NARUTO SHINDEN - PARENT AND CHILD DAY

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.