"Why did sensei leave again?"
On the Training Ground, Naruto lay on the ground, calling out bored.
Beside him, a flicker of something unusual passed through Shikamaru's eyes, and he said vaguely, "No choice, sensei is the head teacher after all, and sometimes he even has to go on missions."
"How tiring," Naruto murmured, lying on the ground.
His teacher seemed very busy. He had to teach classes and also tutor them after school. On regular weekends and holidays, he even had to leave the village for missions.
Choji, standing nearby, opened his mouth as if to say something.
Ino, seeing this, immediately covered Choji's mouth and pulled him to the side. She looked at Choji very dangerously, raising a finger to signal him to shut up.
Choji, with his mouth covered, quickly nodded, indicating he understood.
Naruto asked, "Strange, why didn't Hinata come today either?"
Hearing this, Ino quickly replied, "Hinata said her clan had something to do today, so she wouldn't be coming."
"Really?" Naruto looked puzzled, a bit suspicious as he looked at the others.
He felt like everyone was acting strange today, but he couldn't pinpoint what was odd.
Shikamaru noticed Naruto's gaze, stood up, dusted himself off, and spoke, "Alright, Naruto, let's train first. We need to get home early later."
Something was off, very off.
Seeing Shikamaru's behavior, Naruto grew even more suspicious.
Shikamaru was usually sluggish when it came to training. Even if he had changed later, he wouldn't be this active today.
Naruto's eyes remained fixed on Shikamaru, trying to discern something. Shikamaru, a bit troubled by his miscalculation, subtly gestured to Sasuke with his eyes.
Sasuke, seeing this, nodded and scoffed, "Loser, are you no good today? I'm almost done, and you're still sitting there?"
Hearing this, Naruto couldn't accept it and immediately retorted, "You're the one who's no good! Stinky Sasuke!"
Sasuke shrugged and ignored him.
Shikamaru, however, secretly gave him a big thumbs-up in his heart.
Indeed, when it came to attracting Naruto's attention, it had to be Sasuke.
...
"Sensei, is it really okay for us to hide this from Naruto-kun?"
At Naruto's home, Hinata asked with a conflicted expression.
Shinji, hearing this from the kitchen, poked out half his body and replied, "It's fine, Hinata. This kind of thing is meant to be a surprise. Otherwise, it loses its meaning."
"By the way, Hinata, you can wait for Shikamaru to come over before dealing with those things." Shinji said, pointing to a pile of items next to Hinata.
"No need, sensei, I can do it." Hinata shook her head and began to decorate Naruto's room with even more effort.
Naruto-kun, I will complete most of your surprise!
Shinji, seeing this, could only retract his body, his ladle continuously stirring in the pot.
"I wonder if the seasoning packet that Teuchi-san gave is correct, why does it feel like something's missing?"
Bang—
The door opened and then immediately closed. Shinji's Shadow Clone entered, saying, "Main body, I've brought back everything you asked for."
As he spoke, he put down a bag from a Konoha clothing store.
Shinji in the kitchen said without turning his head, "Okay."
The Shadow Clone, seeing this, said no more and immediately dispelled itself.
Hinata, sitting in the living room, had a puzzled expression.
Why did Shinji's Shadow Clone feel different from the others?
—
Around eight in the evening, Naruto, covered in dust and utterly exhausted, walked home.
"Everyone was really strange today."
Shikamaru had said he had to leave early in the middle of training. Next were Ino and Choji, leaving only Sasuke by his side until training ended.
But when he invited Sasuke to Ichiraku Ramen, Sasuke refused. He said his family was waiting for him to return.
Naruto himself lost the mood to eat and could only walk home alone under the moonlight.
Slowly climbing the stairs, he pulled out a key from his pocket.
Click—
The sound of the key turning was exceptionally clear at this moment.
Naruto entered the entryway dejectedly, bending down to take off his shoes. The entire room was pitch black, appearing excessively quiet. This was also why Naruto never liked coming home, there was no one.
Every day, he wished he could wake up early, either to go to school or to the training ground. As long as he wasn't alone at home, it was fine.
"Hmm?"
Naruto, who had just taken off his shoes, sniffed repeatedly, murmuring, "This smell is... Miso Chashu Ramen?"
Clatter—
The lights in the room suddenly turned on.
Naruto, who had just straightened up and wanted to investigate, was dazzled by the sudden light.
"Who!" He shouted loudly, reaching for the ninja tool pouch behind him.
"Naruto, happy birthday!"
A familiar voice interrupted Naruto's actions. He looked up and was stunned.
Shinji, who should have been out on a mission, stood at the entrance to the genkan, a warm smile on his face.
And Hinata, who had said her clan had something to do, now stood beside him holding a cake, her face flushed, speaking shyly, "Naruto-kun, happy birthday."
"Happy birthday, Naruto!" Shikamaru and Choji quickly came to Naruto's side, saying this while hoisting him up and moving towards the room.
Sasuke, meanwhile, leaned against the wall next to Shinji, arms crossed, and said faintly, "Loser, wipe your snot, and happy birthday."
"Ahhhhh... sensei! And everyone!" Naruto finally couldn't control his expression, and tears streamed down his face.
Shikamaru and Choji, who had been holding Naruto with joyful expressions, were bewildered, and even Sasuke was at a loss.
Who would have thought Naruto would suddenly burst into tears?
Shinji stepped forward, knelt down, and gently ruffled Naruto's hair, speaking softly, "Alright, Naruto, today is your birthday, and didn't you promise me you wouldn't cry?"
"Thank you, sensei... and everyone."
Hearing Shinji's words, Naruto, who had forcibly held back, said to everyone with a choked voice.
"Alright, blow out the candles first, or they'll melt soon." Shikamaru said, pointing to the cake in Hinata's hands.
"Naruto-kun, please." Hinata raised her arm, speaking to Naruto.
"Remember to make a wish." Shinji reminded.
"Yes, sensei."
Naruto nodded in response, then closed his eyes and blew at the candles on the cake.
"Happy birthday, Naruto!" Shikamaru and the others shouted loudly.
"Thank you, everyone!" Naruto said.
Shinji chuckled and shook his head, then walked to the kitchen, brought out ramen, and called out.
"Come eat!"