After the Uchiha Clan massacre, Naruto also stopped letting his parents come visit him. He was afraid Sasuke would be saddened if he saw them, so he told them that writing to him would be enough.
Minato Namikaze and Kushina Uzumaki were both stunned when they heard.
Kushina exclaimed that she couldn't bear it, while Minato patted Naruto's head and praised him for growing up.
After that, they kept in touch by letter, making sure Sasuke never noticed.
Of course, Minato Namikaze and Kushina Uzumaki had come by, too. They watched Naruto from the shadows without meeting him.
Naruto had asked Fei Shi to revive Uchiha Fugaku and Mikoto Uchiha, but Fei Shi refused, citing the Uchiha Clan Compound having been burned to the ground, leaving none of their living matter behind.
To wear the crown, one must bear its weight.
He hadn't watched Boruto: Naruto Next Generations. But that didn't mean the Otsutsuki Clan didn't exist or wouldn't come.
Their strength was still unknown. Even if he could take on all the Otsutsuki Clan's top fighters, its mid- and low-ranking members were still more than the Ninja World could withstand in its current state.
So Naruto and Sasuke had to grow stronger.
Since they had the potential, they would have to wear that crown whether they wanted to or not.
If he could return, it would have to be through the system. But the system had told him he couldn't go back, which meant it either had no way to do so or couldn't.
Since he was living here, he had to protect this world.
"Come on, come on! Did you invite all your friends? The little Ino-Shika-Cho kids, huh? And who's this? Sakura? Not bad, Sasuke. You've already found yourself a wife."
"No! You! Move!"
"Sasuke is so cool!~(￣▽￣~)~"
"Neji, you only brought two classmates?"
"Yes, Uncle. These two are classmates I'm quite close to."
"Hello, sir! I'm Rock Lee! Please take good care of me!"
"Hahahaha, just like Might Guy—a kid full of energy!"
"Hello, sir. I, um, I'm Tenten."
"Hahahaha, what a cute girl!"
Then Fei Shi went over to a Nokia and called someone.
"Hello! Who is this?"
"Asuma! You bastard, where the hell have you gone? Weren't you supposed to invite people? Where are they? Why haven't they arrived yet? You'd better not have gone off to play lovesick puppy again!"
Asuma sounded a little awkward on the other end. He wanted to argue, but couldn't think of a good reason.
"Ahem. You know Kurenai is right beside me. Could you at least show me a little respect?"
Asuma replied in a low voice.
"Respect? If you like her, just tell her already! You're taking forever. At this rate, by the time you succeed, my kid will be old enough to run errands."
"Tch, it's not like you didn't spend ages chasing Yugao—"
"Mm!"
The mood turned awkward.
"Hahahaha, go on, Big Brother Asuma. I'm listening."
Fei Shi replied with a smile that didn't reach his eyes.
"Uh, Fei Shi, bro! You can call me bro, okay?! I didn't mean to!"
Asuma wanted to slap himself. Why had he run his mouth and brought up someone else's sore spot?
"I'm done for! Bring Kurenai over here to help!"
"Beep, beep, beep..."
Hearing the dead tone, Asuma could only laugh bitterly to himself. I'm screwed.
About half an hour later, Kakashi Hatake, Might Guy, Asuma Sarutobi, Kurenai Yuhi, Gekko Hayate, and Genma Shiranui all arrived.
Of course, Fei Shi hadn't forgotten to invite Umino Iruka, either.
Uzuki Yugao, Kurenai Yuhi, Mitaraishi Anko, Hinata, Sakura Haruno, Ino Yamanaka, Tenten, and the others came to help Fei Shi make dumplings.
That's right, it was New Year's Eve. The festive atmosphere was just like New Year's Eve in his previous life. How could they not have dumplings at a time like this?
So he'd asked Naruto and Neji to invite their friends, while he invited Kakashi and the others.
Fei Shi taught the girls how to make dumplings as he worked alongside them.
Kakashi, Asuma, Might Guy, Umino Iruka, Gekko Hayate, and Genma Shiranui split into two groups to play cards... Dou Dizhu.
Naruto, Sasuke, Shikamaru, Choji, Kiba Inuzuka, Neji, and Rock Lee took turns playing The King of Fighters.
An hour later, Fei Shi stared at the dumplings the girls had made, utterly despairing.
What on earth were these things?
They were all different sizes, and the filling wasn't sealed in properly... It was giving him a headache.
"You're pretty good at making dumplings, right?" Kakashi asked curiously.
"Yeah. Why?"
Can't you see I'm the only one making dumplings here? Why are you asking if I'm good at it?
"Then... why don't you use Shadow Clone Jutsu?"
Fei Shi: "..."
Right. Why wasn't I using Shadow Clone Jutsu?
"Don't tell me you forgot?"
Yikes!
Who knew Kakashi could be so sarcastic?!
But... who the hell are you being sarcastic to?!
"I... I just think dumplings made by hand taste better. Yeah, that's it."
Fei Shi held his expression steady.
"Oh, I see~" ×5
"Hey! Sweetheart, how can you join in with them?! Ah! My eighteen-year-old heart is wounded. Boohoo."
"Pfft! You. Come here, let me comfort you. Mwah~!"
A critical hit for 9,999 damage!
Other than Fei Shi and Uzuki Yugao, who were a couple, Asuma was busy playing lovesick puppy while Kurenai was the object of his attentions. Which meant everyone else was single.
"Um, Fei Shi," Asuma couldn't help saying, "there are kids over there. Watch what you're doing."
"P-please don't set a bad example for the kids," Iruka added weakly.
Apart from the kids, he couldn't beat anyone else present.
And the one they were teasing was the strongest of them all.
He'd come because Naruto invited him. He wasn't close to the others, so it was a little hard for him to talk with them. He'd only spent much time around Fei Shi.
"Hahahahaha! You mocked me, and now you regret it, don't you?"
"Multi Shadow Clone Technique!"
Poof!
Twenty clones appeared, taking care of the dumplings, boiling water, and all the other chores.
Fei Shi lit a cigarette and took a satisfying puff before joining the card game.
After a while, all the dumplings were ready.
The adults and children sat around a large square table, the adults on one side and the kids on the other.
The Shadow Clones boiled the dumplings and brought them out. Chili sauce and vinegar were ready, too. It was time to eat.
"Everyone, the new year is here! I wish you all greater strength, smooth missions, and good fortune. May you find someone soon and stop being lovesick puppies. Cheers! Let's eat!"
"Cheers!"
Kakashi and Asuma downed their drinks with dark expressions.
"Whoa! This liquor... is amazing!"
"This is great liquor, Fei Shi!"
"Could you give me a few bottles?"
The kids on the other side of the table drank juice or soda.
"Wow! This is delicious!"
"I'm going to dig in!"
"Choji!" Ino complained. "Slow down! No one's going to steal it from you!"
"This house is so big, these dumplings are so delicious, and that big brother is so handsome. Hmm... just a little less handsome than Sasuke."
Sakura had fallen into her own fantasies, too.
Amid the cheerful atmosphere, the New Year's feast began.
Before you continue