A Momentary Firework (Two-in-One)

To soothe Kushina's wounded soul after she was once again restrained, Natsuhiko left the grove with her and spent a long time shopping.

No matter which world, shopping is a woman's nature.

It's said that this is because women have been engaged in gathering work since ancient times, so it's a habit embedded deep in their DNA.

On the other hand, men who were hunters tended to despise such aimless wandering.

Natsuhiko found this theory quite reasonable. After all, he felt that shopping with Kushina was more exhausting than sparring with Orochimaru.

Finally, when it was time for lunch, the two of them grabbed some street food to settle the meal and then headed to the Ninja Tavern.

Since today is New Year's Eve, it's customary in the Ninja World to do a thorough cleaning on this day.

So, Natsuhiko and Kushina had agreed earlier to help clean the tavern in the afternoon.

When they arrived at the Ninja Tavern, they saw Might Duy and the other staff members already in the midst of an enthusiastic cleaning.

"Kushina, look, everyone has already started. It's your fault for dawdling and wasting so much time."

"How can it be all my fault? Didn't you buy a lot of snacks, too?"

As they bickered, Natsuhiko and Kushina rolled up their sleeves and joined in the cleaning…

It's worth mentioning that Natsuhiko discovered that his Water Release: Wild Bubble Wave was particularly effective for cleaning.

Wherever there was dirt, he would spit out some soapy water with a "he~tui!" and then wipe it clean with a cloth, leaving it spotless.

Moreover, the water produced by chakra doesn't persist, so the soapy water quickly evaporates, leaving no residue. It was a win-win.

This made Natsuhiko wonder if he could develop a chakra-powered cleaning product using this technique—it might actually have potential.

They kept working until after 5 p.m., when the entire tavern was spotless, both inside and out, looking brand new.

Then Kushina said her goodbyes, as she still had to go to Granny Mito's place for New Year's.

Kushina felt a bit regretful that Natsuhiko already had plans; otherwise, as Granny Mito's disciple, he could have spent the New Year with them.

"Well, there's always next year," she thought to herself as she reluctantly bid farewell to everyone, wishing them a happy new year and saying, "See you next year."

Natsuhiko reminded Kushina not to go to bed too early tonight, or she might miss out on something special.

Kushina, looking disgruntled, declared that she was no longer a child who couldn't stay up late and then asked what the surprise was.

But Natsuhiko mysteriously smiled, which annoyed Kushina so much that she punched him a few times before pouting her way home.

…

Natsuhiko spent New Year's Eve with Guy and his father, along with four other employees.

Although it was New Year's Eve, the meal wasn't anything fancy.

In addition to the soba noodles and mochi soup he had commissioned from Teuchi, there were dishes he had collected from various places in the past.

Since these foods were sealed in storage cards as soon as they were made, they were still steaming hot when taken out, even after years.

As the owner of the tavern, Natsuhiko raised a cup of green juice and prepared to give a speech.

Having learned from the Third Hokage, he had a 10,000-word speech about wolf culture ready. He was confident he could convince everyone to voluntarily give up their upcoming holidays and continue to work hard for the tavern.

However, seeing everyone drooling over the food on the table, Natsuhiko smiled helplessly and shortened his carefully prepared speech to just one sentence:

"Let's hope that next year, the Ninja Tavern grows bigger and spreads across the entire Ninja World, with each of you becoming a branch manager. Done! Cheers!"

"Cheers!"

Everyone cheered and clinked glasses before eagerly digging in.

The diverse dishes from different parts of the Ninja World amazed everyone who had rarely left the village, and they couldn't stop eating.

In no time, the dozen or so dishes were devoured, leaving only clean plates.

Everyone patted their stomachs with one hand and gave a thumbs-up with the other, giving the meal a five-star rating in Might Duy's style.

Then, to pass the time, Natsuhiko organised the first-ever Employee Cup Ninja Tournament, playing cards with everyone to kill time.

Finally, as midnight approached, Natsuhiko gathered everyone in the tavern's backyard and took out a storage scroll to unseal its contents.

Because the item this time was quite large, he couldn't use his usual storage cards.

With a loud "boom," a machine resembling a cannon appeared in the clearing.

The cannon's barrel pointed straight up at the sky, with two round objects on either side, whose purpose was unclear.

Attracted by the commotion, everyone gathered around Natsuhiko.

"Wow, sensei, what is this thing?" Guy asked curiously.

Natsuhiko answered in his mind, It's the Armstrong Cyclotron Jet Armstrong Cannon. Outwardly, he just patted Guy's head and smiled, "You'll see in a bit."

They didn't have to wait long. Soon, only a few seconds remained in the year Konoha 42.

Natsuhiko even noticed Might Duy and the others checking their watches, linking arms, and starting to count down aloud.

He smiled as he joined in the countdown: Three, two, one...

As the year Konoha 43 began, the temples and shrines in the village echoed with the continuous ringing of New Year's bells amid the cheers of the crowd.

Then Guy, at Natsuhiko's request, eagerly pressed the large red button on the machine.

A loud "whoosh" followed as a flaming projectile shot from the cannon's barrel, trailing a long tail of fire as it soared into the sky and exploded with a boom.

The once pitch-black, silent night sky was suddenly filled with brilliant fireworks.

A cluster of fiery red sparks bloomed in the sky above Konoha, emitting a brief yet dazzling light before cascading down as fragments of red fire.

The sound of the fireworks drew people from their homes, and they gathered outside to watch, their faces lit up with joy.

As the red glow was finally swallowed by the night, the sky returned to darkness.

But soon, one, two, and then more and more fireworks soared into the sky, lighting up all of Konoha as if it were broad daylight.

Each burst of dazzling, uniquely patterned fireworks competed with the others in the sky, creating a splendid display of colourful tassels that dazzled the eyes and left everyone stunned.

"Unbelievable!!"

The guy watched in excitement as one firework after another shot from the machine blossomed into radiant flowers in the sky, expressing his endless admiration.

Fireworks do exist in the Ninja World, but Guy had never seen anything as bright and varied as these.

"Teacher, you can even make fireworks?" Guy looked at Natsuhiko with admiration.

Standing with his hands behind his back, admiring his work, Natsuhiko chuckled at the comment and said, "It seems I did a good job, even you didn't realise it, Guy."

"But these aren't real fireworks. They're just illusions created by a projection technique."

"In essence, they're no different from the Ninja arcade games or the tavern's spin machine."

"The only reason I needed to design a special machine was to project the fireworks so high in the sky."

"A projection technique can do all this?" Guy was amazed, feeling that his teacher had really taken the projection technique to the next level.

Natsuhiko just smiled again and said, "This is only the beginning."

As if to confirm his words, the fireworks in the sky began to change form.

From ordinary radial patterns, they transformed into various cute three-headed cartoon characters.

This was a sight the crowd had never seen before, and they marvelled at the spectacle.

Natsuhiko even heard faint exclamations of surprise coming from different parts of the village.

Moreover, since these cartoon characters were so accurately depicted, everyone immediately recognised their real-life counterparts.

"Grandma, look, it's the First Hokage!"

The Senju clan courtyard was packed with clan members, all of them staring wide-eyed at the sky.

Kushina excitedly shook Mito's arm, pointing to the smiling chibi Hashirama in the sky.

"This must be the surprise Natsuhiko mentioned," Mito thought to herself as she admired the display.

She soon spotted a cartoon character that looked just like her appearing in the sky, standing side by side with Hashirama like a pair of cute porcelain dolls. Mito couldn't help but smile.

"Natsuhiko really put some thought into this. Kushina, you should learn from your senior."

"He's not my senior, he's my junior!" Kushina quickly corrected her.

Mito pretended not to hear her, continuing to smile as she watched her cartoon character in the sky slowly fade away along with Hashirama...

After Hashirama and Mito, more cartoon characters from the Warring States period appeared in the sky, sparking more exclamations and laughter.

For example, in the Sarutobi clan area, Asuma excitedly pointed to the sky and shook Hiruzen's arm hard, saying, "Dad, look, you're up there!"

Bonk!

Hiruzen knocked Asuma on the head with his pipe and looked at the cartoon version of himself in the sky, chuckling as he said to Biwako, "Natsuhiko really has a lot of tricks up his sleeve. I never thought he could use the projection technique like this."

"I think this firework projection machine has a lot of potential. Not only are the fireworks much more beautiful now, but there's also no risk of fire every time they're set off. If we could promote it throughout the Ninja World, it should be quite popular."

Biwako calmly replied, "Of course. After all, who do you think discovered Natsuhiko's talent?"

"…"

Hiruzen took a deep drag from his pipe, too cautious to comment. He had noticed that Biwako had been saying this a lot lately—was she trying to alter everyone's memory and take credit for discovering Natsuhiko's talent herself?

---

In addition to the various famous characters in cartoon form, fireworks representing the different departments of the village and even various professions were later introduced, giving the villagers a strong sense of participation. They eagerly anticipated the appearance of a cartoon character representing their occupation.

"Look, it's our turn, the Police Department!"

In the courtyard of the Uchiha clan's mansion, members gazed at the cartoon characters in police uniforms in the sky, feeling a strong sense of pride.

At the same time, a shuriken-shaped firework featuring the Uchiha clan crest also blossomed in the night sky.

Uchiha Fuyama glanced at the police department's emblem in the sky, poured a cup of sake for Fugaku, and said with a smile:

"Recently, the reputation of the police department in the village has improved a lot, thanks to your efforts, Fugaku."

"Not at all. It's really thanks to Natsuhiko's help."

Fugaku replied in his usual grave manner, "And this is just the first step in restoring the Uchiha clan's reputation."

"Natsuhiko, huh? I must thank him personally someday," Uchiha Fuyama nodded.

The two then clinked their cups lightly and, under the fireworks in the sky, drank in one gulp.

...

Shuriken, shuriken, shuriken!

Three shurikens were precisely nailed to a wooden stake in a triangular formation.

In the courtyard of the Hatake clan, Kakashi, who was slightly panting, wiped the sweat off his forehead, looked up at the fireworks in the sky, then refocused and continued his training.

Shuriken, shuriken, shuriken!

Upon closer inspection, a tattered piece of paper stuck on the wooden stake had a few words written on it.

[Uchiha Obito]

...

Finally, the fireworks display reached its end.

In front of most of the villagers, a golden firework exploded in the sky, transforming into a few lines of large text.

[Shinobi Tavern exclusively sponsors this fireworks display!]

[Shinobi Card Series 6, Warring States Cartoon Edition, now on sale!]

[Address: No. 3, Ichiraku Avenue, Shinobi Tavern!]

[Shinobi Cards, you deserve to have them.]

"..."

So it was all just an advertisement!

As these words appeared in the sky, Natsuhiko felt the ground tremble slightly.

It seemed as if many people had collapsed in disbelief.

At least... several people in front of Natsuhiko had already fallen.

"Get up; the ground is cold."

Natsuhiko shook his head slightly, thinking everyone was overreacting.

He knew that in his previous life, the Spring Festival Gala's ad fees were in the millions per second.

Now that he had the opportunity, he naturally wanted to advertise for his own family, promoting the upcoming cartoon series for the following year.

This was one of Natsuhiko's attempts to expand the female market for Shinobi Cards.

After all, who could resist a chibi, Uchiha Madara?

After the text in the sky disappeared, a final crimson firework soared into the air, bringing the fireworks display to a close.

Everyone stared blankly at that last moment of fireworks in the sky.

As they bid farewell to the year, there was a sense of loss mixed with anticipation for the coming one.

As the event drew to a close with the fireworks, the employee gathering also came to an end.

Natsuhiko sealed the fireworks projector into a storage scroll and put it away.

Then he bid farewell to the employees who were about to leave, giving each of them a red envelope.

As he wondered where Might Guy and his father had gone, he saw the two of them coming out of the house, each carrying a backpack.

"Mr. Duy, where are you going so late?" Natsuhiko asked curiously.

"Of course, we're going to climb Akina Mountain to watch the sunrise!"

Might Duy give a thumbs-up with an expression of evident pride?

"This is an annual activity for Guy and me!"

"..."

There were so many things Natsuhiko wanted to say, but he needed to figure out where to start.

After all, Akina Mountain was notoriously steep, and Guy was only five years old.

It was hard to imagine how they had managed to do this activity in previous years.

"How about it, Natsuhiko-sesnei? Would you like to join us?" Might Duy enthusiastically recommended the idea.

"No... no need, I'm a bit tired; I'd better go home and sleep," Natsuhiko waved his hand, politely declining.

"That's a shame."

Might Duy sighed in disappointment and then walked out of the courtyard with Guy.

Guy looked at the pitch-black street outside the courtyard and turned to Might Duy:

"Dad, it's so dark ahead I can't see anything."

Might Duy confidently replied, "No, but it will be beautiful when the sun rises."

"No, I think you need a flashlight more than anything else."

A few black lines appeared on Natsuhiko's forehead as he stood at the entrance. He quickly summoned two flashlights and handed them to the pair.

After watching Might Duy and Guy leave, waving their flashlights, Natsuhiko locked up the tavern and headed home.

When he reached his doorstep, he suddenly felt a slight vibration from his communication bracelet. Raising his hand to check, he found a message from Kushina.

It read:

[Natsuhiko, Natsuhiko, Happy New Year, and please guide me again this year!]

Natsuhiko felt a warmth in his heart and replied with a smile:

[Happy New Year, and please guide me too~]

Then, Natsuhiko opened his door and called out loudly:

"You three, come see what goodies I've brought you..."

As the three little ones came running with the sound of little footsteps, Natsuhiko completed his 16th year in the Shinobi world.

(End of this chapter)

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