The latest episode of the anime still features the sweet daily life of Minato and Kushina, showcasing various aspects of the Summer Festival from their perspective.
It seems that Jiraiya's return to Konoha to name Naruto must have happened before the Summer Festival.
Minato was busy approving festival-related documents. Even though he was incredibly fast, he was still bogged down by numerous trivial and complicated matters.
Kushina, with her cheerful personality, naturally didn't fuss over such minor details. She boldly went out to shop by herself, proudly showing her pregnant belly.
On the way, she met her close friend, Mikoto, whom she hadn't seen in a long time. After exchanging some parenting experiences, she also learned about Fugaku's little scheme and laughed so hard she could barely stand upright.
[Minato's expression doesn't look right; he seems gloomy.]
[There are many like this in the class.]
[Does the esteemed Hokage really need to approve the operating license of a small food stall? Shouldn't that be handled by subordinates?]
[I swear, Hiruzen Sarutobi, The Old Thief, couldn't have done this on purpose, could he? Making Minato do such busy yet unproductive minor tasks.]
[It certainly looks like it! The Old Thief really didn't give Minato full authority! How despicable!]
[Minato: Just you wait until I've developed, you old geezer!]
[When it switches to Kushina's side, the art style becomes much brighter.]
[I declare that the title of Konoha's Little Sun officially transfers to Kushina!]
[Could that little thing almost drowned in shopping bags be Itachi?]
[LOL, Mikoto really gave birth to a laborer for herself!]
[Sasuke? I remember Hiruzen Sarutobi's father was...?]
[Hahahaha, Fugaku, are you trying to make me laugh myself to death so you can inherit my credit card debt?]
[What a brilliant move, 'openly repairing the plank road while secretly crossing the Chencang path'.]
[If someone asks, it's 'worshiping and respecting Sarutobi Sasuke'; if no one asks, it's 'Hiruzen Sarutobi, my tender grandpa'. It's all about being able to advance or retreat.]
[I didn't expect this episode to be so funny when I clicked on it.]
[Kushina almost choked with laughter.]
Time flew by, and it was soon evening. Minato could finally get off work and stroll through the festival with his wife.
The couple leisurely walked through the streets, occasionally buying snacks and fruits, or playing harmless little games. The audience also got to see many unique features of the Ninja World.
As Minato and Kushina passed a certain spot, the camera detached from them and focused on a long, narrow temporary tent with a fence.
Upon realizing what was happening, the comments section erupted in astonished exclamations—in this massive Village filled with countless Ninja, someone actually had the nerve to set up a 'dart throwing' stall.
As the camera zoomed in, everyone saw that the targets were far away and tiny, the darts were oddly shaped and made of inferior materials. If one wasn't a qualified Genin who had graduated from the Ninja Academy, they would likely miss even the edges.
There was also a sign in front of the stall, clearly stating: "Participation limited to children under five years old."
In the very next shot, a triumphant Itachi was distributing a pile of prizes he had won to his parents, Naraku, and Kakashi.
The owner behind him was staring forlornly at the sign, seemingly contemplating whether to lower the age restriction even further.
[Seriously, you set up this kind of stall in a Ninja Village? Are you trying to lose your shirt?]
[The difficulty is quite high. Ninja rarely use such strange and inferior hidden weapons; it would take some time to adapt.]
[Under five years old? Indeed, no merchant is honest.]
[Hahahaha, Itachi won a whole bunch!]
[It still takes an Uchiha to teach people a lesson. What if they're under five? They can still win.]
[The owner still underestimated the talent-rich Konoha, hahahaha!]
Through a small stall, the animator shifted the focus from Minato and Kushina to Kakashi and Naraku.
The two of them slowly detached from the main group and lagged behind, heading wherever the crowds were, always finding delicious food and fun activities.
As time passed, the apple candy in Naraku's hand dwindled, but Kakashi's paper bowl was still more than half full.
He sighed helplessly, troubled by the delicious but overly large portions of yakisoba and takoyaki.
Seeing a bit of sugar residue on Naraku's lips, Kakashi instinctively reached out to wipe it off. He then remembered that Naraku hadn't eaten any proper food that night.
—If he only eats apples, he'll definitely be hungry in the middle of the night.
—That's it, I'll do this.
He decisively pulled down his mask, took a big bite of the rosy apple, and then offered his own dinner in exchange as compensation.
The audience was already excited when he removed the sugar residue, but seeing this, they couldn't help but smile like proud aunts.
[Perfectly integrated into the Fugaku family. Truly Uchiha Kakashi!]
[The XQL who secretly left their parents to go on a date are so cute!]
[Mikoto is so good at shopping. What's the difference between Kakanaru's outfits and couple's clothes?]
[This big bowl of mixed stuff, put together, must weigh two pounds, right?]
[Friends, I can't take it anymore. At this point, do you still think they're just good brothers?]
[The Old Thief, this shameless fellow, actually let minors sell CP. Strong condemnation! I suggest he release all theFollow-up so I can critique it!]
[Kakashi, you good-for-nothing, you used your hand? At a time like this, you should have just kissed him and licked it off!]
[If he did that, naruto would really become a BL romance anime, hey! And a very explicit one at that!]
[Kakashi, if you're going to bite it, why bite from a part Naraku hasn't eaten from? Couldn't you just eat from the existing bite mark?!]
[The same pair of chopsticks, the same bamboo skewer! I knew Kakashi, that devious guy, wouldn't let Naraku off the hook!]
[Naraku, focused on eating, looks like a little hamster!]
[Their intimate gestures are so natural that I even doubt if I should be reacting this strongly.]
In the distance, Jiraiya, caught peeking into the women's bathhouse, ran through the crowd, somewhat disheveled, dodging the pursuit of The Police Force.
Amidst Kakashi's merciless taunts, he even crossed paths with the two teenagers who spotted him, gave a hurried greeting, and continued his 'escape'.
The brilliant fireworks blooming across the sky reflected in the eyes of every Konoha Villager, bringing the Summer Festival to its final close.
[At the very end, Jiraiya even put on a show for us. So touching ( . ớ ₃ ờ ) ھ]
[Hmph, what do little brats know? You'll have your day when you beg Jiraiya to go gather material.]
[The Police Force's highlight moment: apprehending Jiraiya in Konoha.]
[Enough for a few guys to brag about for a lifetime.]
[This feeling of peaceful times really brings comfort.]
[I hope everyone continues to be this happy forever ヾ(✿ﾟ▽ﾟ)ノ]
...—
The ending song finished playing, and the last bowl was wiped dry and gently placed back on the shelf by Naraku.
Kakashi's birthday wasn't shown by the animator yesterday; it's probably being saved to air together after Kushina gives birth.
It seems the animator also noticed from various details that this Jinchuriki's delivery wouldn't be so smooth.
Naraku changed into clothes suitable for going out and continued his grand shopping endeavor.
While Kakashi was not at home, he had to get everything ready.
However, this didn't stop him from multitasking, shopping while browsing forums to see what good ideas netizens had to offer him.
—
"I Finally Understand Naraku—That Gentle and Bright Boy Won't Come Back" (Hot)
1L (OP): Recently, many people in the forum have been discussing why Uchiha Naraku, despite now having so much love, still doesn't feel happy.
Or rather, why he is unwilling to allow himself to be happy, and instead believes every second that he will eventually lose everything.
At first, I didn't understand either, but when I finished reading many books, I suddenly realized that I had underestimated the scars that suffering leaves on the human heart.
When a person suffers too deeply, for too long, their heart dies.
Even if they once longed for salvation and change, even if others try so hard to love them, once it's dead, it's dead. Injecting fresh blood won't bring a corpse back to life.
Naraku is such a corpse, driven by guilt and responsibility.
The only thing he can do is endure all the suffering he believes is atonement.
Because he doesn't know what value he can offer to others besides enduring pain.
Even if salvation and hope truly arrive one day, he won't be able to control himself to accept it, but will choose to escape.
—Even though he knows that he only needs to take one step to walk into that sunshine filled with friends and family.
2L: Have you ever seen animals that were abused since childhood? I have.
In most cases, even when the owner stops the abuse, they don't run away.
Because for them, this pain is normal, endless, inescapable. If they avoid it once, there will be countless more times.
Naraku is like those animals accustomed to being tormented who don't run away. For him, suffering and torment are endless.
Even Kakashi's tears and love cannot change this distortion.
So when the suffering temporarily stops, Naraku also won't seek salvation. He will always tense all his nerves, waiting for the next wave of suffering to arrive... Actually, I just want to say—yes, that Naraku, the one from the Hatake Household who would laugh freely, perhaps will never return.
3L: Naraku's biggest problem now is that he is on the verge of losing control, unable to control his deepest emotions and thoughts.
In the recent episodes, even the perfect external performance he once managed has begun to crumble. He is unknowingly approaching the brink of collapse, little by little.
This is very dangerous. The next step could very likely be personality disintegration.
4L: I don't believe that even Kakashi and Sakumo can't save him... How can a shonen anime have a protagonist whose close friend can't be saved, boo hoo hoo hoo hoo...
5L (OP): Reply to 4L: Perhaps... Perhaps The Old Thief will arrange for a major event in the plot, allowing Kakashi to forcefully open Naraku's closed heart in the simplest and most direct way.
Otherwise, I really can't think of any hope remaining.
6L: Just as a chain of suspicion, once created, cannot be eliminated, Naraku's fear of losing everything is equally difficult to remove.
No matter how much he believes everyone loves him, he will recall those agonizing pains in his dreams at midnight.
Perhaps on those sleepless nights, he repeatedly whispered to himself that things wouldn't be like this again, yet his soul trembled incessantly within his body.
7L: Who understands that I'm reading this post with tears streaming down my face, boo hoo hoo... Naraku's fans' world has collapsed!
8L: Actually, I've had this feeling of watching Naraku slide into the abyss for a long time, but I just didn't dare to believe it (ㄒoㄒ)
... (I'll add a bit more forum posts tomorrow, then move on to the main plot, ha)
(I need to really think carefully about this section of the main plot...)