After the conflict with the Land of Lightning ended and the dust of battle slowly settled, the atmosphere in Konoha Village returned to peace.
At the Uzumaki household, the warm aroma of miso soup greeted the guests from the Hyuga Clan.
Hyuga Hiashi arrived in formal attire, followed by his younger brother, Hizashi, who looked serious but somewhat more relaxed. Behind them, the soft patter of tiny footsteps could be heard—little Hinata, hiding behind her father's cloak.
Wearing an apron and her hair tied back, Kushina opened the door and welcomed them with a smile.
"Hiashi, Hizashi! Wow, you even brought gifts—this isn't a noble's house, you know?" she joked.
Hiashi bowed politely."We have come to convey the gratitude of the entire Hyuga Clan. If it weren't for you, Konoha might have been trapped under Kumogakure's political pressure."
Hizashi nodded, then presented a beautiful wooden box wrapped in deep blue cloth."We know you're not the type who likes formalities… but we still wanted to show our respect."
Kushina took the box with one hand and laughed."Haha! If it's food inside, I'll gladly accept it."
Suddenly, a small voice echoed from inside the house.
"Mommmm! We have visitors?!"Naruto burst in from another room, panting and with messy hair.
Upon noticing another small child standing behind Hiashi, Naruto approached with curiosity all over his face.
"Eh? Who are you? I'm Naruto! What's your name? Why are you hiding? Are you scared of me? I'm not scary, promise!"
Little Hinata immediately turned pale and blushed deeply. She stepped half a pace back and clutched her father's cloak tightly, peeking shyly from behind it.
"U-um… Hinata…" she whispered like a falling leaf.
Naruto leaned closer, nodding earnestly like an adult."Your name's cute! Why's your face red? Are you sick? Mom, is she sick?"
Kushina, standing at the doorway, was clutching her stomach trying to hold back her laughter. She gazed at her son with loving and amused eyes.
'Looks like no matter the world, Naruto is still as dense as ever…'
Hiashi sighed quietly, while Hizashi nearly burst out laughing, only barely keeping his manners.They all moved to sit inside Kushina's main room, while Naruto kept bombarding Hinata with innocent and spontaneous questions like:
"Why is your hair like that? Why are your clothes different? Why are you so quiet?"
And with every question, Hinata only blushed harder and hid even deeper.
After some tea and warm conversation, Hiashi stood up and bowed deeply to Kushina.
"Kushina-san. My family and I owe you a great debt. Our clan will always repay this kindness."
Kushina smiled and returned the bow gently."I was just protecting my home, Hiashi. And right now, Konoha is our home, together."
As the Hyuga party took their leave, Hinata turned once more toward Naruto and, in a tiny voice, said:
"Um… s-someday… I'd like to… play again…"
Naruto grinned brightly."Sure!"
Kushina, eavesdropping near the door, could only smile wide, her cheeks feeling warm.
September 15th.
Today marked Hatake Kakashi's 18th birthday.And in less than a month, on October 10th, Naruto Uzumaki—the son of the late Minato Namikaze and Kushina Uzumaki—would celebrate his 4th birthday.
But today was not about Naruto.
Today was about Kakashi.
At a remote training ground surrounded by forests and large boulders, Kakashi was practicing intensely, trying to perfect a new variant of Chidori.
Lightning sparked wildly in his hand, still unstable.
However, his focus broke when he sensed a familiar chakra approaching.Not just any chakra—this one he knew very well.Warm. Dense. Comfortingly familiar.
Kakashi halted his training and turned swiftly.
"K-Kushina-san…?" he called out, slightly startled.
Kushina wore a deep wine-red yukata adorned with golden ume flower patterns at the hem, tied with a soft ivory obi around her slender waist.Her vivid red hair was loosely tied with a matching ribbon, a soft strand left to frame her face.
The breeze blew her hair gently, and her eyes sparkled brightly.
"Happy birthday, Kakashi-kun!" she cheered.
"I can't believe the mischievous little boy from back then has grown into such a handsome young man… Looks like I'm going to become an old lady soon, huh?" she chuckled.
Kakashi stood frozen like a statue, his heartbeat going wild.The skin behind his mask must've been burning red.
"A-ah… t-thank you, Kushina-san… And… don't worry, you still look… beautiful," he finally managed to say, his voice soft and awkward.
"Really?" Kushina squinted in delight, her wide, warm smile so familiar."Thank you for the compliment, Kakashi-kun!"
Gracefully, Kushina pulled a small box from her sling bag—a tiny square box wrapped in gold paper and a pink ribbon.
"This is for you. A birthday present," she said, handing it over.
Kakashi accepted it with slightly trembling hands, bowed politely, and immediately stored it in his storage scroll.
"Thank you very much, Kushina-san… I… will treasure it."
Kushina laughed brightly, placed one hand on her hip, and said,"Since it's your birthday, Kakashi-kun, how about I treat you to a meal? Or we can stroll around the village? Taking a break from heavy missions once in a while is important, right?"
Kakashi's heart skipped a beat.
'I-is this… a date? No, no! This must be just her way of honoring Minato-sensei's student! Don't get the wrong idea, Kakashi! Don't overthink it!' he screamed internally.
Yet outwardly, he tried to stay calm. Or at least, he tried.
"In that case… I won't say no, Kushina-san," he said, his voice slightly trembling.
"Yosh! Let's go!" Kushina cheered energetically and—without hesitation—grabbed Kakashi's hand.
Her soft, warm hand clasped his fingers tightly.
For a split second, Kakashi's world froze.
No chakra control, technique, or tactic could save his logic from shattering at that moment.
His mind blanked. His thoughts vanished.
All he could do was follow Kushina as she laughed softly, pulling him down the trail toward the village center—toward a birthday he would remember for the rest of his life.