Gift Preparation

The Transformation Jutsu was basic, but incredibly useful. At least when it came to designing and making clothes, he could try on a design the moment it was drawn. Once it looked good and fit properly, he could make all the final adjustments before cutting the fabric and sewing it according to the design.

Looking at the huge spread of supplies that had appeared in the Uchiha estate's living room today, with steam also billowing from the kitchen, Naruto asked, "Sasuke, are you making clothes yourself? You're so rich, why not just buy them?"

"I'm an Uchiha. Ready-made clothes outside won't specifically sew on the Uchiha clan crest. And if I commissioned them, how many tailors on good terms with the Uchiha would be willing to put real effort into the design?"

"I don't really want to do it either. My mother used to be responsible for making clothes."

Naruto immediately got emotional again. "I don't even know what my mom looked like..."

Sasuke rolled his eyes at Naruto's back and muttered, "Sorry." He was practically getting used to Naruto becoming emotional at the drop of a hat. It came quickly, and it passed quickly too.

The real reason wasn't that complicated. If he was willing to spend money, he could definitely find someone. In truth, Sasuke simply thought the clothes designed in the world of Naruto were ugly—at the moment, especially the old clothes left behind by the Uchiha.

Since he was visiting someone's home, he wanted to dress more formally. A Montsuki Haori Hakama was his first choice. It wasn't as if he had none in his wardrobe, and the sizing was adjustable enough that it would still fit him at ten years old.

But they were just too ugly. Though they had once been one of Konoha's great clans, never mind the clothing design—was the fabric seriously not a joke? At best, it was a little finer than the rough clothes worn for fieldwork. It couldn't even be called refined. Dye it some dull, murky color, sew on a clan crest, and call it done.

Fugaku Uchiha had been the clan head, yet the old clothes he left behind did not look any better than those of the other clansmen. At least he had treated everyone equally.

Having transmigrated from an era of information explosion, Sasuke's standards were anything but ordinary. League of Legends, Onmyoji, Final Fantasy, Blade & Soul, fashion week runways...

He wasn't about to make an outfit as exaggerated as something from a game, but he could still suitably add adjustments to the edges, accessories, and subtle patterns without making it look out of place.

There were ready-made clothes available that he could take apart to study sewing techniques and stitching patterns. There was even a sewing machine. He wasn't proficient with it, but it wasn't especially difficult either.

He casually sketched out ten rough design drafts. He would still need to visit a fabric shop to look around, and perhaps a ninja tool shop as well.

Sasuke headed out, while Naruto went to the kitchen to watch the excitement again. Several large basins were soaking grains, and there was also a huge pile of bowls and basins.

"I rarely see you make this much stuff. Are you brewing alcohol again this time?"

"No. I'm brewing plenty of alcohol, but while this stuff can be used for that too, I'm planning to make some snacks to bring with us. We can't exactly visit empty-handed."

Snacks!

Although Sasuke's cooking always came with a learning period—otherwise known as a scrapping period—the products of his practice were never too awful. Naruto could even take the chance to laugh at him.

"So, what is it? Can we eat it today? Is it something new?"

"This time it's a secret. I won't make many test batches either, so don't get your hopes up."

Watching Sasuke get busy, even bringing out his actual body instead of going to train or read, Naruto felt a little nervous.

"Sasuke, should I prepare something to bring too?"

"You don't have to. It's not a big problem."

Naruto truly had no money. Everyone knew that after he had been an orphan for so long. Sasuke, on the other hand, had a whole clan's worth of corpses to rely on. Even a starved camel was bigger than a horse; even if the dead camel's meat had been eaten clean, there would still be bones left to render plenty of oil from. If he really showed up empty-handed, people would not only look down on the Uchiha—given that old thief Sarutobi's character, people might even gossip behind his back.

Though Sasuke would be happy if Sarutobi got criticized behind his back, hurting himself eight hundred just to wound the enemy a thousand felt like too much of a loss. Besides, the enemy was a half-dead old man with only a few years left to live. The Uchiha's reputation was his own reputation, and that was obviously far more important.

"What adult would mind a visiting guest—especially a child—not bringing a gift? Even if they did mind, they wouldn't show it. Don't worry."

How could Naruto possibly relax after hearing Sasuke put it that way?

"But you're preparing so many things. If I don't prepare anything at all, won't they definitely dislike me by comparison? I don't want Shikamaru's family to dislike me the first time I visit."

"Sasuke, hurry up and help me think of something."

...It seemed he was the one who had started this competition. Starting one really wasn't great, was it?

"How about bringing the gifts with me? We can say we prepared them together."

"But everyone knows I can't do this stuff. They'll definitely know you prepared it."

"Didn't you grow some vegetables too? There aren't many vegetables in this season. Do you still have any left behind?"

Naruto pursed his lips. "Winter came too early. More than half the vegetables I planted died before they even had time to flower. And the vegetables you planted outside all died too, right? You cheated by growing some inside that glass house. This year doesn't count. When the weather gets warmer next year, we'll compete again."

"Competing over growing vegetables isn't very interesting... What did you plant with the other half?"

"Potatoes. There's no room in my house to store them, so I just left them in the ground. Maybe some are still alive. Probably."

Potatoes. They were versatile enough, and Sasuke could think of plenty of dishes to make with them, though there were only a few kinds of snacks.

"Do you want to bring something as a gift for Shikamaru's family, or do you plan to share it directly with Shikamaru and the others?"

Naruto clearly did not have that much insight. "What's the difference?"

"One would be something they accept but might find inconvenient to use immediately because it's too raw or too extravagant. The other would be snacks that they might put out and eat right away."

Seeing Naruto's blank, clueless expression, Sasuke began to wonder whether his own ability to explain things was the problem.

"I'll write you a list. Choose for yourself."

Limited by the ingredients and the appearance required for a gift, there were not many options.

"I think I should make some snacks after all. You'll teach me, right?"

As for gifts for the adults, almost all the choices came from Sasuke's stores. Naruto seemed not to have considered that at all.

Sasuke knew Naruto's first instinct was not to let him interfere too much, but they were unfamiliar adults, and he had no idea what they thought of Naruto. Giving gifts rashly would not necessarily have a good effect. It would be better to simply have fun among friends. This decision was, in a way, accidentally the right one.

"No problem. Pick two."

"Can't I pick them all?"

"If we carry a bunch of bags over, it'll look a bit like we just went shopping at the supermarket. As first-time visitors, it'll probably cost us some points in their impression of us. If people who don't know the situation see it, they might think the people inviting us just want gifts. That wouldn't be good."

Naruto was shocked. "Strangers would think that way?"

Sasuke was unsurprised. "It's precisely because they don't know us that they'll make wild guesses. When they gossip behind people's backs, they always have plenty to say."

They went down to check Naruto's months of work. The potatoes had been buried underground. Although some had rotted, fortunately quite a few were still edible. They dug them all up at once. They would not use much this time, but drying and storing them would keep them from continuing to rot or freezing.

There were limited ways to prepare potatoes while they remained potatoes, but once turned into starch, there were many more options.