Visiting the Nara

"The Nine-Tails monster and the Uchiha are hanging around together again."

"It'll be New Year's soon. Just seeing them is bad luck!"

Damn, I had to listen to this trash talk again. They were the real bad luck.

Naruto liked causing trouble, but he could still avoid this sort of thing that invited abuse whenever possible.

Whenever he went for the occasional stroll in clothes bearing the clan crest, it was only because he had nothing better to do and wanted to add a few more foul-mouthed names to the Death Note, then find a chance to purify Konoha's bloodline in the future.

Seeing Naruto about to lose his temper, Sasuke opened his Two Tomoe.

"I told you, be a little quieter today. We haven't even reached Shikamaru's Family yet, and your clothes will be wrinkled. At least leave a good impression on other people's parents."

"But, Sasuke..."

Bang, bang! Ah! Ow!

The sounds came from behind them.

The people who had spoken rudely either ran into walls or fell over.

"Let's leave it at that. We can't kill them in the street right before New Year's, can we, Naruto?"

A chill ran down Naruto's spine. He laughed awkwardly. "Of course we can't just kill people..."

Since they had already received a small punishment, they no longer intended to argue with those people.

"Hmph. I'll splash paint on them after New Year's!"

"I've always been curious—where do you get paint? Wouldn't buying that stuff to wreck things everywhere be expensive?"

"I usually collect leftover paint that other people don't want. The building materials shop owner also secretly sells some to me on the side, saying he can use it to compare and advertise or something... Even though adding thinner makes it last a long time, it really does cost quite a bit."

Naruto suddenly thought of something.

"I've got an idea!"

Sasuke felt a trace of foreboding rise in his heart.

"What idea? Don't do anything reckless."

Using a new expression he had learned from Sasuke, Naruto said, "A way that doesn't cost money, but it's confidential for now."

Well, damn. The riddle cult had gained a new disciple...

"Pranks will only make other people hate you more. They won't change their minds about you."

Naruto stiffened his neck.

"Of course I know that. The people I prank are all people who've said bad things about me."

"I never prank Ichiraku Ramen."

"Those people deserve it!"

That was Naruto's explanation. There was cause and effect to it, so there really was nothing wrong with it. Besides, with Anbu watching him, it wasn't as if he could burn down someone's house.

"Then it's not a big problem."

*

Shikamaru's Family was not far from Naruto's little nest, about a ten-minute walk away. It was a stretch of woodland right beside the village center.

Although the Uchiha Clan Grounds were large, they could at most be considered suburban villas. This place was a downtown villa, the kind with an absurdly high proportion of greenery. To compare them fairly, it would have to be somewhere like Chaoyang Road.

Naruto eagerly stepped forward and knocked on the door. "Shikamaru, Shikamaru, we're here!"

Sasuke felt a little troubled. He had reminded Naruto many times to keep it down. The Nara were still a clan, after all. Being so loud and boisterous was not very polite.

A moment later, Shikamaru came to open the door. Seeing the serious pair standing outside, he said, "Honestly, I told you not to be so formal. You're making me feel awkward."

That was right. When Naruto saw Sasuke making clothes, he said he had never worn anything like them and wanted to try them on. Though he was a little shorter, they fit him perfectly... so Sasuke gave Naruto that set, only adding a clan crest to it.

Sasuke wore a dark gray haori with long bean-colored trousers and a scarf, with a strange Pokémon ball with a handle on his back.

Naruto, meanwhile, wore a bright orange juban, a sky-gray haori, and beige long trousers with vertical stripes and gold accents. On his back was an Uzumaki clan crest without a background, embroidered in bright yellow thread.

Limited by the available fabrics and styles, he could only keep things this simple. After roughly looking around Konoha, Sasuke found that the flashiest fabric was actually ninja mesh, while the prettiest patterned cloth had been found in wrapping cloths...

Originally, Sasuke had preferred the lighter-colored set Naruto was wearing. But he thought it would be easy to get dirty at a gathering and could not bear to wear it, so he changed out of it. After giving it to Naruto, it was no longer his anyway. Even if it got dirty, it would not be dirtied by his own hands, so he could trick himself into feeling less heartbroken.

Hearing Shikamaru complain, Naruto chimed in, "That's what I said! It's winter, sure, but it's not that cold. He insisted on wearing a scarf, talking about layering and all that. He's so flashy!"

Shikamaru said helplessly, "That's not what I was talking about at all. Come in first."

There was not much sound along the way. Sasuke asked, "Where are the others?"

"Ino Still need to watch the shop for a while. Business is good during the holiday today. Choji will come over after lunch, dessert, afternoon snacks, and afternoon tea."

Sasuke was somewhat speechless. "Can Choji still eat dinner after eating that much?"

Shikamaru spread his hands and smiled. "You still haven't spent enough time with him. He'll come to my house and have another round of tea snacks, and you won't have to worry about it affecting his dinner, midnight snack, or bedtime snack. Do you think he doesn't eat anything before going to your place to hang out?"

Naruto nodded fervently. "As long as he doesn't eat too much all at once, he can keep eating forever. He's super amazing!"

Unlike the Uchiha residence, where the clan's fan crest was found everywhere, the Nara home did not display its clan crest. Instead, it featured hand-painted ink-wash landscapes of deer living among mountains and rivers. They were not mass-produced copies; not a single deer painting on the paper doors was the same.

The artistic atmosphere was completely maxed out. The Uchiha could not compare.

Shikamaru seemed used to it, while Naruto could not understand it and did not care. Sasuke felt like he was the only one stunned by it, which made him seem overly impressed, so he could only admire it quietly in his heart.

The other furnishings were mostly similar to those in the Uchiha residence, but the garden was not laid out so squarely. It seemed to blend into the surrounding woods, with no real sense of boundaries.

Shikamaru led the two through a corridor and saw a middle-aged man sitting in front of a shogi board with a game half played. Then he called toward somewhere inside, "Mom, Sasuke and Naruto are here!"

As for who the man in front of them was, did that even need to be said?

"Excuse us."

"Hello, Senior Shikaku. Thank you for Shikamaru's invitation. Sorry to trouble you today."

Naruto greeted him as well. "Excuse us."

Then he took out a Summoning Scroll and slapped out the prepared gifts.

"This is alcohol I made myself. I don't know what strengths or flavors Senior Shikaku and the other elders usually drink, so there's some distilled liquor, sake, and sweet wine. The sweet wine hasn't been pasteurized, so it cannot be stored for long. It should taste better if consumed within three to seven days."

Just then, Shikamaru's mother came over carrying soda drinks.

"Hello, Auntie. Sorry to trouble you today." *2

Sasuke suddenly realized that he did not know Shikamaru's mother's name.

Auntie's expression had been polite, but the moment she saw the bottles in front of Shikaku, she dropped the act. "Sasuke, you drink alcohol at home at such a young age? That won't do. You're not even an adult yet!"

Sasuke broke out in a cold sweat. This motherly aura was intense.

"Thank you for your concern, Auntie. I use some alcohol while practicing Fire Style to increase its power. But since it comes from grain, the middle portion after removing the heads and tails looks quite good. It felt wasteful to use it for training, so I stored some away. Drinking is not good for keeping a clear head, so I usually do not drink much."

After hearing Sasuke's explanation, Yoshino Nara's expression softened slightly.

Shikaku also eased the atmosphere. "So Sasuke is still very sensible. They're guests today, after all. Don't be too strict."

Was it not okay to criticize outsiders? Nara turned to Shikaku. "You too, drink less!"