In an instant, all of Kumogakure was singing and dancing, full of laughter and cheer, like it was New Year's.
The older folks gathered together to drink and brag—Hashirama, Jiraiya, Tsunade, Ay, Ōnoki, i, and the rest.
Oh—sorry, i. Not saying you're old on purpose.
The big eaters were locked in mortal combat over the food—Chōza, Chōji, Lee, Guy-sensei, and the others.
Oh, and Hinata was the biggest eater of all, but she didn't have her mind on that right now. Instead, she was secretly watching a certain blond guy who was currently being surrounded by a bunch of girls.
And then the ones who loved to have fun started entertaining themselves.
Like Killer B—he launched straight into his own personal rap concert on the spot. And honestly, a lot of people were into it, which massively satisfied him. The key part was that tonight his big bro wasn't going to shut him down, so he just went all-out and vibed.
A young girl ran over to invite Natsuki to dance—only for Tenten to spread her arms and block her instantly.
A young girl ran over to invite Neji to dance—only to get scared off imdiately by Hiashi's dark expression.
So the girls could only go after Naruto and Sasuke instead… and most of them still chose Sasuke, because Sasuke really was ridiculously handso, and that cool, distant vibe was exactly what girls liked.
Even i—already a bit tipsy—specifically ran over to tease Sasuke, spinning around him and surrounding him in a tight circle.
Sasuke finally couldn't take it anymore. He escaped in one clean move and ran over here, dropping straight into the space between Natsuki and Neji. Only then did he let out a huge breath.
Natsuki laughed. "Sasuke, you're seriously popular."
Sasuke rolled his eyes so hard they were whiter than Neji's Byakugan (All-Seeing White Eye). "Don't talk. You're popular too. If Tenten wasn't blocking for you, you'd be in the sa hell I'm in."
Natsuki replied like it was obvious. "That's the advantage of having a partner. Sasuke, now that the war's over, the whole shinobi world's about to enter a period of peace. If you want to restore your clan, now's the ti. You should get married and have kids. If your numbers stay thin, forget 'restoring the clan'—you won't even qualify as a clan."
Sasuke went quiet, blinking with his one-and-a-half eyes.
Back at the Hokage's office, he'd already heard Natsuki say sothing similar, and he'd been thinking about it ever since.
He'd even—on Kakashi's recomndation—read the entire set of Icha Icha Paradise. But the stuff in there that made his face heat up… he couldn't learn it.
If he wanted advice, looking around, the only couple here was Natsuki and Tenten.
Except Sasuke didn't think he'd get good advice from Natsuki, because dating and training were not the sa thing.
Neji spoke up. "Sasuke, this might sound unpleasant, but if you really want to restore your clan… you'll probably need multiple wives and multiple children."
M-multiple wives and multiple kids?!
Sasuke's mouth fell open. He was completely stunned.
He didn't even know how to find one—and Neji wanted him to go for multiple? That was basically a death sentence.
Tenten frowned. "Neji, why are you teaching Sasuke that?! Sasuke's a pure, handso guy—don't corrupt him!"
Neji stayed dead serious. "I'm just speaking pragmatically. The Uchiha clan only has one seedling left—him. If he doesn't have multiple wives and multiple children, restoring the clan is empty talk. Of course, personally, I don't like that either. That's why I said it might sound unpleasant. It depends on what Sasuke wants."
Tenten couldn't really argue.
Sasuke carried a heavy responsibility. If an old great clan was going to be rebuilt, population really was priority number one.
It's just… with Sasuke's personality, could he even do sothing like that?
None of them noticed that Sakura had quietly sat down not far away at so point. She'd clearly heard everything, and her teeth were grinding so hard you could practically hear it.
Neji, you thick-browed liar—teaching Sasuke this kind of thing?!
And yet, Sakura also knew Neji was making sense.
She looked down at herself, realized she could see her feet, and suddenly wanted to cry even more. Could she help Sasuke-kun restore the Uchiha clan like this?
And would Sasuke-kun even choose soone like her?
She genuinely had no confidence at all.
Sasuke groaned in frustration. "Ugh. If I'd known, I should've saved Obito and let him handle this problem. He was an adult, after all."
Natsuki, Tenten, and Neji all froze.
Sasuke was really bold enough to say that out loud. Did he not know Obito loved Rin to death? If you kept him alive as so kind of clan-restoration breeding tool, Obito would've killed himself on the spot.
Kakashi ca over at that mont, his dead-fish eyes practically capable of killing Sasuke on contact. "Sasuke, how can you have such a horrifying thought? Yes, Obito committed cris. But before he died, he woke up. He entrusted with the Sharingan and had carry on his will to protect the shinobi world. That counts for sothing. He's in the Pure Land with Rin now, living peacefully. Don't ever say sothing like that again."
Sasuke suddenly looked straight at Kakashi.
Or rather… at Kakashi's eye.
For a mont, Kakashi actually got creeped out.
"Y-you… why are you looking at like that?" Kakashi looked like he wanted to run.
"Kakashi. Since you have a Sharingan, doesn't that basically make you part of the Uchiha clan too? If you accepted Obito's 'atonent duty,' shouldn't you atone for the Uchiha clan by producing a few kids?"
"No! I'm not! Sasuke, stop that dangerous train of thought!"
Kakashi was so alard he didn't even bother arguing. He just vanished on the spot.
If he'd known, he wouldn't have opened his mouth. Kids these days were terrifying.
Tenten quickly broke the awkward vibe. "Okay, okay. Sasuke's only sixteen or seventeen. It's way too early. Sooner or later he'll et a girl he likes. Let's not overthink it."
"Yeah, yeah—Tenten's right!" Natsuki jumped on the opening to change the subject. "Co on, co on. Kumogakure beef is seriously good. We've gotta eat more—if we co back another ti, we might not get another chance."
Sasuke and Neji gave him the courtesy and started devouring with him.
And honestly, Kumogakure really knew how to throw a banquet. When they shared, they shared—good wine, good dishes, good at, good desserts, nothing held back. Eating felt smooth and satisfying.
Before long, Naruto wandered over with his eyes half-floating, wearing a blissed-out expression.
It was obvious why. A guy who'd never been welco anywhere suddenly beca wildly popular—surrounded by beautiful girls, being invited to dance—of course he was drunk on happiness.
Minato ca along too, smiling a little awkwardly. "Sorry. Naruto's just… really happy."
"Fourth-sama," they greeted.
Minato sat down with them.
Seeing Naruto like that, Natsuki could only shake his head, but he didn't say anything harsh.
Naruto really hadn't had it easy. What kind of childhood had he even lived through? Now his father had been revived, and he was getting showered with attention—he'd finally gotten what he'd always wanted. Let him enjoy it.
But Natsuki did rember sothing important.
"By the way," he said, "what's the situation with the tailed beasts right now?"
(End of Chapter)
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