burst out laughing, without
feeling sorry for that.
Without even noticing the disdainful eyes that were piercing him from behind.
«…disgusting.» his daughter Chōchō moaned with her eyes half closed. Maybe to transmit
also her resentment for being left standing since he had monopolised the sofa, her voice was
intentionally cold.
Next to her, also his wife Karui was looking down on Chōji with the same eyes.
«You, take that from the bookshelf. The illustrated encyclopaedia of the animals.» Karui told
Chōchō jerking her chin.
«What do you want to do with something like an illustrated encyclopaedia?»
«Knocking Papa’s head with all my strength.»
«Mama, I don’t want to hear your jokes, stop really.»
«If it’s so, I’ll just look inside. There may be pictured a way to tame a good-for-nothing
useless old man.»
«It’s not mentioned. Such a Papa is only here in our home.»
Behind Chōji, who was pleasantly shaking his belly, the two of them sighed together.
«For the time being… shall we move?»
«Yeah.»
Bags of potato chips were scattered all around Chōji. They were all consommé flavoured.
Looking annoyed, the two of them walked into the space that could as well be called the
‘den’ of the good-for-nothing useless old man.
Thereupon…
«…ah?» Karui, who had taken a roundabout path in front of the sofa, spat up a question mark
looking at a point of the floor. There, there was an empty pack that was different from the
ones of the potato chips.
«Wait a second, you. This pack, can it be…»
«Hahahaha…huh?»
Sensing that Karui’s voice had become heavier when she called out to him, Chōji stopped
laughing.
«As I thought…»
As if she had recognised the true identity of the empty pack, Karui gave him a sidelong glare.
«These are the sweet buns I bought for tomorrow’s breakfast! Why did you eat it before
that!?»
«E-eeh? No, because… I got tired of consommé flavour only, so I tried to interpose
something sweet among them…»
«Eat sugar then!» Karui shouted bitterly, and her gaze shifted to another thing.
«Besides… this as well! This milk! Why did you drink it directly without putting it in a cup!
Haven’t I told you to stop doing it!?»
«It’s okay, I drink it only at home at any rate.»
«That’s not the problem!»
Karui grabbed Chōji’s collar, and tried to lift him from the sofa… however, the difference of
three times her body weight couldn’t be overturned, and while moaning «Nnh—!» and
«Dammit!» Karui just changed the Chōji’s situation from lying to sitting, and she was out of
breath.
«E-enough…» Karui said while panting heavily with her hands on her knees.
«I’m tired of getting angry, also my arms are tired… I’m tired of various things…»
Chōchō, who was collecting the garbage on the floor while Karui was exerting her strength,
fanned her mother, who was dripping with sweat, with an empty pack of potato chips.
«Mama. It’s okay, you know.»
«O–u…»
Karuti waved her hand.
«For the time being… I’m going shopping. I have to buy breakfast for tomorrow… again…»
Karui went towards the entryway with a tottering way of walking, as if she was lacking
oxygen.
«Ah. Shopping?»
Chōji called her out gleefully from behind.
«In that case, can you take some consommé flavoured potato chips while you’re at it? There
are only lightly salty left.»
«…»
Pop… a vein appeared on the temple of Karui’s head, who had turned around looking over
her shoulder.
Karui turned around without a word, and walked taking loud, long steps — and opened the
door of the entryway so violently she almost broke it.
Then, with the same force, she closed it. The oscillations arrived until the living room, and
the rests of food that were clinging onto the television crumbled down in pieces.
«W-what was it…? Mama got angry all of a sudden…»
Chōji plugged his ears looking annoyed, but «…good-for-nothing useless old man.» Chōchō
muttered only, and he couldn’t hear it properly for some reason.

***
His wife Karui had run out of civility, and went out of the house.
He reflected on his own behaviour, and realised it — not. He was told by his daughter
Chōchō. “Papa, as things are now, it’s no good.”
Having said that, what should he do concretely? Chōji didn’t know. He bragged that he was
the best in Konoha who knew the art of cooking meat perfectly, but even now that he had
passed his thirties he still hadn’t mastered the art of reading between the lines of a woman’s
heart.
Because of that predicament, he couldn’t think of a way to regain his wife’s heart, no matter
how much he racked his head.
«For the time being, my tummy is empty for the excessive thinking, so let’s go buy potato
chips.»
He got carried away by a speech like that.
«Can’t you think for more than five minutes?»
Even though Chōchō gave him bitter words, she didn’t stop his purchasing and went out with
him instead, and he thought that she was really his daughter.
The day he succeeded his father as the head of the Akimichi. The anxiety he had always had
escaped from his lips. Would he really be able to get married, since he was so chubby…?
His anxiety had ended up being useless, and he was able to meet his wife by chance. Then,
they had also been blessed with a child.
He was aware that story was too good to be true. He wasn’t aware that he had turned into a
good-for-nothing useless old man though.
First of all, his daughter was cute. She was cute not only from a parent’s point of view. Since
she was born, every night near his pillow he wished “Make her look like Karui and not
me…”, but this had been the result. He had been teased by his wife while he was praying
“You look like an employee that watches attentively that the ham is smoked well.”, but that
hadn’t been a problem… no. It had been a problem. Because the wicked thought of a ham
had been added to his prayers, and the shape of his daughter’s body… wasn’t a ham, but she
ended up looking like him.
Even so, he shouldn’t complain because her face looked like her mother’s. Long slit eyes
with well-featured double-edged eyelids. Thick chubby lips. Really, he was glad that his
genes hadn’t influenced her from the neck above… looking at his daughter’s face, Chōji
earnestly thought so.
«…? What? You’re looking at other people’s faces intently. I don’t care if you fall over.»
Being told so by Chōchō, Chōji was taken aback. They were in the shopping district in the
evening. There were a lot of people, and he’d surely bump into someone if he kept spacing
out.
«Papa, you bumped into some people when you were spacing out. You knocked them all
down with your belly though.»
Rather, he did bump into someone.
«I-I’m sorry about that… I’ve been thinking a bit. How can I make peace with Mama?»
«Humph. Well, do you feel like you had some good idea?»
«No, at all.» he replied immediately, and Chōchō’s shoulders dropped.
She stared with a sidelong glance at Chōji, who was scratching his head in puzzlement.
«Just one thing had come to my mind at least. It’s simple but it’s good.»
«Huumm…for example?»
Chōji needed an answer quickly. Chōchō sighed.
«I’ve been thinking about it for a while… fooor exaaampleee… how about a present. Have
you ever given a ring, or an accessory as a present?»
«Yeah. In that case—»
Chōji pointed to his daughter’s ears.
«These earrings.»
With a jerk, the corners of Chōchō’s mouth had a cramp.
«Not things you gave to me… I’m talking about things you gave Mama…»
The earrings Chōchō was wearing on her ears were something he had received as a present
from his deceased teacher Asuma when he had been promoted to chūnin.
When their children became genin, they entrusted the earrings they were wearing to them,
until those children became chūnin… it was a tradition passed down on the Nara clan,
Yamanaka clan and Akimichi clan.
But then, he had given his earrings to Chōchō when she attended the Academy — before she
had been acknowledged as a genin. Since his daughter had mastered some secret ninjutsu of
the Akimichi family since that time, he guessed that it wasn’t a problem. It had been the same
also for the Nara family and the Yamanaka family.
Nonetheless, other things he had given as a present…
«Something like accessories… I’ve never given one to Mama.»
«Eeh?»
Raising a hysteric voice, Chōchō opened her mouth wide.
«No. No no. It’s not like that.» Chōji flapped his hands, searching for an excuse.
«Mama uses Lightning Release, right? In that case, if she wore some metallic things like that,
she might get a shock…»
«…you should have given her leather things…»
«…right.» Chōji acknowledged meekly his daughter’s objection.
Even if she didn’t fawn over him, Karui had been staying together with him — it’s not that he
bragged about it. However, he was just under the impression that it was natural, since they
would stay together even if he did nothing. Now he was paying the price of that misreading.
«Even so, the fact that Mama is with you, Papa… means that you’ve got some charm.»
Chōchō concluded with a smiling face, but she frowned immediately.
«…uwa, embarrassing… I feel like I’ve said a super embarrassing things now.»
Forget, forget — she covered her head with a hand, and stirred the air with the other hand.
Was what she said that much embarrassing? Chōji tilted his head.
Chōchō’s eyes peeked from the spaces between her fingers.
«…Papa. What do you think is your charm? Your strong point, or the things that seems to
attract Mama.»
«Charm… you say…»
Chōji looked up to the evening sky, searching inside his head. About himself. In that case, it
was hard to think, but—
«Kindness, I guess.»
The thing that had come out was an absurdly safe self-evaluation.
«Uwa, ordinary…»
Also Chōchō narrowed her eyes, shocked.
Then, her eyes opened suddenly.
She was staring behind Chōji — then, she made a complacent smile.
«…if you have some other charm, papa—»
Whoosh — Chōchō pointed at the direction of her gaze.
«It’s gluttony for sure.»
Also Chōji looked at the direction his daughter was pointing to. It was a round-the-clock
general store. The place they were aiming to buy potato chips. “Does she intend to say to buy
up and eat up all the goods of the store?” Chōji wondered, but he immediately discovered that
he was wrong. The thing his daughter was pointing to wasn’t the general store, but the poster
affixed near the entrance.
“Also this year the competition will take place! Come forth, Konoha’s gluttony pride!” was
written on it. It was the announcement of the annual eating contest. Dazzling red-hot
hamburgers, and ramen served with roasted pork fillet that filled up even the edge of the
porcelain bowl. Grilled meat that made the bubbles of its juices pop on the griddle, and sticky
red bean soup whose sweet taste his brain felt just by looking at it. The pictures of those
things had been inserted together.
«Ohyo…»
Chōji’s stomach made a “Grooowl”.
«You should participate, and show your gluttony, Papa. That way, also Mama will fall in
love.»
The solution of the problem she had arrived to was eating, as he thought. Like father, like
daughter.
«Besides… look.»
Chōchō’s finger shifted to below the poster. There was a note written down there, “※Since it
will be held on Father and Child Day, the participants will be restricted to parents with
children only.”
«Eh? If we tag together, you and I, Papa, we’ll surely win.»
Chōchō drew back her index finger, and stuck out her thumb instead.
«Y-yeah! That’s right!»
Also Chōji stuck out his thumb.
The two exchanged smiles facing each other, and they both made thumbs-up — while they
were at it, also the “Grooowl” sound of their stomachs matched.

***
Pan… papan…
Making a rhythmical sound, a white smoke fluttered in the blue cloudless sky.
It was the very Parent and Child Day. In the Village Hidden in the Leaves, on the stadium
that occupied one area of the old town, pipe tents with a triangular roof had been lined up,
and seating had been arranged on a tiered platform. It was a site built up especially for the
eating contest. Then, there were the figures of parents and children that waited for the
opening of the eating contest on the stadium.
Finding a known face, Chōji waved his hand, smiling.
«Shikamaru!»
When he was called, Nara Shikamaru raised his hand in response.
«Yo, Chōji.»
Next to him, there was also a boy who had the hair that was the spitting image of his father,
Nara Shikadai.
He noticed them, and muttered «Ugh.»
«As I thought, you’re here, that’s… troublesome…»
«Of course. Where delicious food is gathered, we’re there.»
Chōchō threw out her chest in pride next to Chōji. Judging by Shikadai’s appearance, it
looked like he didn’t want to meet them here, but — he heard a similar «Ugh» coming from
another direction.
When he turned around, there were Yamanaka Sai, who had been adopted into his bride’s
Yamanaka family, and his son, Yamanaka Inojin.
Apparently the one who had spoke was Inojin, and was making a troubled expression.
«Aunt Karui is not here, and uncle Chōji is participating… it will be impossible.»
Sai made a bitter smile at his whining son.
«Well, it’s a thing I want to have a go at.»
At any rate, also Sai was pessimistic though.
«Is Ino watching the house?»
When Chōji asked this, «Yeah» Sai nodded.
«When it comes to festivals, she gets busy with the flower shop. I’d be glad to help her
though…»
«If she’s busy, you should leave it all to her all the more.» Shikamaru said. Chōji continued.
«That’s right, that’s right. She’s been standing on the storefront since we were children. She
doesn’t panic, no matter how much congested the shop gets.»
«…that’s right.»
Worrying — or rather, looking somehow sad, Sai smiled. If someone of the InoShikaChō
talked about their childhood, Sai, who didn’t know them at that time, always made that face.
If Chōji had noticed it, also Shikamaru must have noticed it. He pushed his elbow to
emphasise it.
It was when Chōji was about to apologise in a hurry. He heard another «Ugh» from another
different place.
When he looked—
«I-I’m nervous… I’m sick in my stomach… ugh… puh.»
A boy with bobbed hair who wore a green full-body tight was vomiting for some reason.
«Calm down, Metal! Calm down — no! Rather, spit it out! Spit it out and empty your
stomach!»
Next to him, a man with a bobbed haircut, who was wearing the same full-body green tight
(although it lacked the sleeves), was cheering «Spi–t! Spi–t!», maybe to encourage the boy.
Metal Lee and Rock Lee.
When he thought that he didn’t want to see dirty things before eating if possible, apparently
they noticed is gaze, and Lee-father made his teeth sparkle raising his thumb.
«Don’t worry! He’s had vegetables and fruit of every colour for breakfast today. Surely also
my son’s vomit will be prettily rainbow-coloured!»
He didn’t need that kind of beauty, and he didn’t even want to hear bout it, but at any rate he
had declared it full of self confidence.
«Err…»
Chōji opened his mouth trying to change that strange atmosphere.
«Who will come up here next… not Naruto?»
Chōji made his gaze wander about, but Shikamaru shook his head.
«It’ll be difficult. You’re reading too much into things, that rascal is putting in order some
work left by himself… no matter what you think, it’s so much it’ll take the whole morning.»
Shikamaru clicked his tongue, looking angry. When it looked like that story wouldn’t turn
into a good thing even if investigated about it further, Chōji searched for another topic.
«C-come to think of it, it’s strange that both you, Shikamaru, and you, Sai, are gluttons. Is it
because the prize for the champion is gorgeous?»
«Yeah» Shikamaru nodded.
«Temari asked it. The as-much-as-you-want rice flour dumplings with red bean soup of the
“Sweet Bean Jam Temple”. With an extra of rice flour dumplings with azuki beans as a main
ingredient. How could they serve something like that?»
«Mum didn’t do a cute thing like “asking”, yesterday…» Shikadai grumbled, and as if he
remembered about when she asked it, and he trembled.
«Just like us.» Sai said.
«Gluttony is an event of the springtime of youth, I won’t miss it!» Rock Lee said.
«What about you, Chōji… needless to ask.»
Shikamaru smiled narrowing his eyes.
«No, we—» Chōji started to say, but he hesitated. He couldn’t say “I’m here to show my wife
Karui that I’m a glutton.”, so he searched for another excuse—
«Gwahahahahaha!»
A heartily laughter resounded. A voice he had never heard before.
«…?»
Sai turned around, puzzled. When also Chōji imitated him, there was a giant that could be
mistaken for one of the Akimichi clan not far from them. They were two of them.
One was a large tall man. He was naked from the waist up, and exposed his muscular body.
The other one, even if the stature couldn’t be compared, was that much fat. Naked from the
waist up as well. His protruding stomach spilled over his trousers, and wobbled like a sticky
rice cake.
They both crossed their arms, and faced each other tilting their body.
«Everybody is participating with a weak pretext!» the muscular one yelled.
«I’ll eat because there are things to eat here! This is the only need of gluttons!» the fat one
yelled taking over his speech.
«It’s a face I’ve never seen… who are you guys?»
When Shikamaru asked, the muscular one laughed making his trapezius muscle sway.
«We are the wandering father and son gluttons! This year we came allured by this appetizing
scent! I’m Kūi, also know as the Sweeper of the Pot Bottoms!» the muscular yelled.
«And his son! Daore, the one who Pecks at Tiered Food Boxes!» the fat one continued. When
they exchanged a signal with a glance, the two’s voices overlapped.
«Together we are—»
«The “Eating-Till-You-Explode”.» Chōchō muttered, sighing, and the expression of the giant
father and son stiffened.
«…»
In that long silence, the wind calmly blew through them.
Shikadai put his mouth near Chōchō’s ear, and whispered, looking annoyed, «Oi, read the
atmosphere… if I tell you so, do it.»
The giant father and son trembled as if they were about to say something, but they
immediately regained their timing, and shouted.
«Together, we are Daorekūi!»
«Uwa, so petty. You shifted places.»
Next to Inojin, who had frowned, Metal Lee raised his index.
«Moreover, your names together don’t make sense. They have no meaning.»
«You’re noisy!» shouted Kūi, or Daore, or both at the same time. Anyway, they shouted.
«You have a small build with small appetite… small build, small build! Even you have a
small build!»
Kūi pointed to Shikamaru and Sai, and then Rock Lee in sequence.
Then — when he was about to point to Chōji, he stopped in his tracks.
«You… I can’t say you have a small build. If someone could match my own stomach, it’s
you. That’s right, Akimichi Chōji.»
He called his name, and Chōji raised his eyebrows.
Apparently he knew him, but… he didn’t remember such a stern man.
As if that thought had appeared on his face, Kūi’s large body shook violently.
«Don’t tell me… you forgot my name!? Last Year! Also the year before that! And also the
year before before that!! The companion who challenged you to the limit of calories!?»
«If you say so… I see only food during meals.»
That explanation was towards Shikamaru and the others, who were bewildered, but
apparently Kūi felt as if he had been treated with contempt.
«Youuuu… you impudent…!»
His face turned bright red before their eyes.
«I’ve had enough… I’ll make you cry later! No matter how much of a glutton you are, you
are no match for us father and son! These eat-till-you-explode father and son!!»
Gwahahahaha! Kūi and Daore went away with a roaring laughter.
At that self-indulgent manner of speaking, everybody was flabbergasted.
«…as I thought, they are the “Eating-Till-You-Explode”.»
When Chōchō grumbled so, the announce of the opening of the event resounded.

***
«We sincerely thank you for taking part to “Konoha’s Eating Competition” today even if you
were busy. We’re very glad if you’ll be able to welcome the day of the competition without
problems, and stay with us—»
They were right in front of the ground. While listening vaguely to the announcer, who was
the man who ran the Thunder Burger above the platform, Chōji made his eyes wander on the
audience seating.
«Oh! Papa, there. Looks like she came to see us.»
Chōchō, who was on the seat next to him, pointed to the audience seating. In that direction,
there was his wife Karui. She was resting her chin on her hands looking bored, but apparently
she would watch their match a little.
«Alright… then, I’ll just eat non-stop.»
He encouraged his stomach, and he placed both his fists on the table. Commonly referred to
as his “isn’t-food-ready-yet pose”.
The table was a simple two-place table. When he looked around, the same tables were lined
up in an equal distance with almost a hundred chairs near them. In other words, almost a
hundred parents and children would participate.
At his left there was the eating-till-you-explode father and son from before. And at his right
there were Shikamaru and Shikadai. Next to them there were Sai and Inojin. And after them
there were the Lee father and son — maybe because they had gone to the reception desk in
line, known faces had gathered together.
«Then, without delay, let’s show you the first course of today. The tournament-limited edition
very thick ramen soup topped with slices of roasted pork by “Ramen Ichiraku”!»
A wagon pushed by hand brought the ramen along, and shouts of joy raised with a ooooh
from around them.
«T-that’s…!» Chōji groaned, overcome with emotions.
Usual Ichiraku bowls were covered with very thick ramen soup topped with roasted pork that
almost overflowed. Besides spreading on the edge of the bowls, the mountain of ramen soup
topped with roasted pork were filled up with ramen as if to form a tower on the centre. It
didn’t just fill them up, it whirled up beautifully. Judging from the naruto fishcake slightly
riding on top of it, it was probably a reference to the Seventh.
Under the blue sky, the transparent grease reflected the light of the sun, and Chōji’s and
Chōchō’s enchanted faces were sparkling.
«Everybody, race against time to eat all the limited-edition ramen! The ones who will be able
to taste the next menu will be the top thirty! Today there are the cameras of the broadcasting
studio. Everyone in the village will see the progresses of the event, so if you do unsightly
things like vomiting, by any chance… you’ll be disqualified at once!»
Having an unpleasant premonition at the word “vomit” he suddenly heard, Chōji glanced at
the table of the Lee father and son.
«I-I feel sick even under normal circumstances… if something like that… is showed—»
Metal Lee darted his eyes about, and uuh… he pursed his lips. Since Chōji promptly looked
away, he didn’t catch the details after that, but…
«W-w-w-what’s happened—! The Lee members had suddenly gone splaaaash! What’s
happened before the meal started!? No way, but that’s beautifully colourful! That colourful
thing is drawing a parabola like a rainbow—! …yes. Anyway, the Lee father and son are
disqualified.»
«Metal, don’t worry! Vomiting is an indispensable part of youth! Even dad vomited when
doing push-ups in the past, vomited when doing handstands… anyway, it was disgusting!»
Because of the shop manager’s detailed account and Rock Lee, he could get the main idea of
what happened.

***
Even if he was completely satisfied by Ichiraku’s ramen soup topped with slices of roasted
pork, the next course, the “Judgement of the Thunder God” extremely red-hot hamburger,
was quite a formidable enemy. Enduring the incentive that he thought it was a joke, Chōji,
who had eat somehow while moaning and had advanced in the semi-finals with Shikamaru
and Sai, cooled his swollen lips with some ice in one of the tents used to rest. Also Chōchō
was slurping some water.
«No way… I’ve had a bad time…»
«Really… a food like that easily defeats a tube of wasabi.»
It was when Chōchō was moaning bitterly.
«What are you doing, you guys…?»
There was a spectator in the tent. It was Karui.
«Mama!»
Forgetting even the swelling of her lips, Chōji stood up.
«Have you seen my great effort! I was a charming glutton, right?»
«I was there, too. It’s “we”, “we”.»
«Yeah, yeah. Our great effort!»
Chōji puffed his chest out with pride, but…
«Great effort… if you say so…»
Contrary to his expectations, Karui’s attitude was unclear.
«Eating contests are like a reckless gathering, right? Competing for the quantity and speed of
eating, competing for the quickness of destroying the body… saying that you made a great
effort in this kind of gathering is questionable, right?»
«Q-questionable?» Chōji repeated her words.
«Eating that much fats is a tie-up with the undertaker’s, you know? They don’t say it out
loud, but… well, try to moderate this foolish behaviour, and eat also vegetables properly.»
She had come just to say that — then, lightly waving her hand, Karui went out of the tent.
The two of them left were gaping, flabbergasted.
«Papa’s charm… wasn’t gluttony.»
Chōchō muttered, blinking with surprise.

***
«Well then, the semi-finals at last! The menu you’ll eat…»
Rattling, a wagon was pushed. A portable stove with an iron place on top and garnish lettuce,
and then meat that raised steam with a fshhhhh, with the fire already running.
«Ten helpings of aging pork loin form the “Yakiniku Q”! The top three that will eat all of
them will advance to the finals… aaaah — oh! What’s happening to the Akimichi father and
daughter! For some reason, the father is completely exhausted—!!»
As the shop manager had yelled, Chōji had abandoned his limbs senseless, still sitting on the
chair, and was staring at the void with a look that lacked any vital sign.
«My charm… what the heck…»
The words he was muttering absent-mindedly dissolved in the blue sky.
«Wait… Papa! Get a grip! The next course is coming!?»
Even if he was harshly shaken by Chōchō, she just made Chōji’s huge body tremble.
«I don’t understand the situation, but… We won’t wait for gluttons! Let’s start the semi-final
already!»
At the table next to him, «Humph!» Kūi snorted.
«Foolish. If you’re troubled by the quantity of those fats… you’ll be smashed by the heavy
pressure of the carbohydrates. You have a small build after all… the fact that I’ve
acknowledged you for a moment as my rival will be the greatest shame of my life.»
«Chōji…»
Shikamaru muttered, looking worried, but before that feeling reached Chōji…
«Well then… semi-finals, staaaart—!»
Dooong… the gong resounded.
«Aargh… jeez, enough!»
Chōchō turned from Chōji, who had lost his fighting spirit, to the grilled meat that was
raising steam.
She brandished the chopsticks, scooped up a great quantity of meat and brought it to her
mouth.
«Delicious! Papa, this meat tastes great!»
Chōchō turned towards her father a smile plastered with meat juices, but — Chōji was still
dead inside. Also his mouth, which used to drool just by hearing “delicious meat”, now was
still loosely open.
«No reaction to meat… isn’t this crazy?»
With sweat beading her temples, Chōchō hastened the chopsticks alone.
«Besides, this quantity… sure it’s tasty, but eating it all alone…»
Oddly, Chōchō emitted a weak sound in response to the food. Even she faltered at the
mountain of meat that was supposed to be eaten by a parent and a child. Then—
«Oh, surprising! Three seconds from the beginning of the semi-finals! Someone that has
eaten it all appeared already—!»
«Eh, for real? Already!?»
When Chōchō looked around, his eyes met Kūi, who was picking his teeth with a toothpick.
Tick, tick — he showed he had the time to wag, not his finger, but his toothpick, at her, but
his son Daore, as if he had no appetite, was dejected, in the same position as Chōji.
Moreover, they weren’t the only ones who had eaten it all.
«Honestly… I don’t want to eat meat anymore in my life…»
«Don’t say that. At any rate, as soon as a whole week passes, you’ll miss meat and rice…
well, I absolutely won’t.»
Also Shikadai and Shikamaru had finished. They were both in a condition that they’d
crumble down from the chair though.
«Dad… can you eat up all the rest…»
Also Inojin and Sai had almost finished, and there were some pieces of meat left.
«It’s not that children hold back… you’re growing…»
«I don’t care about it, really… fat meat is intense…»
Without stretching the chopsticks to the remaining pieces of meat, the father and the son were
completely exhausted.
«Only one team left will advance to the finals! Which parent and child will win through!?»
«Ku… wait, papa! I’ve told you to get a grip!»
Chōchō clapped her father’s belly. However, Chōji didn’t even take the chopsticks in his
hand.
«My… charm…» he just groaned.
Chōchō gritted her teeth, but suddenly, as if some good idea had it her, she grabbed some
lettuce that was garnishing the meat, and skilfully began rolling the remaining meat with it.
«Papa, look at it! Ve-ge-ta-bles!»
«…eh?»
«Also Mama told you. “Try to eat also vegetables”. Surely if she sees you eating vegetables,
she’ll fall in love, right?»
«That’s… vegetables?»
The meat was protruding from the lettuce though.
«Ve-ge-ta-bles♥»
Chōchō didn’t surrender.
«Is that so… vegetables… vegetables!»
Chōji sprang up energetically. In a moment, he ate up the lettuce that pretended to be meat.
Next to him, Chōchō secretly assumed a triumphant pose.
The moment Chōji ate all the lettuce, the gong resounded.
«Semi-finals end—! The three teams that advance to the finals are the Eating-Till-You-
Explode father and son, the Nara father and son, and the Akimichi father and daughter! How
about a huge applause for them, who won through a violent battle, everyone!»
An applause followed from the audience. In addition, Sai and Inojin, who didn’t manage to
eat it all, having used up all their strength, fell prostrate on the table with a bonk.
«Let’s continued and go to the decisive battle! The menu you’ll eat… ten portions of rice
flour dumplings with red bean soup from the “Sweet Bean Jam Temple”!»
Another wagon pushed by hand appeared, and they disposed off the portable stoves. Instead,
ten wooden bowls of red bean soup were lined up on the table.
«We’re not taking a break? Painful… I don’t feel like I can put anything else in my
stomach…» Shikadai groaned with a painful face. Also Shikamaru had the same expression,
but he mixed it also with a bitter smile.
«Mum says it often. “There’s a separate stomach for desserts”. If you believe that, we have
no choice but cram things in there one way or another. Look, doesn’t it fit here?»
«Oh, guh… Dad, stop… all the things I’ve eaten are coming out…!»
Being poked lightly on his side by his father, Shikadai turned pale. The one who reacted
before the others was the shop manager, who was clutching the mike.
«Nh—! Don’t vomit, don’t! Let’s go quickly!»
He raised his arms high.
«The decisive battle of Konoha’s Eating Contest… begin—!»
As he lowered his hands, the sound of the gong resounded with a doooong. And the timer as
well.
«Dad… I’m at my limit, too…»
Slumping, the Eating-Till-You-Explode son, Daore, fainted.
Tch, Kūi clicked his tongue.
«Shameful. Throwing in the towel at this point…»
At Kūi, who far from worrying for his son was scorning him, Chōchō pouted.
«Wait. That’s no way to talk, you know?»
«Pitying a loser? Even if he’s my son, I have no business with sitting at a dining table with
someone who has a small appetite. After all, food is a thing that’s tasted alone. The only
thing that contributes to my victory is my stomach!» Kūi declared, and poured the red bean
soup into his mouth as if he was drinking it.
«So lousy… well, since you’re eating alone, you’re not an opponent of us. Right?»
Chōchō touched Chōji’s shoulder.
«A-a vegetable got stuck in my throat… I can’t… brea…»
Besides Daore, also Chōji had knocked over his chair.
«Ha!? Papa!?»
«—!? Chōji!»
Chōchō and Shikamaru yelled. Kūi’s laugh overlapped their voices, erasing them.
«Gwahahaha! As I thought, looks like your time is over already. You should have meekly
contented yourself with the food for your stature and—»
Believing he had won, Kūi became talkative, but his mouth stopped abruptly.
«And — an — bleargh…»
Whoosh…
White springy things overflowed from Kūi’s mouth.

***
On the shade of the tent for the staff, there was someone snickering alone.
It was the old proprietress of the Sweet Bean Jam Temple.
«Hihihihi… serves you right.»
The fingers of the old proprietress were entangled complicatedly, and formed a mysterious
hand-seal.
«Don’t make light of me. Now I’m an uninteresting old woman that runs a cake café, but in
the past I was a resourceful kunoichi that was famous as the “princess of sweetness”.»
“Well, I’m not called with that title anymore though…” it was useless to add that.
«The special sugar mixed in those rice dumplings is a thing that grows in size with my Earth
Release. I intended to crush that damn Akimichi Chōji, but… he destroyed himself before I
did. Oh well. I won’t give the prize to anyone. If the rice dumplings swell to the point that
they can’t eat them all, there will be no championship nor shit!»
Hihihihi… the old proprietress laughed, but suddenly she tilted her head a little.
«Dear me, come to think of it… It’s the first time I used the Earth Release after several
dozens of years, but… how do I stop the expansion…?»

***
All the countless rice dumplings that were overflowing from the thirty dishes in total swelled
up to an admirable size, and besides destroying the tables and the tent they were about to
swallow up also the onlookers.
«Leaf Whirlwind!»
Metal Lee raised a huge rice dumpling that was drawing near a mother and a daughter among
the spectators with a roundhouse kick, and «Leaf Great Whirlwind!!» Rock Lee kicked it
down on the centre of the grounds. However—
«Ku! They’re also bouncing… there’s no end to it!»
On the other end, in another place…
«Ninja Art: Super Beast Imitating Drawing!»
A pride of large lions drawn with ink and small colourful lions flooded on the rice dumplings.
Even if they barely managed to dam the flow up, many of them were squashed by the rice
dumplings, and dissolved into stains.
«Dad, doesn’t your writing brush have less strength than usual?»
«I’ve eaten a bit too much… Inojin, to your left!»
«I know!»
On the opposite angle from where Sai and Inojin were struggling hard not to make the rice
dumplings exit from the stadium, a shadow crawled on the ground.
«Shadow Bind Technique!»
Even if Shikadai’s shadow halted the movements of the rice dumplings, he retreated with a
frown, not knowing what to do about the expansion.
«Troublesome… Dad, do you have some good idea!»
«I’m thinking about it right now.»
Shikamaru’s shadow put out a great number of offshoots, and the points that were protruding
pierced the rice dumplings like skewers.
«I’ve stopped them with it, but… their number is too high. Surely it’s troublesome.»
He clicked his tongue.
In front of the platform, Chōchō was forcing back the rice dumplings with both her huge
hands.
«Me being eaten by food… it’s like being told “Come at me again” by rice balls!»
She stood firm, getting psyched, but the rice dumplings didn’t move — instead, Chōchō’s
hands sunk into them.
«Eh!? What’s this — no way!?»
Chōchō opened her eyes wide. Then — a dazzling thunder gushed out, and the rice
dumplings received an electric shock. Her eyes were dazzled for the shock that was
transmitted, but when it lessened, the rice dumplings had hardened and her hands were
detached from them.
«What are you doing… jeez.»
«Mama!»
Maybe because she had jumped from the audience seating, Karui landed immediately next to
her.
«I’ve had experiences with the Earth Release, but it’s just as I thought. Leave it to the
Lightning Release.»
Karui showed her large biceps, but she immediately looked around.
«Where’s… papa?»
«Papa—»
Chōchō started to say, but she froze in puzzlement.
«…where was he again?»

***
—There was such a fragrant scent of fat that his nostrils widened instinctively. Moreover,
there was also the scent of burnt garlic and sesame oil. Irresistible. It was the scent of grilled
meat, which he never got tired of no matter how many times he smelled it.
Chōji opened his closed eyes slightly.
The table of the familiar “Yakiniku Q” caught his eyes. As he had imagined, many meat
dishes were lined on the grill in the middle, and the bubbles of fat were floating to the
surface, swelling.
Then, he could also see someone sitting on the other side of the table.
«…Asuma-sensei?»
Unintentionally, his name escaped from his mouth. Maybe because it was his sensei’s place,
maybe because the atmosphere he conveyed was similar to his. However…
«What are you saying, Chōji?»
The one who was here wasn’t his deceased teacher.
«Dad…»
The former head of the Akimichi family, Akimichi Chōza.
«Mh… soon it will be the right time. The right level of cooking.»
His father put in the plate the meat that had acquired a burnt colour without hasting.
While staring absent-mindedly at the movement of his hands, Chōji said «Dad— also I…
have been able to make a family.»
His father laughed. As if he wanted to say “I’ve told you that it was natural”.
Chōji lowered his gaze to the cooking grill, and resumed his speech.
«If I could meet you, Dad, I think I’d tell you many things. About Chōchō, and also about
Karui. I’ve been taking part to an eating contest for families until not long ago. Why am I
here… I can’t remember.»
Closing his eyes, his father brought the meat to his mouth in silence. The smile that
sometimes floated on his lips was maybe because he was satisfied with the flavour, maybe it
was directed to his son… he didn’t know.
«…Dad.»
Reflecting about it, Chōji said «My charm… what is it?»
Finishing the last mouthful, his father placed the chopsticks down.
He turned his narrow eyes firmly towards him.
«You’re kinder than anyone else.»
«That’s ordinary though… Chōchō told me.»
«What’s wrong with ordinary? There are a lot of people that don’t have any merit at all.»
His father laughed out loud.
«When you were a child, also Asuma told you so. Have much more faith in yourself.»
Placing the payment for the meal on the table, his father stood up rigidly.
His father was about to leave. Rather quickly.
«Dad? Wait! There are still many things I want to talk about—»
«…there’s one thing that bothers me though.»
His father looked down on him with a perplexed look.
«I’m still alive, you know?»
«…»
Chōji blinked.
«Eh. I know. I haven’t come back to your home in a while, so if we meet, I want to talk about
various things… what’s wrong, all of a sudden?»
«No, nothing… really, nothing, but… the way you talk looks like you’re talking to someone
who’s deceased and you meet again after a long time… I’m still alive, you know?» he
repeated.
«I also knew about the eating contest. To be honest, I wanted to participate as well. As father
and child, in a pair with my son.»
Pointing at him, his father swelled his cheeks in a complacent smile.
«We would have indulged ourselves trying out the same menu. Then I had planned to eat the
tournament-limited edition ramen of Ramen Ichiraku, and the “Judgement of the Thunder
God” of Thunder Burger, but…»
«I think it’s better to give up on the “Judgement of the Thunder God” though.»
«Is that so? Well, because the food you eat alone is insignificant. As I thought, you must eat
food all together.»
«You’ve eaten up the grilled meat alone though…»
«That’s not what I mean.»
Chōza laughed. Chōji didn’t understand what he meant, and was perplexed, but—
«…ah.» he said in a daze. Why did Karui get mad at him some days before? He felt he
understood it at last.
«Well, when you settle down again, come and show your face to your parents’ home. Mum
would be happy as well. We want to have a meal with our granddaughter, too.»
Chōji nodded in reply. Also his father nodded satisfied, and went towards the exit, but…
«Aah, another thing.»
As if something had occurred to him, his father turned around.
«Your charm isn’t just being kinder than anyone else. I think you’ve noticed it already, but…
you’ve simply forgot. You are—»

—Possibly, that might have been the life flashing before your eyes. That thing you see when
you’re close to death. Or maybe it was just a dream.
At any rate—
Akimichi Chōji had no doubts anymore.

***
«W-w-what do we do! Papa might be still there!»
The thing Chōchō was pointing to was the seat were the huge rice dumplings were crowded
closely.
Karui clicked her tongue.
«That’s why I told him to put a stop to this foolish behaviour… I don’t want to become a
widow!»
Without enduring such idea, Karui was about to plunge into the rice dumplings.
The middle of the crowded rice dumplings swelled up fluffily — and a huge figure stood out
of that, just like an erupting volcano. A head. Then shoulders, a chest, and a whole huge body
appeared.
«That’s — Papa!?»
Chōji, who had turned as huge as a sky-scraper, opened his legs to support his own weight.
He raised a foot and slapped it against the ground. Just with that the earth shook, and the rice
dumplings that were coiled around him crumbled down like water drops.
Chōji glared at the ground with a sharp expression, grabbed a rice dumpling with all his
strength right away, and stuffed his cheeks in one bite. Then another one, and another one —
the flock of rice dumplings that filled the ground disappeared inside Chōji’s mouth.
«Don’t be unreasonable, Chōji!» Shikamaru’s voice yelled from somewhere.
«You can’t know how much they’ll swell! Your stomach will break!»
As Shikamaru said, Chōji’s stomach, who had eaten up all the rice dumplings, began
crawling like a worm. Chōchō gulped.
But, the next moment…
«I’ve eaten them all by myself…»
Flap — butterfly wings of the colour of the sky spread in the sky above.
«I’m sorryyyy—!!»
Chōji’s big voice resounded all around. Chōji’s loosened flesh became tense just as if the
calories had been absorbed by those wings. Maybe because he had expended a huge amount
of calories, when the change of his body lessened also the rice dumplings inside his stomach
were digested.
While basking into the light blue light that poured down on him filtering through the wings,
«…You’ve eaten them up by yourself… you said.» Chōchō said looked up to the sky.
«The rice dumplings…? The only one who could eat those things was you, Papa.»
«…I didn’t mean just that.»
Karui smiled, as if she had grasped the situation.

***
«The winners of this year’s Konoha’s Eating Contest is… the Akimichi father and daughter—
!»
Making a sound of snapping crackers, a large quantity of confetti fluttered around the victory
stand. Chōchō and Chōji, who had become slim, lowered their head, looking awkward.
«Even if it was a little bit a catastrophe… the contest kept going on.» Inojin grumbled with
an amazed expression, surrounding the victory stand at a distance.
«Various things have been destroyed, but there haven’t been casualties. That’s good. Looks
like also that criminal old hag has been tied up good.»
Shikadai joined his arms behind his head. Next to him, Metal Lee nodded.
«Your dad, Shikadai-kun, is pretty scary when he’s angry.»
«He had no choice but talk with the old lady though… he has his own position to hold.
Adults are so troublesome.»
At Shikadai, who had shrugged, Sai made a bitter smile.
«Properly speaking, it’s a matter to be transmitted to the Military Police Forces though. I
think there should be a punishment, more or less.»
Whoosh, Rock Lee pointed his palm towards him.
«No. It’s no match for that. A more than adequate punishment awaits the Sweet Bean Jam
Temple.»
«Hum. As-much-as-you-like rice flour dumplings with red bean soup… Moreover, since she
will deal with Akimichi Chōji’s stomach, it’s intolerable.»
«Managing the concern for the champion and the punishment for the Sweet Bean Jam
Temple at the same time… he’s dealing out quite stylish orders.»
Gwahaha! the Eating-Till-You-Explode father and son laughed out loud. They attracted the
gazes of those around them as if to say, “Why are you guys here as well?”.
«Mama, they say they’ll take a commemorative photo. How about it, since we are all here?»
On the victory platform, Chōchō called Karui.
«Ha? Me? Why. I didn’t do anything.»
While she said so, Karui stepped up.
«You’re my Mama, Mama. I don’t need any other reason.»
«That’s right, that’s right. You’re my wife. That’s a reason enough.»
Maybe because she didn’t agree to their explanations, Karui tilted her head. However,
without refusing further, she went by Chōchō’s side.
«Well, what do we do after this? Infinite helpings of rice dumplings right away?»
Chōchō grinned.
«Being smashed by dumplings before… normally it’d turn into a trauma. So much that I
wouldn’t want to see a rice dumpling again. Despite that, eating them again… it’d be
awesome…»
Karui admired her, but on the other hand Chōji made a difficult expression.
«As expected, I feel like Papa got tired of eating? Well, if he had eaten with gusto that
much.»
«Nh? No, no, it’s not like that…»
Chōji patted his completely empty stomach.
«After I ate something sweet, I want to interpose something a little different… How about we
go there after buying some consommé flavoured potato chips?»
«In the end you’ll eat!?»
At the same time Karui yelled out loud—
Flash, the shutter of the camera closed. In that frame, there was installed the figure of amused
parents and child — that had no relations with words such as “fall out of love”.
INTERLUDE 3: WITH SHINO-SENSEI! PARENT AND CHILD!
Even if he was alone, he could to enjoy the “Parent and Child Day”. No, he enjoyed it exactly
because he was alone. On Shino’s hand, who was walking in the traffic jam, there was a bag.
A parent-and-child donburi, limited edition for the “Parent and Child Day”.
It looked like an item intended to be eaten by a parent and child, and its volume was double
than usual. However, he could enjoy that volume at his heart’s content even if he was alone.
Since he had kept buying and eating this or that snack since morning, his stomach was
already full, but he stumbled upon this chicken-and-egg bowl in a stand, and he ended up
buying it. He was still going with the flow.
Surely, far from tomorrow’s breakfast, he had decided to stuff that in his bento — this
money-saving feeling made Shino’s heart cheerful.
(How long has it been since I lest felt happy with food I wonder)
He was just like Akimichi Chōji. It was when he laughed at himself like that.
«Noo, my belly is all round already.»
It was the voice of that Chōji in question.
«You–»
Also the voice of his former pupil, Chōchō.
It was from the front of the cake café “Sweet Bean Jam Temple”. What the heck had
happened? Chōji’s body looked cool after a long time.
«Too late…»
At the table on the store front, there was the figure of Chōji’s wife, Karui.
«When I thought to come here immediately… did we come to buy potato chips, seriously…»
Karui pushed the bowl set on the table, and let it slide in front of Chōji and Chōchō.
«Uwa, looks delicious—!»
«As I thought, after eating the potato chips, you have to add something sweet!»
Chōji and Chōchō emitted shouts of joy looking inside the bowl. It was glossy red bean soup
with rice dumplings floating in it.
«Eat up, you two… I have a full stomach just by looking at you.»
«Papa devoured the rice dumplings greedily, but I haven’t eaten the red bean soup yet. If you
don’t eat it, Mama, could you give it to me?»
«No, I’ll eat it though.»
Karui made a bitter smile.
Shino looked charmingly at that scene.
Karui was one of Chōchō’s guardians, too, but since Chōji actively took part to the events
that concerned his daughter, Shino hadn’t had the chance to talk with her yet.
The things that Shino knew about Karui were just strange rumours.
They said that she had had a one-to-one battle with Naruto when he wasn’t the Hokage yet,
and he had ended up worn out. Moreover, she didn’t receive even one scratch.
True or false, when he wondered if he would finally introduced himself, Shino tried to go
near the table, but—
The thing that drafted from the table wasn’t just the sweet scent of the red bean soup.
Chōji had stuffed his cheeks with rice dumplings.
Chōchō was pilfering the rice dumplings from her mother’s bowl.
Questioning that, Karui was snatching away the red bean soup instead.
An atmosphere of enjoyment was floating, and was conveyed to him.
«…»
Shino stopped his feet.
He didn’t want to put cold water on Chōji and the other’s happy circle. Then, at the same
time he had a realization.
The “Parent and Child Day” wasn’t something to be enjoyed alone. That was the true way to
spend the “Parent and Child Day”.
(A family… no)
Shino lowered his gaze to the bag on his hands.
(Parent and child, huh?)
The chicken-and-egg bowl with a great volume, destined to parent and children. A quantity
that simply couldn’t be eaten alone.
«…one in a while, should I visit my old man?»
Shino turned back, and began walking towards his parents’ home.
 NARUTO’S TRUE STORY – PARENT AND CHILD DAY
by Mirei Miyamoto

CHAPTER 4: FATHER AND DAUGHTER, COLD FLAMES AND BOILING FIRE

The Village Hidden in the Leaves had developed remarkably.

In the highways where the noisy pedestrian traffic didn’t die out, he was trying to remember
the scenery of the old days.
Uchiha Sasuke acknowledged that it was difficult.
The reason of that was simple. The time had changed. The townscape had changed. He had
been away from the village too long — he could enumerate as many official excuses as he
liked.
However, in the first place, he wondered if he had looked at the scenery back in those times
of his youth he spent in the village.
As a child, no matter where he shifted his attention to, there was the back of his older brother
— Uchiha Itachi — in front of his eyes.
After Itachi left the village, all the things he saw reminded him of his older brother.
The signboards of the park were his brother’s words.
The roadside trees were the silhouette of his brother.
The shadows reflected on the surface of the lakes were his brother’s face.
The stains on the walls were his brother’s stare.
He didn’t look at the scenery. Through those things, he looked at Itachi.
With that, another thing that he couldn’t remember was the truth. Without even knowing
Itachi’s true intentions, there was no way that he, who was swayed by revenge, had nostalgic
memories he had to be immersed in.
…no.
Sasuke immediately denied his own thoughts.
There was a scent he missed coming from somewhere. The scent of brand new wood.
It tickled the tip of his nose, and he remembered.
That was the scent of the wooden walls used in his Uchiha home.
Triggered by that scent, a scene from the time when his parents were alive suddenly flashed
across is mind.
His mother was standing in the kitchen.
With his arms crossed in front of the tea table, his father had his eyes closed.
Then, his younger self, covertly examining his father’s expressions.
“Apparently, even I have some nostalgic memories left” he thought wryly this time.
“That’s right. I wasn’t the only one who looked at Itachi. Also my father looked at no one but
Itachi. There was a time when I was frantically trying to make his eyes look at me.”
In his bitter recollection, the brat that had still some innocence had opened his mouth to
attract his father’s attention.

“Dad…where’s home?!

…
…“Where’s home?”
He tried to think about it, but he wasn’t sure. Had he ever asked something like that?
“No” he answered his own question right away. That was a question his current self had.
Cutting off his reverie, Sasuke muttered to himself
«…where’s my home?»
After he managed to come back home after a long time, he should have aimed to the house
where his wife and daughter were, but for some reason only a vacant land was spreading
before his eyes. In a corner, raw construction materials were piled up in a mountain.
Apparently, the scent of wood of some time ago was wafting from there, but, anyhow.
There was no house.
Sasuke fetched a crumpled piece of paper from his breast pocket. It was the address added to
a reply of a mission report many years before. Also an oral message of his wife Sakura, “I’ve
built ourselves a house”, was written on it. He tried to check it again, but it was surely that
place.
Despite this, there was no house.
Looking for a cause, Sasuke suddenly thought of one possibility.
Someone had put him under a genjutsu.
Was it a prank, or a much clearer evil intention?
He had no idea of who did it, but actually the meaning was “I don’t know too many people”.
If it was a grudge of some foolish guy, he had provoked countless of them. There were also
lots of people that aimed at the Rinnegan dwelling in his left eye. That was also one of the
reasons he couldn't go back to Konoha, but — he wondered if it wasn’t that some guy like
that was concealing his house with a genjutsu.
Trying to think about it… Sasuke shook his head.
He didn’t even have to make sure with his Sharingan. He couldn’t feel any trace at all of a
genjutsu. It was absolutely nice and neat.
In short, his house wasn’t there.
«…»
Sasuke looked up to the sky for no particular reason.
Two hawks were flying in circles up in the air. Maybe they were a couple, or a parent and
child.
They looked quiet and happy, without a care in the world.
And then…
«Papa?»
A voice from behind him.
When he turned around, there was his daughter, Sarada.
Behind the red-framed glasses, Sarada’s eyes were big with surprise.
«…it’s you, Papa.»
She stayed open-mouthed for a moment. Then Sarada’s cheeks relaxed, and she closed the
distance between them, jumping.
Grasping tightly both her hands in front of her chest, she stared intently up at him.
«You came home? When?»
«I’ve casually been passing near the village. Just now.»
«Is that so.»
Sarada smiled with her whole face, looked around, and pointed to the coming and going of
people.
«Papa, it’s been a while since you came in a place so crowded with people. You’re surprised,
right?»
Not that much time had passed since he had come back home for the matter of the fake
Uchiha Shin, so he wasn’t particularly surprised, but… he accepted Sarada’s look of
expectations.
«Yeah.» Sasuke decided to nod.
«Really? That’s because today in particular is like a festival. Everyone is in high spirits.»
«A festival?»
«The Parent and Child Day, which the Seventh proclaimed a holiday.»
In the <Parent and Child> part of “Parent and Child Day”, Sarada’s voice got lively.
«Apparently they’re also doing competing events with parents and children. Things like
throwing shuriken at a target and polishing kunai quickly. There’s also an eating competition,
if I remember correctly… say, where do we try to go to?»
“Not the eating competition though” Sarada said, and grimaced.
As was usual with her, apparently she was getting in high spirits with the atmosphere of the
festival. Or was the unexpected rendezvous with her father that made her so?
«…»
Without answering immediately, Sasuke stared at his daughter’s smiling face, which changed
quickly from an expression to the other.
It was when her expression settled down into a smile.
Sasuke pointed to the empty space behind her.
«Rather that that—»
He needed an answer to his question of not long ago.
«Where did our house disappear?»
«…eh?»
Sarada’s smiling face turned into an awkward half-smile.
She stared alternatively at the empty space and his father’s face.
«Papa… what’s this joke. It’s not funny.»
«…? Joke?!
«Ah… you were serious…»
As if someone had removed the stitches from her face, swoosh — Sarada’s expression
became a serious look.
«Sure, our house was here, but… Mama accidentally destroyed it so now they’re rebuilding
it. We’re temporarily living in an apartment house until it will be completed… I mean, we’ve
had dinner together there, you know? How could you forget?»
«…»
In the silence, the hawks in the sky above flew away with a screech. Each one in a different
direction.
«That was… another place?»
«…ha.»
Sarada sighed deeply, pinching the bridge of her nose.
«Enough. I’ll show you the way to the apartment house.»
Without waiting for a reply, Sarada turned around and began walking.
Sasuke glanced at the empty space, and then he followed after his daughter in silence.
«The point is only that you don’t come back home. You don’t tell us at all what you’re doing
outside.»
They were walking down a road with stands lined up in a row. Yellow, red, green — showy
flags were fluttering, and balloons with the shape of food like bananas, apples and tomatoes
were fluttering. Everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves, but apparently his daughter was
an exception, and she was thrusting the pointed spear of her dissatisfaction at him.
He didn’t dispute either statement.
Sasuke looked down to her shoulders, which were shaking sullenly, and said «Do you want
me to buy some candies for you?»
«I don’t want them.»
«A candied apple. A red one.»
«What, you like that colour?»
«You don’t like red? I was sure it was your favourite colour.»
It was what Sasuke had concluded looking at her daughter’s clothes.
«Well… it’s not that I hate it in particular, but…»
«So, how about tomatoes? There was a stand of chilled tomatoes not far away—»
«I detest tomatoes.»
«…is that so.»
At a loss of words to reply, Sasuke fell silent.
It seemed that they kept walking like that in an awkward silence, but suddenly Sarada’s feet
stopped.
«What’s the matter?»
It happened when Sasuke asked this.
«Aren’t there “Nine-Tailed! Kuraama” left!?»
A voice he hadn’t heard in a long time reached his ears. It was Naruto’s voice.
«—is that so. Well, I’ll ask someone else ‘ttebayo!»
When he turned his eyes towards the direction of the voice, Naruto was rushing out of a
round-the-clock general store. The girl he was carrying on his back… was it his daughter?
She was squealing merrily on her father’s back, and she smiled, looking happy.
Apparently Naruto didn’t notice them, and assaulted another store without missing a beat.
He yelled the same thing even there, and then in another store—
«What is he doing, that usuratonkachi…»
Sasuke was astonished, but at the same time he noticed something. Also Sarada was staring
in the same direction. The harmonious figure of a father and daughter was reflecting vaguely
on the lens of her glasses.
In Sasuke’s brain, it awakened another nostalgic memory.

«Hehehe…»
«Why would someone who sprained his ankle laugh? Perhaps… you’re just trying to
make fun of me, huh?»
«It’s not it!»

A recollection of the day when he was riding on Itachi’s back.

A memory of when he was young, and talked together with him still holding onto his back.

«Niisan. Will we train together again?»

«Yeah… However, also I will be accepting missions, and you will go to the Academy
from tomorrow, too. We probably won’t be able to spend some time just the two of
us.»
«…anyway, it’s okay…»
—as long as we stay together once in a while.
When he muttered so, raising his face, he felt a smile had instinctively escaped from him.
The height of his line of gaze was the same as Itachi’s. It was unbearably pleasant.
Apparently he was looking at the same world his older brother, who was such a far away
presence, had looked at…
«…»
Sasuke made a shallow smile, and focused back to Sarada.
His daughter was still staring at Naruto and his child. With a look that was expressing envy,
somehow.
«Carrying her on his back… huh?»
Sasuke gently touched his daughter’s shoulder.
«Eh? What?»
He turned his back to a bewildered Sarada, and kneeled down.
Today, for the first time Sasuke could read his daughter’s feelings from the envious gaze she
had turned towards Naruto and his child.
Not a candied apple nor a tomato. Now, his daughter wanted that.
However…
No matter how much time passed, he felt no weight on his back.
«…?»
When he turned around, puzzled, his and Sarada’s eyes met. She was looking down on him
with cold eyes.
Without even uttering a word, Sarada avoided her crouching father with a detour, and left.
When his daughter’s figure disappeared beyond the traffic jam, Sasuke, left alone, got up—
He tilted his head just a little.

***
The road he used to walk when he was a child had become a large river, and an arch-shaped
bridge was crossing it.
Or maybe it was a river in the past to begin with, and he had mistaken it for another road.
Completely forgetting where his house was.
Sasuke looked towards the Hokage Rock, and checked the group of skyscrapers that had been
built in a row in that direction.
Even if he didn’t follow after his daughter, if he aimed to that direction he’d probably
manage to reach the apartment house. Or he had hoped so, more or less.
After all, if it was in that direction, he’d reach again the road he had once walked on — it’s
not that he thought something like that. When he chose a back alleyway without pedestrian
traffic to avoid the hustle and bustle, he had stumbled across a river. Just that.
He crossed the bridge.
The bridge was steep, so he had climbed it, rather than crossing it.
When he could see the other side of the bridge as if it was the horizon beyond the ridge of a
mountain, Sasuke squinted.
On the bridge, there was a man crouching down.
He was sitting down, without moving because he had stood up too fast and he was dizzy… or
at least he had though so, but he was quite mistaken.
The man was in a squatting position, and it looked just as if he was lying in wait to carry
someone on his back.
«…»
Sasuke ignored the man, and took a detour. Just like his daughter had done to him.
When he was about to leave, «Good grief…» the man grumbled standing up straight. «I think
that people’s kindness should be accepted straight-forwardly.»
«Where’s the kindness of that?»
Sasuke turned back, looking over his shoulder, and glared at the man — Hatake Kakashi.
«You see… a middle-aged man is offering to give you a piggyback ride, you know? He’s
nothing but kind-hearted.»
The Sixth Hokage, Hatake Kakashi.
He had met him again a long time ago, but he hadn’t changed that much since that time. He
had stopped hiding his left eye with his forehead protector, but his grey hair that stuck up
here and there and his laid-back features were the same.
«Well, if he ended up carrying me on his back for real, I’d run away with all my strength
though. Because if you look at it from a third person’s point of view, it’s a terrible sight.
Carrying a fellow middle-aged man on your back.»
Sasuke asked Kakashi, who was saying “It’s gross and intense” with a hint of sarcasm «What
are you doing in a place like this?»
«Nh? Nothing, something caught my eye by chance.»
Kakashi laughed cheerfully with a haha.
«The figure of a pathetic papa whose daughter ignored his piggyback ride. I came to tease
him a little for that… it’s a joke. Don’t glare at me with such cold eyes.»
«…humph.» Sasuke snorted, and Kakashi took a short breath.
«Despite it’s been a while since we last met, that’s not a nice greeting. Something more,
maybe? Like a ritual where we both wish each other’s happiness—»
Kakashi waved his finger, searching for a suitable word.
«—mmh… a high-five, maybe?»
«There’s no need for that.»
Ignoring his raised palm, Sasuke stepped forward.
He intended to leave as well, but he was stopped by Kakashi, who touched his shoulder, and
he reluctantly turned back.
«What do you want. Do you still have some business?»
«Well, wait. It’s about you. Maybe because you’ve been travelling alone, your unsociability
increased a lot. Will you chat with people properly?»
«I do make conversations.»
«With who?»
Sasuke looked back to Kakashi with a blank expression, and kept silent.
After being lost deep in thoughts, some time passed until he found an answer.
«With Aoda.»
«He’s a snake. Didn’t I tell you “with people”?»
«Apparently, his great-grandchild became longer than him lately. He has told me so looking
happy.»
«Ah, really…»
Maybe because he had no interest in snake conversations, Kakashi’s eyes became vacant.
However, he immediately regained his spirit, and said «I had a hunch that it’s natural that
things are going badly with your daughter, from what I can see.» insinuating a snide remark.
The crease between Sasuke’s eyebrows deepened with a twitch.
«What do you mean?»
«Just what I said. I’ve caught sight of you guys from quite a distance, but even so it was
conveyed. That awkward atmosphere.»
«It’s just your impression. I have no problem whatsoever with Sarada.»
«Despite you tried to buy a candy to put her in a good mood?»
He had seen well even the minor details. Sasuke didn’t reply, instead he clicked his tongue.
«Well, it’s not much, but I’d not call you a good papa. If you’re okay with that, I’d like to
give you some advice though. How about it?»
«It’s none of your business.» Sasuke spat out sharply.
«Don’t talk like that… aah, you’re afraid that it will cause me troubles, so don’t worry about
it. I’ve already gave up the Hokage seat to my successor, I have plenty of free time.»
«…that’s not your real intention, right?»
When he cut up the “I just have free time”…
«No way–, I’ve been discovered.»
Unashamed, Kakashi rubbed the back of his head.
Before he discovered if it was his real intention or not, he thrust the point of his finger at him.
«However, try to remember well. There are very few people who were able to teach you
something.»
«That’s right. They’re like Itachi, and… that usuratonkachi.» he replied immediately, and
«Eh? Ah, yeah» Kakashi mumbled chewing the words.
«That’s right. And—»
«I’ve been taught Fire Release by my father.»
«Yeah, yeah. And—»
«Then, Orochimaru?»
«Him?»
«In his case, it’d be better saying that I snatched things away from him rather than being
taught…»
«And Chidori? Huh? Won’t you remember about Chidori as well?»
«…weren’t you unmarried to begin with? It doesn’t look like you can give me some advice.»
Maybe because he had the matter of Chidori cast aside, Kakashi narrowed even more his
half-closed eyes.
Restoring his broken facial expression, he said «Surely, the troubles of a parent that has got a
child… even if I were told something like that, I wouldn’t understand it though. Instead of
that… I’ve got a shot in my locker.»
Assuming an air of importance, Kakashi fetched the volume of a book.
«This is…»
For how long had he been reading that thing to make it turn like that?
The part that was hit by the sun had turned completely white, and the only dark trace left had
the shape of his fingers, when he opened the pages with one hand. Just like a handprint. It
looked just an old antique book from an outsider’s point of view, but…
«Make-Out Tactics.»
“It’s rude to say its title with a light-hearted feeling”. Kakashi’s voice had a hint of
seriousness as if he was telling him so.
«It’s my favourite book… something you could also call a manual on human life now.»
In response to Kakashi’s fervent speech, «Idiotic.» Sasuke’s voice was apathetic.
As if he wasn’t pleased with being denied with just one word, Kakashi oddly raised his voice
«It’s not idiotic!» and rebutted «The main point is that you want to be in good terms with
your daughter, right? Making-out is the same thing as that.»
«…the same thing?»
«The same thing. So, from now on I’ll transmit the key points of making-out to you. Listen,
first of all—»

***
Leaving Kakashi, he went back to the street of the food stands jammed with people.
Sasuke let his gaze wander around.
Among the people going back and forth hectically, it seemed difficult to look for a specific
face, but… he easily found the person he was looking for.
Uneasily pushing her way through the crowd of people, a girl with red clothes was standing
out. Sarada.
«Ah, here you were!»
Maybe because she had bumped into some passers-by, her glasses were askew. While she
adjusted it, she walked in front of him, looking sullen.
«Jeez, enough… don’t disappear of your own accord! You’re not a kid.»
Putting both her hands on her waist, Sarada panted deeply.
«Well, it’s my bad, too, because I went away without a word.»
«…»
Apparently, Sarada thought it was strange that her father showed no reaction of sort.
«Papa?»
Still no reply to her call.
While he turned around and stared at his daughter’s puzzling eyes, Sasuke was pondering
about a completely different thing.
Kakashi’s words.

«In order to shorten the distance between you, you absolutely must find a way to call
her somehow. There are also ways of calling people that include intimacy, right? Like
adding ‘chan’. In the case of ‘aniki’ and ‘oniichan’, the latter feels more familiar and
easy-going. Have you ever called someone adding ‘chan’? Like Sakura — no? Is that
so… well, there’s no need to change the way of calling her at this late hour though. If
it’s so, to begin with, you should call her with a pet name. I think that it’s good to
include a super familiar feeling, like when you call Naruto ‘usuratonkachi’… oi. Why
are you making such an unpleasant face. Anyhow, try to call your daughter, as a
test—»

«Peanut.»
«…eeh?»
At the word that Sasuke had whispered without even a warning, Sarada replied with a
grimace.
Even so, Sasuke continued, without minding her «You’re my cute peanut.»
«Why, it sounds forced.»
Those were the words of the characters of “Make-Out Tactics” that Kakashi had read out
loud (blushing), trying to mimic them. Of course, she had no way of knowing such a thing.
«I’m not a legume though…»
Of course, he couldn’t hold a conversation just quoting the words of a member of a couple.
As soon as he understood that there was no point in such a pet name, Sasuke immediately
erased the word “peanut” from his head. While he thought it had been a useless waste of
time, he turned his mind to the next plan Kakashi had taught him.
«I mean…»
Sarada’s bewildered face became stiff.
«Peanut… Papa, you haven’t called my name even once today. Could it be that you’ve
forgotten not only the whereabouts of our house, but my name as well?»
She hadn’t said it jokingly; on the contrary, Sarada’s eyes weren’t smiling at all.
«What are you talking about. You’re Sarada.»
«Eh. You remember.»
“For the time being” — adding so, Sarada turned around.
«…»
Sasuke took off the cloak he was wearing, and put it on Sarada’s shoulders.
«…what? It’s not particularly cold though.»
«Listen, wear it.»
Apparently Sarada didn’t understand the meaning of that, and frowned.
That was also a technique that Kakashi had quoted from “Make-Out Tactics”. He said that
the girl had fallen in love when the man had put his jacket on her shoulders.
Anyhow.
«Wow, it’s so cute!»
They heard giggles from somewhere, and Sarada’s shoulders jerked with a twitch.
«Really. It looks like she saw her dad wearing it, and she wanted to wear it too.»
«But that size is a little big… right?»
While he lent an ear to the passers-by’s whispers, Sasuke looked down to his daughter. At the
same time, also Sarada looked down on her body.
A too-large hem. Collapsed shoulders. His overcoat, which had been sewn to match Sasuke’s
height, didn’t match Sarada’s physique at all, and turned into a horrible and shameful outfit.
«…»
Sarada took off the cloak without saying anything, and she gave it back to her father, half-
throwing it away.
Also Sasuke didn’t object and accepted the cloak, and looked back to his daughter with just a
glance.
With a staggering way of walking, Sarada went towards the wave of people just like she had
emerged from it some time before. However, she stopped just before being swallowed by the
flow, and looked around over her shoulder.
«… today, Papa, you’re quite…»
Turning her eyes towards her father as if she was shooting at him, she spat out «…annoying.»

***
«Annoying, huh?»
Hahahaha, Kakashi’s insolent laughing voice reached him.
Sasuke pretended to disregard him, feigning ignorance, and stared at the flow of the river
leaning on his elbow on the handrail of the bridge.
After he had been refused by Sarada, feeling too awkward even just to accompanying her, he
had returned to the bridge for no particular reason. The one who was waiting for him over
there was Kakashi, with a broad smile.
«No way. You guys are parent and child. No matter how clumsy. You’re parent and child for
sure, yeah.»
Kakashi leant on the handrail from his back, and peered into his face. Like that, it was
difficult to keep ignoring him, so Sasuke sighed and looked at him with the corner of his eye.
«The book of some time ago… Make-Up something. Do you still have it?»
«You’re really a two-word guy, huh… It’s Make-Out Tactics. Of course I have it, but what
would you do with it all of a sudden? By any chance… Could it be that you’ve finally opened
your eyes for the goodness of Make-Out Tactics as well?» Kakashi asked in return with a
smile, maybe because he had anticipated the birth of a new comrade.
Also Sasuke replied immediately.
«Give it to me. I’ll throw it in the river.»
«…»
Kakashi removed his hand, which was in his breast pocket about to take the book, looking
lonesome.
«So harsh. Well, Make-Out Tactics was written before that child was born, so it’s a little out-
dated. If she had been a little older, she’d have easily lost though.»
“Anyhow”, Kakashi sighed in disappointment.
«If the strategies of Make-Out Tactics don’t apply to her, I’m afraid to say that there’s
nothing that can be done. No matter what I think about, there’s nothing at all. I’ve gotten old,
too.»
«It’s not the book I should throw in the river, Kakashi… it’s you.»
«Sure. Even you should probably cool your head, shall we jump together? If we drift to the
sea, also one good idea could come to our mind.»
Apparently, even if he said admirable things, Kakashi had no intention of getting wet for real,
so he hummed “Hmmm…” closing his eyes.
«Well, no matter how much I wrack my brain, a middle-aged man can’t understand
something like the feelings of a child… of a young girl. Asking someone who has a daughter
a thing like that would be quick and easy, right? Someone like Naruto.»
That could also be taken as an announcement of throwing in the towel though.
Sasuke shook his head.
«It’s impossible for him. Right now, he looks busy.»
«Mh… Surely Naruto has been straining his nerves a little too much lately. Also Konoha
became a village where a lot of people move to thanks to its growth. I understand that the
responsibilities of the Hokage increased since the time when I was in charge, but…»
«No. It’s not what I meant.»
He pointed his thumb towards the street with the food stands.
«I caught sight of him some time ago, but he was running around together with his daughter.»
«Naruto?»
As if he was quite surprised, Kakashi’s eyes opened wide.
«Yeah. Apparently he was looking for the Nine-Tails but… don’t tell me that he had his
Tailed-Beast removed?»
«If it’s so, he’d be in great troubles, that Naruto.»
«…considering all that, he looked healthy.»
One or two questions marks appeared above Sasuke’s head, as well as Kakashi’s. But if he
was healthy there was no problem, so they straightened their tilted heads.
«If we can’t discuss it with Naruto…»
Kakashi hung his head, and put his hand on his chin.
«Another parent who has a daughter… maybe Kurenai… no—»
Gulping down the words he was about to say, Kakashi sniffed with his nose hidden by the
black mask.
«There’s some other guy you’re familiar with.»
Kakashi looked towards the bridge.
When also Sasuke looked in the same direction, two people who were parent and child were
about to cross the bridge.
The father was a cool-looking guy with spiral marks on both his cheeks. He felt like he had
seen him somewhere but he didn’t remember — however, he did remember about the girl
that was with him. Dark skin and orange hair. It was the girl that was with Naruto the day he
came to the Shikoro Pass together with Sarada.
«Just as I expected when I thought that maybe they were giving out the scent of potato
chips.» Kakashi whispered to his ear while they were waiting for the father and daughter to
approach them. Surely the two of them were eating potato chips. Moreover, they weren’t
sharing a pack in two, they had one pack each.
«Ah, the Sixth!»
«And Sarada’s papa!»
They raised their voice, noticing them.
«Hey.» Kakashi answered them raising a hand.
«You two are enjoying the Parent and Child Day to the fullest, huh? Sorry, but can you give
me one?»
«Eh? E-err. Sure.»
The one who seemed the father handed the pack of potato chips to Kakashi.
…Where the heck did he see him before? Sasuke stirred up his memories, and searched for
his name. It had been an unbelievable difficult task, but—
«…I remembered.»
Sasuke made it somehow.
«Akimichi Chōji? I didn’t recognise you because you’ve become thin. In the past, you were
much fa—»
“—tter”, he was about to say, but swish, Kakashi threw something into his mouth.
«…»
It was a potato chip.
He questioned him only with his eyes. “The hell are you doing?”
Also Kakashi answered him only with his eyes. “Read the situation, will you?”
He was about to answer back, but the potato chip he was still holding in his mouth was in the
way. Since he looked stupid with it still there, for the time being he chewed it.
«…?»
At their wordless exchange, bewilderment rose on Chōji’s face.
To dodge the atmosphere of the place, Kakashi made a feigned laughter.
«Hahahaha… so bad, right? He was saying that he wanted to be on good terms with his
daughter, so we were thinking about this and that, but we were at our wit’s end. When we
were looking for a papa or a mama who has a daughter of the same age as his, you guys came
around.»
Chōji blinked, but he immediately nodded «I see.» in assent.
«Be in good terms with his daughter… if you say so.»
«Why don’t you try and eat potato chips together?»
Chōji looked down towards his daughter, who kept eating potato chips with a munch-munch.
«That’s right. Potato chips or something else, you should eat tasty things together.»
Also Chōji stuffed his cheeks with potato chips, and exchanged a smile with his daughter.
Their smiling faces looked quite alike.
Also Kakashi nodded back wearing a smile, but as soon as he turned around to Sasuke, he
became serious again.
«…if you say so.»
Sasuke shrugged. Even if he had been told to eat something delicious, he didn’t know
Sarada’s tastes. He just knew that she hated tomatoes.
«If it’s about Sarada-chan, rather than discussing it with us…» Chōji said while bringing
potato chips to his mouth in the pauses between his words.
«I think there’s a much more appropriate person.»
Sasuke frowned in puzzlement, and exchanged glances with Kakashi.

***
He had been taught the place by Chōji.
When he was standing alone before the door, Sasuke stretched his finger to the intercom.
«Co–ming.»
Right after the light sound of the chime, he heard a voice coming from inside.
He didn’t wait too much and the door opened, and the face of a woman peeked through it.
«Ah…»
As soon as she saw Sasuke, she looked at him dreamily, and because of that the door she had
opened began closing slowly — however, before it closed completely, it was opened again.
This time she did it with all her might, until the stopper of the door worked.
However, she stared at Sasuke’s face, forgetting even to move the hand from the wide open
door. After a short time, she let go of the hand with a start.
She hesitantly took some steps back, and cleared out the way to the entryway.
Crossing her hands behind her waist, «Welcome home, darling.» she — Sakura — said.
The wind that was blowing inside the house swayed her cherry blossom-coloured hair.
«Yeah. I’m home.»
Saying these words again after a long time, Sasuke had finally managed to return home.
«I knew that you were in Konoha because I’ve heard it from Sarada, but since you weren’t
coming back home… I was a little worried.» Sakura said with a lively voice while going
inside the house.
«Various things happened.»
Without telling her at all that he had forgot where their house was, Sasuke continued,
changing the topic, «Did Sarada come back home as well?»
«She came back once, but she left immediately after. Moreover, she was angry. I thought
we’d make dinner together after a long time.»
«…is that so.»
Unlike Sakura, who was heading to the kitchen, Sasuke stopped in the living room. In front
of the display shelf.
He looked down to the three photographs lined in a row there.
The photo of his wife and daughter one next to the other.
The photo taken when he was a boy, with Team 7.
And then, the photo taken some time before with the three of them, parents and child.
Since it had been a while since he last took a photograph, he had been harshly told by the
photographer things like “Dad, smile please–”, “Smile a little more”, “A little more
spontaneously—” and “…are your facial muscles dead or something?”.
«Do you miss those times?»
Sakura had returned with a teacup on a tray. Judging from her way of speaking, apparently
she had misunderstood that he was looking at the photo of Team 7.
«No. I was just looking.»
He fetched the teacup, and sipped the tea. He felt that Sakura’s gaze hadn’t moved from him.
She was staring fixedly at his face.
«What?»
«Darling, hasn’t your hair grown a lot?»
«…?»
Sasuke peeked into the teacup, and compared his own face reflected onto the surface of the
tea with his face installed in the picture frame. Surely, he noticed that it was longer than when
he had taken the photo, but…
«Do you want me to cut it?»
«No—»
He tried to turn down the offer.
Then Sasuke desisted «…yeah, please.»
«Got it. I’ll prepare everything, so wait a second.»
After following his wife, who was going far off while humming lightly, with his eyes, Sasuke
shifted his gaze back to the picture frame. The Sarada in the photo was making a dignified
expression.

«… today, Papa, you’re quite… annoying.»

It didn’t bear the slightest resemblance to the face Sarada made when she had spat it out
loathsomely.
«Here we go.»
When he turned around, a carpet had been spread in the middle of the living room, and a
chair had been placed on it.
«Yeah.»
Sasuke took off his cloak and lumped it together next to the picture frame, and sat down on
the chair. Since a cloth had been immediately wrapped around his neck, it didn’t change
anything though.
«The hair in front of the left eye can stay long to conceal the eye.»
Sakura restarted her humming, and fondled his hair with her fingertips.
«Then—» she asked, «The thing that’s in your mind is Sarada, right?»
At Sakura’s sudden question, Sasuke narrowed his eyes.
«…have you got in touch with Kakashi as well?»
«No, but… I know that much even if I don’t ask him.»
“Because we’re a married couple” — Sakura added in a small voice.
He tried to look around and rebut, but «Hey, don’t move.» Sakura forced his head back.
Immediately, chink — the sound of scissors resounded in his ears. He felt that his hair had
slipped off on the haircut cape.
Unwillingly, Sasuke, who was still turned in front, said «It’s not that I’m worried in
particular.»
«Really?»
«…»
Sasuke shut his mouth. He searched for the words he should say — but no matter which ones
he chose, they didn’t come out.
Sakura smiled.
«Look. You’re worried, as I thought.»
«It’s not that I’m worr—»
«Yeah, yeah, don’t move.»
This time the sound of the scissors resounded close to his other ear. Sasuke closed his mouth,
which had stiffened in the middle of his speech, and persisted in his silence, resigning
himself.
«Rebellious age… if you could settle everything with a word like that, it’d be easy.» Sakura
said while combing his hair with the comb.
«In that child’s case, I think that her feelings of longing towards her papa is stronger than the
other children. It’s proportionate to the fact that you don’t always meet, at any rate. Cooler
than any other papa, stronger than any other papa… well, it’s true though!»
Maybe because she was speaking fondly of him, Sakura was smiling embarrassedly.
«She gets disillusioned so much just at the mere sight of uselessness. Shannaro, really.
Getting worried for such an extravagant thing.»
His hair, which had fallen in his shoulders, was slowly brushed away.
«Sarada still doesn’t know very well the usual you. That’s why I think you should get in
touch with her normally without stiffening. “What should I do concretely?”… if you ask me,
I don’t know for sure, but…»
The hand that was brushing his shoulders slowly stopped.
Sakura continued her speech, still touching his shoulders.
«Isn’t it the same thing you wanted from your father when you were a child, darling?»

***
Near the river that was flowing in the forest, Sarada was preparing her shuriken.
Right below the river there was cliff, and the sound of the waterfall that streamed down
resounded thunderously. For the violence created by the water current of the cascade mouth,
the surface of the water was foaming white, and it was so violent it broke even the rocks.
Tossed about by such a violent flow, a target with two circles drawn on it was shaking.
She had tied the log with the target affixed on it to a nearby tree, and made it float in the
river.
The target, which was moving unpredictably, was probably the best thing for training with
shuriken.
She got ready to use the shuriken, and she threw it right away.
—Whoosh!
However, the shuriken missed the target by far, and pierced a tree on the opposite shore.
«…aah! Enough!» Sarada shouted, irritated. In the tree on the other shore, a great number of
shuriken were already pierced.
«Why can’t I do it right…»
Even if she grumbled, Sarada herself seemed to understand exactly the cause. She took a
deep breath over and over again, and calmed down.
«…alright!»
She prepared the shuriken, and threw it again. This time it went towards the middle of the
target as if it was being sucked up.
Sarada held her breath.
—Ching!
Just before hitting the target, someone’s shuriken knocked down Sarada’s shuriken.
«—!»
At that sudden intruder, Sarada put herself on guard with a start. However, as soon as she
looked at the bushes where the shuriken had been thrown, she relaxed her stance, looking
unamused.
«What. Can you not get in my way?»
The one who had thrown his shuriken against hers was… Sasuke.
«…»
Sasuke went out of the bushes without a word, and stood next to Sarada. She squinted in
puzzlement, but in the end she decided to ignore him.
She turned around towards the target above the water, and threw the shuriken again — but
even so.
—Ching!
Also this time, just before it could hit the target, the shuriken Sasuke had thrown got in the
way.
«Hey!»
With a sidelong glance to Sarada, who was about to protest, Sasuke checked the target, and
fired the shuriken.
While yelling «Ah!», also Sarada threw her shuriken.
—Chiching!
Sasuke’s shuriken, which was going towards the target, this time was knocked down by
Sarada’s shuriken.
«Yup!»
Sarada assumed a triumphant pose as if she had hit the target, but when she noticed Sasuke
was looking at her, she turned her back to him, ashamed.
At her attitude, Sasuke showed a weak smile.
«I heard it from Sakura.» Sasuke said while preparing the next shuriken.
«That you want to become Hokage.»
When they had caught sight of Naruto and his daughter in the street of the food stands,
Sasuke thought that Sarada was envying the figure of an intimate parent and child. However,
it was a mistake. The thing she was looking at wasn’t “Naruto the father”, but “Naruto the
Hokage”.
«…so what. Do you want to laugh at an absurd dream?»
«No.»
Sasuke shook his head, and resumed his speech «Even I wanted to become Hokage once.»
«Eh?»
Taking the chance that Sarada was startled in puzzlement, Sasuke threw his shuriken.
Coming to her senses, also Sarada threw her shuriken in a hurry. The two shuriken clashed,
and fell into the river making a piercing metallic sound.
«It’s the first time I hear about it.»
«The ones I’ve told are just several people. It was the wrong place and timing to declare so.»
And also the ideology he had expressed was wrong.
Before saying so, Sasuke quickly threw the shuriken. Stealthily, Sarada aimed to the target.
—Chiiing!
Again, the two shuriken disappeared in the river.
Tch, Sarada clicked her tongue.
Sasuke narrowed his eyes, and the corners of his mouth lifted slightly. Just slightly.
He intended to smile, but did it look like a sneer in Sarada’s eyes? She got angry.
However, it was just a moment.
Sarada chuckled triumphantly, and lightly showed her right hand. Caught in the spaces
between her fingers, three shuriken were sparking dark grey.
A moment later, she threw them all together. The three shuriken drew a curve, and went
towards the target.
However.
—Ching! Clang! Chiching!
«—eeh!?»
The three shuriken, no one excluded, were repelled by Sasuke’s shuriken and fell down.
Moreover, with just one throw, just one shuriken.
Sarada stared at Sasuke with a look that she couldn’t believe her eyes.
Also Sasuke looked down to his daughter.
«…humph.»
This time he didn’t smile, he laughed scornfully.
That was the signal of beginning.
Sarada closed her eyes, and she slowly turned towards the target.
When she opened her eyes again, her eyes were dyed red. The Sharingan she had inherited
from her father.
«If you want to make fun of me…»
She crossed both her arms in front of her chest. As if she had fetched them from somewhere,
plenty of shuriken were clutched in her hands.
«Don’t get too cocky!»
Swinging her arms from below, Sarada threw the first one towards the target. She brandished
another one with a wide movement. And then—
Sarada threw the shuriken in succession. Sasuke calmly knocked down the cluster of
shuriken, which was gliding endlessly like a barrage. Also that with the same ease as if he
was shooing away a fly.
While the metallic sound echoed incessantly, Sasuke opened his mouth.
«The Hokage I was aiming to be… was distorted.»
«You’re distracting me, shut up!» Sarada yelled back without resting her hands.
However, Sasuke continued, without caring about her.
«But I had a friend that admonished me about my distortion. He walked in front of me, and
showed me the right path… that guy.»
«What’s up with you lately? Boasting that you too were a bad guy in the past? Or boasting
about your friend!?»
«He isn’t a friend I can boast about. He is just an usuratonkachi that plunges forward in the
direction he think it’s right.»
«I don’t get what you mean!»
«If you’re looking at his back… you probably won’t walk down the wrong path just like I
did. You’ll surely become a splendid Hokage.»
«Eh?»
«I’ll cheer you. Don’t give up.»
“Don’t tell me that he’s thinking about shouting like a cheerleader?” Sarada was gaping wide.
—Then. The last shuriken she had thrown had taken the wrong way, and cut the rope that was
tying the target. In one second it was swallowed by the violent current, and the target floated
towards the waterfall.
«…ah.» Sarada grumbled regretfully.
The hand that she had prepared for the shuriken was slowly losing strength, but—
«Are you giving up?» Sasuke said, and her hand stopped suddenly.
When she turned around and looked at Sasuke’s eyes, she showed a bold smile.
«Don’t say foolish things.»
Sarada turned towards the mouth of the waterfall, and prepared another shuriken.
When her Sharingan perceived the edge of the cliff, the target was about to fall from the
waterfall, and showed its figure in midair.
Without missing that moment, Sarada swung down her arm.
With a trajectory that had a hint of a curve, the shuriken went towards the target — but the
speed in which the target was falling was faster, and it didn’t reach it by a hair’s breadth.
Sarada bit her lips in frustration.
It happened that moment.
—Whoosh!
Sasuke threw a shuriken from behind his daughter.
It approached Sarada’s shuriken with a terrific speed, and it almost knocked it down to the
basin of the waterfall.
—Thud!
Then the sound that it pierced the tree reached their ears.
Sarada was dumbfounded, but when she finally came to her sense she ran to the edge of the
cliff. Also Sasuke followed after her, and looked down the cliff next to his daughter.
Far-off down there, the shuriken was firmly stuck in the middle of the target that was floating
up from the basin of the waterfall.
«…Papa, awesome…» Sarada muttered opening her mouth in amazement, forgetting even
that she was angry with him.
«It wasn’t me. The one I hit was your shuriken.»
At this far-fetched answer, Sarada grimaced, but… she immediately broke into a smile, and
relaxed her shoulders.
Looking down to his daughter smiling carefreely, Sasuke opened his mouth just a little. In his
mind, there were the words his wife told him.

«Isn’t it the same thing you wanted from your father when you were a child, darling?»

When he had been told so, the nostalgic feeling he felt in front of the vacant land was brought
back again to his memory.
A brat with still some innocence left frantically tried to be acknowledged by his father.
Living up to his father’s expectations.

«As expected from my son.»

—To make him say this to me.

While remembering the feeling that once welled up in his chest, Sasuke was about to say the
same words also to Sarada.
«As expected from my—»
Exactly, he was about to tell her.
Sasuke hesitated. Those words weren’t something he could say for hitting the target with the
shuriken at most. For something much more different. Or, when she fulfilled a great dream—
«…?»
Maybe because he had fallen silent all of a sudden, Sarada looked strange, but «Aah. When I
trained, I got a little hungry.» she immediately recovered her smiling face, and followed his
previous suggestion with a roundabout expression.
«Can you buy something sweet for me? A candied apple or something.»
However, as soon as she looked at her father’s expression again, her smiling face faded away.
She had guessed it.
«…you’re going away already?»
«Yeah. I stopped by just to report my mission to Konoha. I hadn’t planned to stay for a long
time from the start.»
«…right. When will you come to report next time…?»
«I don’t know.»
When he answered shortly to his daughter’s muffled voice, Sasuke made the hem of his cloak
sway, and turned around.
While feeling Sarada’s presence, who was about to say something, behind him, he walked
towards the forest.
However, hearing the sound that Sarada was sniffing, he stopped his feet.
When he turned back, she had removed her glasses in a hurry, and she was rubbing the corner
of her eyes.
«…»
He slowly closed again the distance he had just opened—
Sasuke pointed his fingertips to his daughter’s forehead.
With wet eyes, Sarada glared at him.
«…are you going to dodge the matter with a forehead poke again?»
Sasuke’s hand stopped suddenly.
It’s not that he hadn’t thought “What about the forehead poke?”.
Sasuke moved the hand that was going towards her forehead sideways, and touched Sarada’s
shoulder.
«It’s not a forehead poke.»
He sat down, matching the height of his eyes with his daughter’s.
«It’s Fire Release.» Sasuke said, staring intently at his daughter’s eyes.
«When I come back home next time, I’ll teach you Fire Release.»
Sarada was taken aback, but Sasuke smiled at her.
She grinned in return with her whole face.
INTERLUDE 4: WITH SHINO-SENSEI! HELICOPTER PARENT?

Due to the nature of his teaching job, the people he used to talk with were his pupils at any
rate — only children. However, he also talked with adults. They were co-workers, superiors,
and traders that were coming and going in the Academy. Then—
«…hum»
«…nh.»
Shino, who was walking down the Village Hidden in the Leaves’ main street, noticed
someone who was walking right in towards him, and stopped his feet.
Also the other one stopped his feet, just like him.
Facing each other like that, the words that had come out were “hum” and “nh”. Shino was
“hum”. Talking with adults. Co-workers. Superiors. Traders. And then.
«Uchiha Sasuke…»
He talked also with his pupils’ guardians.
Shino was face to face with Sasuke.
«Aburame Shino…?»
When Uchiha Sarada, his former pupil, needed a guardian to accompany her, her mother
Sakura had always been in charge. After he became a teacher of the Academy, he had never
had the chance to talk with Sasuke until now.
Or rather than that, he didn’t have many chances to do it before he became a teacher.
When they were chūnin, when they were genin… no, since when they were classmates at the
Academy, had he ever deliberately talked with him? He tried to remember, but he only was
caught in the memory that he exchanged two, three words with him in front of Kankurō of
the Sand, when Orochimaru attacked Konoha.
Lost in his reverie, Shino unconsciously stared at the void. Just one conclusion came to his
mind.
(What should I say… I don’t know.)
That was probably the same for the other one. In response to Shino looking at the void,
Sasuke stared at the ground. However.
«Come to think of it.»
Unexpectedly, the one who fired the first shot of the conversation was Sasuke.
«It looks like you looked after my daughter at the Academy.»
«Y-yeah.»
Conscious of the relationship teacher-pupil’s guardian, Shino adjusted his collar for no
particular reason.
Cough, after clearing his throat, Shino said «The path she intends to walk on isn’t an easy
path at all. It will probably turn into a painful and relentless journey, but… somehow, I want
to watch over her as a father.»
«…as a father, huh…»
As if he was thinking about something, a meditative look floated on Sasuke’s face.
«In that case… I may have to ask you something as a father.» Sasuke muttered, putting a
hand on his chin.
«—ad bugs?»
«…? What was it?» Shino asked back, not hearing the words that had come out.
When he strained his ears…
«Didn’t she get involved with some bad bugs?»
This time he understood well.
He had understood well—
«…»
Shino looked up to the sky again.
This time he didn’t end up in a reverie, but he wanted to calm down his heart looking at some
blue thing.
Since it was passing through his goggles, the colour of the sky was very dark though.
Shino drew the kanji “endurance” in his mind.
Once wasn’t enough, he drew it two, three times.
“Endurance” “endurance” “endurance”… the kanji “endurance” had started to become
bewitching as if he was really writing “endurance”, and he tried to change it in hiragana. E-n-
d-u-r-a-n-c-e.
Ninjas are people who endure. There’s nothing he could do about it.
…however, contrary to his resolution, his body began trembling.
«B-bugs…»
Also his voice was trembling in the same way.
«Bugs have nothing bad in them!!»
The many “endurance”s that Shino had drawn on his head were quickly eaten up by a swarm
of bugs.
 NARUTO’S TRUE STORY – PARENT AND CHILD DAY
by Mirei Miyamoto

EPILOGUE

The “Parent and Child Day” had ended peacefully, and the following day came.
Naruto sat down on the chair of the Hokage office, and sighed deeply.
Leaning the nape of his neck on the back of the chair, he stared at the ceiling absent-
mindedly.
It was the ceiling he was used to see.
However, for some reason he felt like he was seeing it for the first time after a long time.
Despite he had been away for just one day.
He wondered if it was because he had been always looking only above the desk.
Then, he heard the sound of footsteps getting near in the hallway. That was also a sound he
was accustomed to hear. Shikamaru.
«Even if it’s just after a holiday, you’ve got a horrible face.» Shikamaru said with a bitter
smile as soon as he opened the door.
Naruto stroked his own cheek.
«Am I making a face that strange?»
«It’s clearly written “exhausted” on it. Didn’t you rest?»
Naruto moved the hand on his cheek to the nape of his neck.
«I’ve been running around for the whole day, so it’s probably because of that dattebayo.»
«Is that so.»
Also Naruto asked back to Shikamaru, who had closed the door with another bitter smile
«And you? Have you rested properly?»
«No, not at all. Far from resting, I’ve been almost killed by rice flour dumplings.»
«…rice flour dumplings…?»
He thought that maybe it was some kind of joke, but Shikamaru was serious.
«In addition, when I came back home, Temari got angry saying something like “What are
you coming back home for after you lost!”. With an extremely angry look… I’ve almost been
killed by her, too.»
Shikamaru, who muttered “A little more, and this holiday would have become my death
anniversary…”, looked worn-out.
«Anyway.»
Even if in a small voice, his tone of voice was quite indifferent. Shikamaru continued «This
holiday wasn’t bad, you know. It was better than just a day-off in which you just go back
home to sleep.»
“Right?” being called to his attention, Naruto answered with a broad smile «Yeah. Far from
being not bad… it was the best holiday ‘ttebayo.»
“If you wish, I could make one a month.” When he added so, Shikamaru slightly lifted the
corner of his mouth.
«In that case… there might be good news for you.»
With a thud, a bunch of paper was thrown on his desk.
«…? What’s that?»
«The petitions that arrived this morning. The subject is—»
When Shikamaru was about to explain, he heard voices coming from out of the window.
They were no talking voices. A great crowd had gathered, and they were yelling something…
out loud.
«…?»
He went near the window in puzzlement, and looked outside.
«Wha—what’s that?»
A crowd had formed in front of the Hokage residence. They were as much as the ones who
had gathered at the Masuda Shop the day before — no, they were even more.
When he opened the window and put his head out of it, their voices arrived even more
clearly.
«Just parents and children is cheatiiiing!»
«Yeah! And a “Husband and Wife Day”? There should be also a “Older and Younger Sister
Day!»
«Also an “Alone Day”, please! An event where alone men and women gather together, yeah,
and listen to each other’s hobbies and annual incomes and plans for the future…»
«That’s just a formal marriage interview! Rather than that, a “Older and Younger Brother
Day”!»
Nagging, everyone was making demands about what they liked.
«You’re noisy! Husband and wife and brothers, don’t make such a fuss about guys you can
go and visit whenever you like! The thing we need now is a “Grandfather and Grandchild
Day”! Make a “Grandfather and Grandchild Day” for old men that seldom meet their
grandchildren!!»
The one who yelled it with a remarkably big voice was a remarkably big man — Akimichi
Chōza.
With him… he wondered if it was his imagination. Hiding behind his huge body, it seemed
that also his father-in-law Hyūga Hiashi was yelling the same thing.
«A “Dog Daaaaay”! Make a “Dog Daaaaaay”!!»
It was Kiba’s voice. With him, well, he tried not to make eye contact.
«…they filled their petitions with feelings of that sort.»
Shikamaru’s voice came from behind him.
«What do we do? Do we make one a month?»
Receiving Shikamaru’s provocative look, Naruto looked blankly at him for a while.
«Hehe.»
He smiled broadly, and fetched the Hokage seal from the desk.
«Husband and Wife and Alone, Brothers and Sisters… and while I’m at it, Grandfather and
Grandchildren and Dogs, was it?»
Surely the “Parent and Child” day deepened the relationship between parents and children.
However, sisters and couples — those except for parents and children shouldn’t be an
exception. The important thing wasn’t the name written on the calendar, it was spending time
together and share the feelings.
If he had this opportunity, it wasn’t painful, no matter how hard he worked.
«For the present time, I’ll make them happy proclaiming all these holidays ‘ttebayo!»
Naruto raised the hand that was holding the seal higher and higher over his head.