“Today’s training is over. It’s already very late; everyone should head home,” Mokutsuki said gently.
It was already 7 PM, and the sky was dark.
“Goodbye, Mokutsuki-sensei!” Obito said excitedly as he bid farewell to Mokutsuki.
“Goodbye, Mokutsuki-sensei,” Shisui also said his goodbyes.
“Shisui, I won’t be walking home with you today. Rin and I have something to take care of. You can head back alone,” Obito told Shisui.
Since they wanted to surprise Shisui, they couldn’t go home together.
“Alright, I’ll head back alone then,” Shisui nodded, his expression unchanged.
After saying goodbye to everyone, Shisui started walking home alone.
On the night of October 19th, the moon was full. Under its light, Shisui’s shadow grew longer, standing parallel to the trees beside him, giving the impression that he wasn’t alone.
“It’s just like any other day…” Shisui thought, reflecting on his day and realizing it was no different from usual.
Is the day of one’s birth that special for a ninja? Isn’t the day you master a powerful jutsu more worth celebrating?
Leaving the Southern Forest, Shisui gradually entered the central district, where more people were around.
Although it was wartime, the conflicting parties had yet to fully engage, so Konoha wasn’t much affected. The central district was still bustling with life. Even at night, the streets were crowded, and shops were brightly lit.
“Be good and don’t cry. When it’s your birthday, mommy will buy you a toy.”
The child, crying for an unknown reason, smiled again after being comforted by his mother.
“Daddy, I want to eat that!”
“No, we just had dinner.”
“But I really want to eat it.”
“Alright, just one.”
A child begged their parent for some delicious fried food from the street. Some parents, unable to resist their child’s innocent face, gave in, while others used various techniques to make the child give up willingly.
“This is too expensive, we can’t afford it.”
“If you eat this at night, Uchiha Madara will come and take you away.”
Hearing this made Shisui feel somewhat odd. So, was his ancestor now a tool to scare children into behaving?
Curious about why so many kids wanted it, Shisui bought a fried meat patty.
After the first bite, Shisui found it mediocre, vastly different from the tempura Mokutsuki made.
Not wanting to waste food, Shisui finished it all.
As Shisui approached the Uchiha district, the environment grew quieter.
Almost home, Shisui felt relieved that the day was finally over.
Though he knew Mokutsuki wouldn’t help him celebrate his birthday since he hadn’t told him the date, he couldn’t help but hope. Perhaps the mysterious and powerful Mokutsuki-sensei somehow knew.
Honestly, Shisui disliked having such thoughts. He figured if it were Obito, he would have directly and happily told Mokutsuki about his upcoming birthday.
Why harbor expectations if he had yet to inform the other party? It was hoping for something impossible.
“Shisui, you should learn from your grandfather, Uchiha Kagami, and become a strong and brave ninja who inherits the Will of Fire.”
Shisui remembered his uncle’s words. His previous thoughts were anything but strong. Though he was just a six-year-old orphaned child, he was determined to be resilient.
“Don’t think too much. Focus on getting stronger. I’ll train for another two hours tonight,” Shisui decided.
In the ninja world, strength was what mattered. Thoughts without power were meaningless.
Shisui arrived at his dark house. It was dark, as usual, since no one was home to turn on the lights.
It was his home despite the darkness, and he immediately noticed something was off. Something extra was in his house.
He silently drew a kunai from his pouch, changing his breathing rhythm, eyes narrowing as he observed his surroundings.
Suddenly, the lights turned on, flooding the room with bright light.
“Happy Birthday, Shisui!”
Holding a kunai, ready for battle, Shisui was stunned to see Mokutsuki, Obito, and the others. His kunai fell to the ground with a clatter.
“Happy Birthday, Shisui,” Mokutsuki said warmly.
“Sorry, we wanted to surprise you. It seems we succeeded,” Mokutsuki added, looking apologetic.
“Haha, Shisui, I didn’t expect to see you so shocked!” Obito laughed, seeing Shisui’s wide-eyed, bewildered expression. If he had a camera, he would have taken a picture.
“Shisui, happy birthday. Your youth is advancing,” Might Guy gave a thumbs-up to celebrate.
Looking around his home, now filled with cheerful decorations, Shisui felt an indescribable joy.
The more sad he had felt while walking home, the happier he was now.
“Mokutsuki-sensei, how did you know today was my birthday?” Shisui asked, unable to control his smile.
Although very excited, Shisui genuinely wondered how Mokutsuki knew about his birthday. He certainly hadn’t asked his uncle.
“I didn’t know. Mokutsuki-sensei told us,” Obito answered.
“This is the wisdom of adults,” Mokutsuki said mysteriously.
As Shisui’s homeroom teacher, Mokutsuki had simply checked Shisui’s records. It was that easy.
Shisui had so much he wanted to say to Mokutsuki, but he didn’t know where to start.
He hadn’t expected his deeply hidden fantasy to come true. If he hadn’t met those kids celebrating their birthdays, he might not have realized he still had such a desire.
Mokutsuki had somehow known his birthday and prepared this considerable surprise.
“I…” Shisui’s mind was in chaos.
“Thank you, thank you, Mokutsuki-sensei and everyone,” Shisui finally said, his heartfelt thanks summarizing all his emotions.
He was genuinely grateful. Even if Mokutsuki hadn’t gone to such lengths, hearing “happy birthday” would have made him happy.
“Look at the cake. We all chose it together. It might not be as big as the one we got for Mokutsuki-sensei, but it’s still good,” Obito revealed the cake.
“Shisui, this is my gift to you. Let’s keep training together to become strong ninjas,” Might Guy handed Shisui a green tracksuit like his own.
“Thanks, Guy. I appreciate it,” Shisui said. He decided to keep the suit as a souvenir rather than wearing it, feeling it would look odd on him.
“This is the kunai I won for first place in the Junior Ninjutsu Tournament. I couldn’t think of anything else, so I’m giving this to you,” Obito handed Shisui a silver kunai, looking a bit reluctant.
Time was short, and he couldn’t think of anything else to give. The silver kunai was the best thing he had.
“Thanks, Obito. But this has so much meaning for you. Maybe you should keep it and give me a regular kunai instead,” Shisui suggested.
Obito’s willingness to part with something so precious was already heartwarming.
“No way. A gift given can’t be taken back. Take it, Shisui. I won’t take it back,” Obito insisted, shoving the kunai into Shisui’s hands.
Seeing Obito so determined, Shisui accepted it, feeling grateful.
He planned to win first place in the next tournament and give Obito a silver kunai for his birthday.
Rin’s gift was something she made by hand. Due to the time constraint, it looked rushed, but Shisui appreciated the effort and thanked her.
“Thank you all so much,” Shisui took a deep breath.
The surprise was beyond his expectations, making him incredibly happy.
“Shisui, you haven’t seen my gift yet. Don’t be in a rush to thank us,” Mokutsuki said with a smile.
Mokutsuki handed Shisui a rectangular gift box, saying, “Open it now. I hope you like it.”
Shisui nodded and carefully opened the gift, curious about what Mokutsuki had prepared.
Inside was a weapon Shisui didn’t know how to categorize. It was longer than a typical kunai, around thirty centimeters, compared to the usual eighteen to twenty centimeters. It was more of a short blade than a kunai, yet not long enough to be a proper sword.
The short blade looked ordinary, less refined than the silver kunai Obito had given him.
Suddenly, Shisui noticed Mokutsuki’s hands.
They were no longer wrapped in bandages, but the once smooth and fair hands were now scarred and rough, bearing the marks of hard work.
When Mokutsuki mentioned learning to forge ninja tools and saw the simple appearance of the short blade, Shisui understood everything.
Mokutsuki hadn’t learned to forge tools out of some personal necessity or to open a ninja tool shop, as Obito had joked. He had done it to make this gift for Shisui.
At that moment, the plain short blade in Shisui’s hands transformed into the best weapon in the ninja world, far surpassing the tournament’s silver kunai.
Shisui hadn’t expected Mokutsuki to go to such lengths for him.
When celebrating his birthday, even his uncle would simply buy him a gift, not learn to forge a tool and make one by hand.
Mokutsuki was already busy teaching and training, spending
He makes this gift for himself every free moment, even injuring his hands.
“Don’t be fooled by its looks. It’s actually quite practical. I had the shop owner mix in a bit of chakra metal, so it conducts chakra better than ordinary weapons,” Mokutsuki explained.
Pure chakra metal weapons can conduct chakras much better and extend their blades with chakras.
Mokutsuki wished he could have used more chakra metal, but there needed to be more time or money.
“Materials for forging are really expensive. Just the materials alone cost tens of thousands of ryo. So don’t expect expensive ingredients in our lunches and dinners for a while,” Mokutsuki joked.
“Tens of thousands of ryo!” Guy exclaimed, looking at the plain short blade, astonished by its cost.
“No, I think it’s already beautiful. I love it. I really love it,” Shisui said, carefully examining the short blade and noticing that Mokutsuki had engraved “Shi” and “Sui” on either side.
At that moment, Shisui was filled with immense gratitude. He felt undeserving of Mokutsuki’stsuki’shad, who hadn’t known each other for less than a year.
Shisui wasn’t Mokutsuki’s only student, just the first.
Yet, without knowing Shisui’s birthday, Mokutsuki had given him such a huge surprise.
Despite his busy schedule, Mokutsuki had taken the time to learn and forge a weapon, even injuring his hands.
Everything about the weapon, from its details to the materials, showed Mokutsuki’s care and affection for Shisui.
For the first time, Shisui experienced a feeling he had never felt before.
In Mokutsuki, Shisui found a kind of care and attention he hadn’t known, someone who would help him in times of need, always considering his well-being and fulfilling his deepest, unspoken wishes.
Tears welled up in Shisui’s eyes, something rare for someone determined to inherit the Will of Fire and be strong and brave.
He placed the short blade close to him, looking at Mokutsuki’s injured hands, and said:
“Mokutsuki-sensei, thank you for everything you’ve done for me. I…”
Shisui couldn’t continue, feeling overwhelmed. What could he offer in return for such dedication?
At that moment, Mokutsuki’s hand gently touched Shisui’s head. With a warm smile, he said:
“Shisui, you need to understand, I’m your teacher, and you’re my student. That’s all that matters.”
Hearing this, Shisui couldn’t hold back his emotions any longer. He hugged Mokutsuki, tears of joy streaming down his face.
“Mokutsuki-sensei, I will live up to your expectations,” Shisui’s emotions poured out.
Watching this, the other three students were deeply moved.
“I wonder what kind of birthday gift Mokutsuki-sensei will give me,” Obito couldn’t help but think.
“Mokutsuki-sensei is truly a great teacher,” Rin thought to herself.
“What a youthful moment,” Guy thought, giving a thumbs up.
Seeing the system notifications, Mokutsuki’s smile grew even warmer.
(End of chapter)
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