Naruto Shinden: Parent and Child Day

is an original story written by Mirei Miyamoto and illustrated by Masashi Kishimoto. It is the second instalment of thе Naruto Shinden series. The novel is seemingly set between Naruto Gaiden and Boruto: Naruto the Movie.

Prologue
Naruto Uzumaki, the Hokage, is asked to authorise and then name a "parent and child day". The growing population of Konohagakure's "new" sector – the skyscrapers above the Hokage Rock – are ordinary people who aren't accustomed to the seven day workweek typical to shinobi. These residents previously pushed Konoha to start giving Sundays off, and have since taken to petitioning for the occasional holiday; a "parent and child day" is the most recent request.

Naruto has no objection to a holiday, nor does he feel it needs a special name, so he approves the creation of "Parent and Child Day". But he doesn't really understand the holiday's purpose. His adviser, Shikamaru Nara, explains the holiday is meant to strengthen parents' bonds with their children. Because of his complicated relationship with his own children, Naruto suggests that they provide support systems in order to foster this parent—child bonding. Shikamaru agrees and also offers to help Naruto clear his daunting pile of paperwork so that he'll be able to enjoy the holiday.

Chapter 1
Although he intended to get home the night before Parent and Child Day so that he could rest up for his day off, Naruto instead staggers home early in the morning on the day of. Konoha's shopkeepers were very eager to take advantage of the holiday and bombarded him with applications for special permits and reservations, which he's only just completed. Shizune offered him some medication to help him stay awake, which he declined, a decision he now regrets because he suspects he'll end up sleeping through the entire holiday.

Naruto tries to enter his home quietly so as not to disturb his family, but as he enters he finds his daughter, Himawari, sleeping in the doorway. Fearing something is wrong, Naruto wakes her, causing her to immediately ask him to buy a doll of Kurama for her. Naruto is sceptical that Himawari would wait by the door just to make this request, but she confirms: when her mother, Hinata, left the previous morning, she said Naruto would be coming back that evening, and Himawari has been waiting for Naruto ever since.

Naruto feels guilty not only for not returning when he said he would, thus failing Hinata, but also for leaving his children without any source of dinner. Himawari explains that her brother, Boruto, cooked something, but from her expression and the burning smell he's now noticing, Naruto guesses it wasn't appetising. Naruto promises to make breakfast after he takes a nap, but Himawari is adamant: she wants him to buy a Kurama doll for her. Naruto assures her he'll buy one later, but Himawari points out that it's a special edition doll only available on Parent and Child Day. Naruto, longing for sleep, keeps trying to make excuses. When he sees that Himawari is on the verge of tears, however, he agrees to go shopping with her.

Naruto takes Himawari to the local toy store. Although the store hasn't opened yet, there are already hundreds of people gathering outside, all of them seemingly planning to buy a Kurama doll. When, months earlier, Naruto approved a line of Kurama-inspired merchandise – part of a campaign to alter the centuries-old perception that Kurama is a natural disaster – he didn't expect it would be nearly this successful. Himawari explains that the Kurama doll can be taken care of and fed, just like a baby. The real Kurama, sealed within Naruto, stirs at the word "baby". Naruto intends to explain to Kurama that it's only a toy, but he's approached by Kiba Inuzuka before he has the chance.

Kiba, accompanied by Akamaru and Akemaru, is planning to buy a Kurama doll as a surprise gift for Tamaki. Naruto smiles to hear this, as Hinata has long feared that Kiba would never meet anyone. This irritates Kiba and he changes the subject: the Kurama doll is in limited supply and this particular toy store is expected to only have twenty in stock, not nearly enough for everyone. Kiba hadn't liked the prospect of having to compete against the other people that have gathered, mostly mothers, but he is willing to compete with Naruto.

When the toy store opens its doors, the crowd surges in. Naruto quickly forces his way to the front of the store, grabs a doll, pays for it, and just as quickly leaves. Within minutes the crowd disperses and Kiba returns to them empty-handed. Naruto tries gloating about his own success, but he's interrupted by Himawari's crying. Confused, Kiba draws Naruto's attention to what he actually bought: a Shukaku doll, imported from Sunagakure. Kiba, Akamaru, and Akemaru try cheering up Himawari without success. Naruto promises to search all of Konoha for a Kurama doll with his hundreds of shadow clones. But he's so tired that he can only manage to make two clones, and Kiba further points out that the clones aren't strong enough to survive the crowded streets. Since shadow clones aren't an option, Kiba offers to help Naruto search, not wanting Himawari to be sad.

With Himawari riding on his back, Naruto runs from store to store to see if they have any Kurama dolls. Many stores have an abundance of Shukaku dolls, but Kurama's are all sold out. Still, Naruto searches: in Yamanaka Flowers, Ino Yamanaka points out that they of course wouldn't sell Kurama dolls, but she does give Himawari some free sunflowers; in a candy store, the ageing proprietress confuses Kurama for a video game and instead convinces Naruto and Himawari to fold origami with her; in Ninja Tools Roll Roll Roll, Tenten assumes that they've come to buy her special Parent and Child Day kunai. When Naruto explains they're actually looking for Kurama dolls, Tenten breaks into tears, fearing that this is further proof that her weapon business is doomed to fail in this peaceful era. Naruto, feeling guilty, buys the special kunai and Tenten, taking advantage, also convinces him to buy some earrings adorned with shuriken.

Despite searching every store, Naruto and Himawari aren't able to find a single Kurama doll. Once Kiba locates them, however, he reports that he was able to find one last Kurama for sale at the Thunder Rail station; evidently, foreigners aren't interested in Kurama dolls. Since Kiba still intends to let Himawari have the doll, Naruto reminds Kiba that he wanted to get the doll to surprise Tamaki. Kiba replies that Tamaki can't be disappointed to not get something she didn't know she was getting in the first place. Akamaru and Akemaru, who have been carrying the doll, emerge from the nearby crowd and present the bag that they've been carrying the doll in. On inspection, however, the bag is empty.

Naruto notices a hooded figure leaving the area and guesses that it's the thief. Naruto leaves Himawari in Kiba's care and gives chase. Based on the thief's agility and the fact that he duped Akamaru, a ninken, Naruto guesses that he's a ninja. When the thief notices Naruto following him, he picks up the pace, pushing other people over when they get in his way. Naruto is slowed as he navigates around these same people, and is furthermore too tired to muster even a Body Flicker Technique. He tries to convince Kurama to give him some chakra, but Kurama is unwilling, still mad to be called a baby and also mad to be confused for Shukaku. Besides, Kurama doesn't believe Naruto would be a very good father if he couldn't help his daughter using his own power, a sentiment Naruto agrees with.

Naruto continues pursuing the thief, eventually cornering him in a dead-end. After removing the thief's hood, Naruto recognises him as a genin who's supposed to be on a mission to the Land of Fire's border. Naruto is about to ask for an explanation when the thief's son emerges from a nearby home. The thief sends his son back inside and explains that he's been away from home for so long and that, during one of his rare visits home, his son asked for a Kurama doll. Desperate to do this one thing for his son, he searched all over the village for a Kurama doll, but couldn't find any and in a moment of desperation stole the doll that Kiba bought.

Kiba, Himawari, Akamaru, and Akemaru catch up to them in time to hear the man's story. Himawari picks up the Kurama doll and hands it to the man, telling him that he accidentally dropped it and emphasising to Naruto that the man bought it for his son. Naruto goes along with her story, but asks if she's sure she wants to do this considering how determined she's been to have a Kurama doll. Himawari replies that she would rather have the Shukaku doll, as it's the one that her father bought for her at great difficulty. Besides, she's been able to spend the entire day with him, and couldn't be happier.

Sensing an opportunity, Kiba tries to claim the Kurama doll for himself, but Akamaru and Akemaru bite his hand away. Naruto, meanwhile, decides to forgive the theft, but resolves to punish the man for pushing over so many people as he ran away. He suspends the man from his mission at the country's border and instead assigns him to guard Konoha's entrance. The man accepts sadly, believing it's a demotion, so Kiba points out that he'll get to spend time with his son while he works in the village. Realising that Naruto is actually doing him a favour, the man thanks him.

Naruto and Himawari return in the evening and Himwari wakes Boruto, who's been sleeping all day. When Hinata returns home shortly afterwards, Himawari shows her all the presents she received: Shukaku, the sunflowers, the origami, the earrings. Seeing that Boruto is upset, Naruto apologises for not being home in time for dinner the previous night. From Boruto's response, however, Naruto realises that he's most hurt to have not gotten to spend the day with him like Himawari did. Boruto denies this, but Naruto notices him holding a leaflet from Ninja Tools Roll Roll Roll. Guessing what Boruto wanted to buy today, Naruto presents him with the special Parent and Child Day kunai. Boruto tries to hide his glee, muttering only a quiet "thank you" as he takes the kunai.

With Himawari and Boruto now placated, Naruto sits down and tries to soothe the day's third wounded spirit: Kurama.

Interlude 1
Shino Aburame explores the village, enjoying the festival-like atmosphere by sampling all the different foods for sale. Just because he's unmarried and has no children doesn't mean he can't take part in Parent and Child Day. After all, he has family that is constantly with him, that he's closer with than other people could possibly understand. The kikaichū inhabiting his body stir at the thought. Noticing this, Shino realises what time it is: he prepares some food and tenderly feeds it to his Kurama doll. He originally bought it to better understand his Academy students' interests, but has since become attached to it, imagining that his stuffed Kurama is better than the actual Kurama. Meanwhile, the kikaichū become impatient for their own food and start consuming Shino's chakra, causing him to faint.

Chapter 2
The morning before Parent and Child Day, Hinata receives word that her father, Hiashi Hyūga, has fallen ill. Fearing the worst, Hinata makes hurried plans to visit her father before it's too late. Himawari wants to accompany her, but Hinata worries that Hiashi may end up dying during their visit and so declines; she leaves Himawari and Boruto at home, anticipating that Naruto will return later in the day. Hinata rushes to the Hyūga homestead and finds her sister, Hanabi, emotionally distraught. Under questioning, Hanabi explains that Hiashi's body has simply deteriorated too much to continue on. As her anguish reaches its breaking point, Hanabi asks Hinata why she didn't bring Himawari and Boruto.

Given the apparent circumstances, Hinata finds Hanabi's interest in Himawari and Boruto strange. She activates her Byakugan, locates where Hiashi is resting, and inspects his body: he is in excellent health, save for a strained back. Hanabi, meanwhile, continues despairing that she won't get to see her niece and nephew as she'd hoped. Hinata starts to become angry for being misled, but relents when Hanabi points out that Hiashi will be even more disappointed than Hanabi is. Hinata knows this is true; Hiashi dotes on his grandchildren, a stark departure from the harsh disciplinarian that raised Hinata and Hanabi. Hanabi hypothesises that Hiashi's change of attitude and physical condition are because Hinata insists on referring to him as "grandfather" whenever Himawari and Boruto are around, making Hiashi feel obligated to become an old man.

Hiashi grows tired of listening to Hinata and Hanabi talk about him and calls them into his bedroom. Just as Hanabi predicted, he is deeply sad to see that Hinata has come alone, which she tries not to take personally. Hiashi apologises to Hinata for the misunderstanding, explaining that he was embarrassed about his back pain. He asks about Naruto, to which Hinata replies that he's so busy that he's rarely home. Hiashi appears ready to comment on this, but changes his mind and instead asks about Himawari and Boruto. Hinata says that both are disappointed that they can't see more of Naruto, but that Boruto seems to be keeping his mind off it by dedicating himself to his missions. Hinata confesses her fear that Boruto won't need her for much longer because his work is giving him some financial independence; as evidence, she shares that Boruto recently bought some bright pink pants for himself.

Hiashi is delighted to learn that Boruto seems to like the colour pink and asks Hanabi if any of the presents he's bought are pink. Hanabi checks with her Byakugan, causing Hinata to finally notice the mound of wrapped gifts in a corner of the room. Hiashi admits that it was while carrying all of these that he hurt his back, but as a defence insists that he wouldn't want to give Boruto and Himawari so few gifts that they would end up fighting over them. Hanabi reports that all of the gifts are grey and brown. Hinata, fearful that her home will soon be filled with pinks objects, tells Hiashi that Boruto's preference for pink probably only applies to pants. Hiashi becomes sad again.

Since Hiashi means well, Hinata tells him that Boruto has recently started collecting Extreme: Shinobi Picture Scrolls. Hiashi is unfamiliar with them, and Hinata doesn't know much about them either, but Hanabi turns out to be quite knowledgeable; she claims to have "some" in her room, but ends up bringing back a thick binder filled with cards. Hiashi likes the idea of giving Boruto some packs of cards, but since each packs' contents are random, Hinata warns him that Boruto might be disappointed if he gets only cards he doesn't want; in truth, she fears these unwanted cards will litter her floors. Hiashi deems this a fair point and decides to give Boruto a specific card: his own. But when Hanabi shows him his card, he is devastated to discover that it's only a rare card, and not a super rare or extremely super rare card as he expected.

Hiashi questions what the purpose of his long shinobi career has been if his trading card can't be a worthy gift for his grandson. Hinata and Hanabi are unable to console him, as he is determined to somehow raise his card's status to extremely super rare. Hanabi points out that the rarest cards are former Hokage or Sannin, so he'll need to do something of their calibre. Hiashi agrees and sets out for the Hokage's office so that he can be assigned a dangerous mission; Hinata and Hanabi reluctantly follow. At the office, however, Hiashi can only secure a meeting with Shikamaru because of how busy Naruto is preparing for Parent and Child Day. Shikamaru tries to convince Hiashi to return home, but Hiashi, old though he may be, has too much clout in Konoha to be ignored.

Shikamaru tells them about a mission that has just come in: in the Konoha Hot Springs district, a thief has stolen some explosives used for excavation and is hiding in the thick mists. Because the explosives could easily be used for terrorist acts, it's urgent that the thief be captured, and the Byakugan is the best way to find the thief quickly. Hiashi accepts the mission, intending to carry it out alone, but Hanabi volunteers herself and Hinata too. Hinata wants to return home, worried by Shikamaru's report that Naruto might not be able to get off work when he said he would, but she also feels responsible for Hiashi's need to prove himself. Since Boruto and Himawari would be sad if Hiashi came to harm on the mission, Hinata agrees to join them.

Hinata, Hiashi, and Hanabi hurry to the area of the hot springs district where the thief was last seen. As was reported, the mists are incredibly thick, and without the Byakugan it would be impossible for them to see where they're going. For this reason, the thief's decision to hide there doesn't make sense to them, as there's not much harm he can do in the area and he's likely to end up becoming lost. As Hinata and Hanabi discuss this, Hiashi locates the suspected thief and immediately attacks with Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms. Despite the pain in his back, Hiashi successfully knocks out his target. Except that the man he attacked turns out to be the client; as was reported to the Hokage office after they'd already set out on the mission, the missing explosives were due to a miscount and the believed thief was only a case of mistaken identity.

Because of how late it's gotten, Hinata and Hanabi decide they should spend the night at one of the hot springs; Hinata still wants to head home, but Hanabi convinces her to trust Boruto and Himawari to look after themselves. Hiashi, meanwhile, is humiliated by what's happened, and follows after them at an extreme distance. Because tomorrow is Parent and Child Day, there are very few people staying at the inn, giving Hinata and Hanabi exclusive use of the hot springs. As they enjoy themselves, they discuss their childhood, when both of them trained constantly and Hiashi seemed burdened by the need to protect the clan and the village. Now, however, Hinata and Hanabi live at ease, and Hiashi also seems to generally be happier.

Hanabi reminds Hinata of how, earlier, Hiashi seemed as though he wanted to say something about Naruto. Hanabi tells her that Hiashi wants Hinata to start living in the Hyūga household again so that he and Hanabi can help her look after Boruto and Himawari; when Naruto is willing to start spending time with his family, they can move back. Hinata disapproves, but it turns out that Hanabi is quite in favor of the idea, as she believes it would be beneficial to both Hinata and Hiashi. Hanabi proposes a sparring match, and if she wins then Hinata will need to move in with her and Hiashi. Because Hinata has been living as a housewife for the last decade, Hanabi expects that the match will end quickly. Since Hinata has been helping Boruto train, she's instead able to go toe-to-toe with Hanabi.

As they trade attacks, Hanabi continues trying to convince Hinata: yes, Hiashi would be happy to have Boruto and Himawari live with him; yes, Boruto would benefit from the Hyūga's teachings and could really come into his own. But more than that, says Hanabi, Naruto's ongoing neglect of his family makes him unworthy of having that family at all; to not appreciate them means Naruto is breaking his wedding vows. Hinata denies this latter claim and quickly defeats Hanabi. As Hanabi lies in the hot spring, disappointed, Hinata reveals that she and Naruto stayed at this very inn during their honeymoon. To be here again reminds her of her time with Naruto, just as the home she shares with him reminds her of raising her children. Although things may not be ideal in her relationship right now, Hinata will not abandon her home and the memories she has of it. Hanabi concedes, if only to stop Hinata from talking about how much she loves Naruto.

In the morning, Hinata, Hanabi, and Hiashi walk back to Konoha. Hiashi remains disappointed that he couldn't come up with a gift fitting Boruto and Himawari's tastes. Hanabi suggests that he do exactly that: give them their favorite foods; they'll enjoy eating the food at the time, and Hinata won't need to worry about finding room for the food afterwards. Hiashi, who'd been hanging his head and walking slowly, picks up his pace with head held high, as he so likes the idea that he wants to immediately begin looking for the ideal foods. Hanabi starts chasing after him and Hinata, having dispelled whatever worries she had about her family, follows.

Interlude 2
After the kikaichū have their fill, Shino resumes his stroll around Konoha. When he sees Hiashi Hyūga at a small candy shop, Shino is surprised, as members of the Hyūga clan are supposed to be too regal and upstanding to ever visit such a store in person. Shino realises that he's never spoken to Hiashi, partly because of the strained relationship Hiashi once had with Hinata, but also because Shino has always had the uncomfortable suspicion that the Hyūga are better than his own Aburame clan. Shino introduces himself to Hiashi and asks what he's shopping for, to which Hiashi replies he's buying packs of Extreme: Shinobi Picture Scrolls. Using his Byakugan, Hiashi inspects all of the store's packs and buys the ones with rare cards inside, to give to Boruto. Shino is disappointed by this.

Chapter 3
Four individuals meet secretly in a dark room to discuss the nearing Judgement Day. They exchange ideas about how best to spread word of what is to come throughout Konoha when one of the four, Ayame of Ramen Ichiraku, can no longer stand it: the room is too dark. The owner of Lightning Burger apologises, flips a light switch, and resumes planning Konoha's annual eating contest. Every year, Ramen Ichiraku, Lightning Burger, Yakiniku Q, and Ankorodō jointly sponsor the year's eating competition, taking turns to award a prize to the best eater; this year, it's Ankorodō's turn.

The woman who owns Ankorodō agrees to give the winner one free serving of dumplings with every order for a period of one year. The owner of Lightning Burger rejects this idea, arguing that, because the eating contest will be happening on Parent and Child Day, it is necessary that the prize be especially lucrative; he proposes unlimited free dumplings for one year. Ankorodō's owner refuses, fearful that the year's winner will be none other than Chōji Akimichi. The other three sympathise, having had their own bad experiences with Chōji's appetite, but they reason that if Ankorodō offers such a tempting prize, it will surely attract enough new business to offset whatever Chōji might eat. Ankorodō's owner finally assents, secretly confident that her business will come to no harm.

The night before Parent and Child Day, Chōji Akimichi lies on his couch watching television. He is eating potato chips, though many of the chips end up splattered on the TV screen, spat out whenever Chōji laughs at the program. Chōji's daughter, Chōchō, and his wife, Karui, observe him with disgust. As they make unflattering comments about Chōji's behaviour, Karui notices that somebody has eaten the food she bought for tomorrow's breakfast. She confronts Chōji about this, and he replies simply that he'd gotten tired of potato chips. Enraged, Karui storms out of the house, needing to buy food for breakfast yet again. Since she'll be going to the store, Chōji requests that she buy more potato chips.

Chōji doesn't understand Karui's behaviour and it falls to Chōchō to tell him that Karui is unhappy. Guessing that this means she won't be buying his potato chips, Chōji decides to go to the store himself; Chōchō disapproves, but accompanies him. As they walk, Chōji processes what Chōchō said. He's very aware of his good fortune, having met Karui without really trying, getting married without really trying, and fathering Chōchō without really trying. Noticing that he's deep in thought, Chōchō asks if he's come up with a way to make amends with Karui. Chōji replies that he hasn't. Chōchō asks if he's ever tried giving a gift, and he says he has: he gave Chōchō her earrings. Chōchō specifies that she meant a gift for Karui, and Chōji points out that metal earrings wouldn't mix well with Karui's Lightning Release.

Frustrated, Chōchō asks what attracted Karui to Chōji in the first place, what quality of his would have charmed her into marrying him. Chōji suggests it's his kindness, which Chōchō thinks is too ordinary to be the reason. When she notices a poster advertising the eating competition, she realises what the answer is: Chōji's greatest skill, the one asset he has that sets him apart from everyone else, is his gluttonous appetite. If, says Chōchō, Chōji wins the eating contest, proving himself the most skilled eater in all Konoha, Karui will surely fall back in love with him. In celebration of Parent and Child Day, competitors must participate alongside their children, so Chōchō offers to help. Chōji agrees.

On Parent and Child Day, Chōji and Chōchō arrive at the stadium where the competition will take place. There, they find that Shikamaru and his son, Shikadai, are competing, as are Sai and Inojin Yamanaka. Chōji is surprised to see them, as they've never been known for their eating ability. Shikamaru explains that Temari forced him, wanting the unlimited dumpling prize for herself; Sai says the same is true of Ino. As they examine the other competitors, they see Metal Lee vomiting with nervousness, which his father, Rock Lee, encourages so that he'll have more room for food. There are also two especially large men, who introduce themselves as Kūi and his son, Daore, travellers who eat competitively all over the world. Kūi is not intimidated by any of the other competitors except for Chōji, who has defeated Kūi in several prior eating contests. Chōji has no memory of him, so Kūi, deeply offended, vows to defeat him.

The fifty parent-and-child teams take their seats as the rules are explained: teams will be given a plate of food provided by one of the competition's sponsors. The first certain number of teams to clear their plate will advance to the next round. If, at any point, a competitor vomits, they and their partner will be disqualified; hearing about vomiting causes Metal Lee to vomit again, leading him and his father to be disqualified before the competition even begins. When Chōchō points out that Karui is watching in the audience, Chōji is encouraged, allowing them to advance through the Ramen Ichiraku and Lightning Burger rounds with ease. During a break before the third round, Karui comes to see them, and Chōji awaits her words of praise. Instead, she asks that Chōji stop being a glutton and start eating vegetables, as she does not want to become a widow.

Both Chōchō and Chōji are shocked at the news that gluttony is not what won Karui's heart. Chōji is so at a loss about what could have gotten her to marry him that he is unable to bring himself to eat during the Yakiniku Q round, which would ordinarily be his favourite. Only three teams will be allowed to advance to the final round, and Chōchō struggles to eat alone. Kūi/Daore and Shikamaru/Shikadai take the first two spots, and Sai/Inojin are poised to take the third. In a moment of desperation, Chōchō wraps the remainder of Yakiniku Q's steamed meat in lettuce, tempting Chōji into eating it by saying that it's a vegetable. Remembering Karui's earlier request, Chōji quickly consumes all the food just in time to pass the round.

For the final round, the first team to complete their plate of Ankorodō dumplings will be declared the winner. Shikadai doesn't think he can eat anymore, and when Shikamaru tries to encourage him by poking him in the side, he ends up vomiting. Daore, having eaten too much, faints, and Chōji, having a piece of lettuce caught in his throat, passes out as well. Kūi mocks them both, calling them weak. He begins eating dumplings and vomits shortly after swallowing them. Nearby, the owner of Ankorodō, a former kunoichi, secretly uses her Earth Release to cause the sugar in the dumplings to expand, preventing anyone from being able to finish their plate and thus ensuring she won't need to give the grand prize to anyone. She laughs deviously, but it suddenly occurs to her that she doesn't remember how to stop the expansion.

Hundreds of growing dumplings begin filling the stadium, threatening to crush the competitors and audience alike. The Lee, the Yamanaka, and the Nara all try to wrangle the dumplings, but the rigours of the contest have weakened them substantially. Chōchō tries fending them off, but they're so soft and sticky that her punches get caught in them. Karui comes to her rescue, neutralising the dumplings' Earth Release with her Lightning Release, but even she is overwhelmed. Both cry out for Chōji, lost within the horde of dumplings.

Chōji experiences a heavenly vision of Yakiniku Q, and sitting at his favourite table appears to be his late teacher, Asuma Sarutobi. As he approaches, it turns out to actually be his father, Chōza. Chōji is overjoyed to see his father again and begins telling him about everything that's happened in his life: Karui, Chōchō, and having a family of his own. Chōza is pleased, having expected no less. Chōji asks what his charm is, what power is it that he possesses. Chōza tells him that it is his kindness. When Chōji notes that Chōchō deemed kindness too ordinary, Chōza asks what's wrong with being ordinary, reminding him that even Asuma praised Chōji's good heart.

Chōza prepares to leave, but Chōji wants him to stay, as there's more he's never had the chance to tell him. Chōza shares his regret that he couldn't enter the eating competition with Chōji, as he believes their parent-and-child team could have triumphed. After all, eating alone is, at the end of the day, meaningless. The best meals that one can have are with family. Chōji realises that this is true and now understands why Karui was so mad at him before. Before he departs, Chōza reminds Chōji of two more things: first, Chōza is not dead, and so Chōji should come visit him more often; secondly, in addition to being kind, Chōji has one other power.

Using the Super Multi-Size Technique, Chōji emerges from the mound of dumplings and towers over the stadium. He crushes the growing dumplings beneath his giant feet, compressing them, and begins shovelling them into his mouth. Shikamaru shouts a warning that there's no telling how the expanding dumplings will behave within his expanded body, but Chōji continues to eat. Once all the dumplings are gone, Chōji enters Butterfly Mode, converting the dumplings and his own fat into chakra that is expelled from his body in grand wings. Chōchō is amazed and Karui smiles.

Afterwards, survivors of the dumpling incident are pleased that Ankorodō's owner has been taken into custody, believing that no prison sentence is too long for her. Sai believes that Shikamaru has a much harsher punishment in mind for her: having to provide unlimited free dumplings to Chōji and his family. Chōji and Chōchō, winners of the competition, are to have their pictures taken. They invite Karui to be photographed with them, but she doesn't think she has any business being in the picture. Both correct her: she is Chōchō's mother and Chōji's wife. Karui asks if they should start taking advantage of the unlimited dumplings for dinner later, which Chōchō agrees to. Chōji asks if they can buy some potato chips first.

Interlude 3
Shino buys food throughout the day, eating a fair amount of it, but accumulating even more, which he'll take days to eat all of. He jokes to himself that he's turning into Chōji Akimichi when he suddenly spots Chōji across the street, slimmer than Shino has ever seen him before. Chōji is having dinner at Ankorodō with Chōchō and Karui. Shino realises that he's never spoken to Karui, because Chōji is an attentive parent and was always the one to attend school functions. He considers approaching her and asking about rumours that she once defeated Naruto, but decides against it when he notices how much fun Karui is having eating with her family. Now realising the purpose of the holiday, Shino looks at his bags of food and ponders sharing them with his father.

Chapter 4
While passing through the area, Sasuke Uchiha decides to stop by Konoha. As he travels the roads and gets caught in the increased traffic to and from the village, he's forced to acknowledge that the village has changed, whether because of the passage of time, Konoha's new infrastructure, or because of his long absence. Yet even though he knows things are different, he doesn't think he's qualified to say how the village has changed since he never really paid attention to Konoha back when he lived there. As a child, he had eyes only for his older brother, Itachi, who he so dearly wanted to emulate. As a young ninja, he could think only of Itachi, whose defection from the village consumed him.

One change he's pretty confident about is that his house is missing. Sasuke fetches a letter in his pocket from his wife, Sakura, to confirm he's at the correct address, and indeed he is: where his home should be, there is only a vacant lot. He considers the possibility that it's a genjutsu, that one of the threats that keeps him away from the village in the first place has tracked him home and is now playing a prank on him. He decides this is unlikely and stares at the sky, thinking. He is soon recognised by his daughter, Sarada. Sarada is happy to see him and tells him that it's Parent and Child Day; that's why the roads have been so crowded. She asks how he'd like to spend the day, telling him about the various events and opportunities that are going on.

Sasuke stares at Sarada until she calms down and then asks what's happened to their house. She thinks that he's joking, but her smile vanishes when she realises that he's serious. Sarada explains that Sakura accidentally destroyed their house a while back and that they've been staying in an apartment until it's rebuilt. She further reminds Sasuke that he stayed in the apartment with them during his previous visit. This is news to Sasuke. Exasperated, Sarada decides to guide him to the apartment. Sasuke can tell that she's upset and offers to buy her one of the many treats that are being sold on the streets. Judging by her clothes, he guesses that her favourite colour is red and so suggests getting her a tomato. Sarada informs him that she hates tomatoes.

Sasuke follows Sarada in silence until she stops suddenly, watching something with envy. He follows her gaze and sees that she's looking at Naruto, running from store to store with Himawari riding happily on his back. Sasuke is reminded of his own childhood, when he would ride on Itachi's back: it was a bonding experience with his beloved older brother that he still treasures even now. Guessing that Sarada wants to be like Himawari, Sasuke kneels down, positions his hands to support her legs, and waits for her to get on his back. And he continues waiting. Sarada merely stares at him with concern and walks away. Sasuke loses track of her in the crowd and, not knowing where to go, decides to keep walking until he reaches a landmark he recognises. He takes a detour down an alley, where he finds Kakashi Hatake offering to give him a piggyback ride.

Sasuke attempts to walk away, ignoring Kakashi, but Kakashi calls out to him, telling him it's rude to refuse a piggyback from another man. Sasuke bluntly asks what he wants, and Kakashi offers to help Sasuke reacquire some social skills. Sasuke claims his social skills are fine since he has plenty of conversations with plenty of people, Aoda for example. Given the awkwardness he observed between Sasuke and Sarada earlier, Kakashi believes Sasuke will need help. Kakashi tries to argue that he's the only person that's ever managed to teach Sasuke, which Sasuke refutes: he also learned stuff from his father, Itachi, Orochimaru, even Naruto taught him things. Kakashi acknowledges these other teachers, but reminds Sasuke that he taught him Chidori, and argues that was sort of important.

Sasuke points out that Kakashi has no children and so couldn't be of much help. While true, Kakashi does have one advantage on Sasuke: Icha Icha Tactics. Kakashi encourages Sasuke to imitate scenes from the book in order to bond with Sarada, and reads some examples. Sasuke seeks out Sarada in order to try some of these tactics out. When he finds her, she apologises for walking away before, and he responds by calling her "Peanut", a pet name one of the book's characters uses. Sarada takes this to mean that he's forgotten her actual name. Changing tactics, he puts his cloak on her, which is supposed to be a surefire way to make a girl fall in love. Onlookers call out how cute it is for a little girl to wear her daddy's clothes. Embarrassed, Sarada throws off the cloak and walks away again, telling Sasuke that he's "annoying".

Sasuke returns to the alley where Kakashi is, trying to ignore Kakashi's attempts to explain why nothing worked. When Sasuke threatens to destroy Kakashi's copy of Icha Icha Tactics, Kakashi concedes that they should ask somebody who is an actual parent. Kakashi suggests Naruto, but Sasuke already knows that he's busy. Kakashi starts making other suggestions, but then notices Chōji and Chōchō Akimichi approaching, eating potato chips. Sasuke recognises Chōchō from the last time he was in Konoha, but it takes him a while to identify Chōji because of how skinny Chōji now is; he starts to point out that Chōji used to be "fat", but Kakashi stops him by shoving potato chips in his mouth. After Kakashi asks how a parent and child can bond, Chōji suggests food, but the only thing Sasuke knows about Sarada's tastes are that she hates tomatoes. Since food isn't an option, Chōji recommends that Sasuke ask Sarada's other parent.

Using directions given to him by Kakashi, Sasuke locates his family's apartment. He rings the doorbell and Sakura answers. Although she heard from Sarada that he was back, Sakura is still a bit surprised to see Sasuke. She welcomes him inside and reports that Sarada has already gone, seemingly angry about something. While Sakura prepares tea, Sasuke looks at the pictures on the mantle: one of Sakura and Sarada, one of Team 7, and one of Sasuke, Sakura, and Sarada together. He reflects contemplatively during tea and while receiving a haircut from Sakura until she finally asks if he's thinking about Sarada. She reassures him that Sarada is merely at a rebellious age and that she doesn't know how to deal with the complicated relationship she has with her father. Sakura suggests that Sasuke try giving Sarada whatever it is that he wanted from his own father when he was a child.

Sarada practices throwing shuriken at a target floating on a river, near a waterfall. Try as she may, all of the shuriken miss the target, instead hitting the tree that the target is anchored to. When she finally throws a shuriken that would successfully hit the target, it's knocked away at the last second by another shuriken. Searching for the source, she sees it was Sasuke. She tries again, and once more he blocks her shuriken with his own. He then throws one of his shuriken at the target, but this time Sarada blocks his. Sasuke informs her that Sakura has told him about her dreams of becoming Hokage; earlier, it was not Himawari riding her father's back that Sarada was jealous of, it was Naruto being Hokage that she envied. Sarada doesn't respond and they continue taking turns throwing at the target, all the while blocking the other's attempts.

As they throw the shuriken, Sasuke reveals that he once wanted to be Hokage. But his concept of Hokage was warped, and it was only through Naruto's intervention that he was set back on the right path. Sarada believes this is meant as a cautionary tale from Sasuke's past, but he merely means to say that Naruto is a good role model who she should continue to emulate. What's more, Sasuke will cheer her on. Sarada is so surprised by this support that her shuriken goes awry, cutting the target's connection to the tree. As it's about to go over the waterfall, she tries to hit it with another shuriken, but just barely misses. Sasuke throws his own shuriken, knocking hers back towards the target. Sarada is impressed and congratulates him, but Sasuke corrects her: it was Sarada's shuriken that hit the target; his own merely helped.

Sarada smiles; she is happy from Sasuke's acknowledgement, just as Sasuke was once happy to receive his own father's. Sarada asks if he can buy her some red food, such as a candied apple, but Sasuke informs her that he's leaving again and doesn't know when he'll be back. He turns to go, but hears Sarada fighting not to cry. He walks back to her and moves his fingertips towards her forehead. She asks if he's going to avoid a commitment with a forehead poke again, causing him to stop mid-poke. He denies that's what he was going to do and promises to teach her Fire Release the next time he visits. Sarada and Sasuke smile at each other.

Interlude 4
Shino prides himself on the sheer variety of people he talks to on an average day. There's of course his students, but adults, too: other teachers, his superiors, even parents. But when he runs into Sasuke on the street he struggles to find anything to say. Shino realises, in fact, that he hasn't said anything to Sasuke since the Konoha Crush, and even then he only said a couple of words. Sasuke also struggles to say something and the two stand together avoiding eye contact. It finally occurs to them to talk about Sarada. Sasuke asks if, while Sarada was in Shino's class, she was involved with any "bad bugs", meaning negative influences. Shino misunderstands Sasuke's intention and takes the question literally. Shino tries to remain calm, but ultimately fails and shouts that there is nothing bad about bugs.

Epilogue
The morning after Parent and Child Day, Naruto sits in his office. When Shikamaru enters, he immediately notices that Naruto still looks tired and asks why he didn't use his day off to rest. Naruto states simply that he spent the whole day running around the village. Shikamaru reports that his own experiences weren't much better, as he had two near-death experiences: first, he was nearly killed by giant dumplings, and then he was nearly killed by Temari for losing an eating contest. Despite their experiences, both agree that it was a good day.

As Shikamaru starts presenting new paperwork to go over, Naruto muses that he wouldn't mind having more holidays. At the same moment, Naruto hears a commotion outside. He looks out the window and sees hundreds of people have gathered. When he opens the window, he hears the crowd demanding holidays for all the people who couldn't participate in Parent and Child Day: "Husband and Wife Day", "Older and Younger Sister Day", "Alone Day"; Kiba Inuzuka advocates for a "Dog Day", which Naruto tries to ignore; Chōza Akimichi wants a "Grandparent and Grandchild Day", and Naruto spots Hiashi (hiding behind Chōza) shouting support. Shikamaru informs Naruto that the petitions for additional holidays have already been submitted and simply need his authorisation. Since all of the proposed holidays promote spending time together, Naruto happily approves each one.