After school, Naruto headed straight to the ramen shop. He slurped his noodles quickly, as usual.
Meanwhile, Kasi had already prepared Naruto's room for the surprise party. Balloons, streamers, and small snacks were all set. His little group of friends—Shikamaru, Ino, Choji, Hinata, Shino, and Kiba—had already arrived, curious about who had organized everything. Their parents had told them it was okay to go, so they followed the instructions without much hesitation.
Shikamaru, as usual, was already thinking. This must be related to Naruto somehow.
When Naruto finally got home, he froze.
First, the birthday wishes from his friends—and now… a surprise party?
His mouth hung open.
From the village office, Hiruzen watched through his crystal ball, furrowing his brows. He didn't move, just observed quietly.
Naruto's surprise quickly turned into happiness, then something deeper. His eyes were wide, his hands trembling slightly.
"Th… thank you, everyone!" he said, his voice shaking.
Shikamaru crossed his arms. "What a drag…" he muttered, then added quickly, "We're your friends, aren't we?"
Naruto nodded, still trying to take everything in.
"Yeah… but who organized this? Who planned all of this?"
Hinata, as shy as ever, spoke in a soft, low voice.
"A… a yellow-haired person… came to our houses and talked to our parents about it."
Kiba, Choji, and Shino all nodded in agreement. Ino shrugged.
"Yeah, same here."
Naruto's eyes widened.
Who could it be? he wondered, looking around the room. He stood there, dazed. For as long as he could remember, he had been shunned, discriminated against, ignored, and looked at with hatred and disgust.
And now…
Here were all these friends, celebrating him.
A strange warmth filled his chest.
Is this… what it feels like when someone actually makes an effort for me? he thought.
His eyes grew a little moist.
"Where… where is he now?" Naruto asked, still looking around.
Shikamaru shrugged. "He was here just now… but before you got back, he disappeared."
Naruto frowned, puzzled. Disappeared? Who could do all this—and then vanish like that?
Kiba clapped his hands together. "Let's enjoy the party! Cut the cake!"
Choji nodded excitedly. Shino stood calmly, saying nothing, simply observing.
They started eating, laughing, and playing together. Naruto felt like he truly belonged somewhere—like he was part of something, at the very least.
But not everyone in the village was happy.
Far away, under Danzo's instigation, a mob had begun to form. They were angry. Today marked the day the Nine-Tails had nearly destroyed Konoha eight years ago.
Naruto laughed and played with his friends, completely unaware of the mob moving toward his small celebration.