Sasuke, having just taken a shower, walked out wearing loose-fitting loungewear.
She skillfully reached out and placed a hand on Karin's face, only to see the two of them looking somewhat surprised.
"Hello, Fourth Hokage, Aunt Kushina."
Minato Namikaze, carrying a gift bag, smiled and said, "Happy birthday, Sasuke-kun."
Accepting the gift, Sasuke nodded politely and thanked him, "It's nothing, thank you for making the trip."
"Oh, Sasuke-kun is so polite~ Hmm, he's so strong. That brat Naruto is so skinny because he doesn't eat enough vegetables!"
Naruto, sitting on the sofa, turned his head and said with dissatisfaction, "Mom, what are you saying! I eat vegetables! And I'm already considered strong, Sasuke is practically a monster of muscle!"
"Shut up! Call me my dear mother, don't lead little Huali astray!"
Little Huali had no interest in her brother's and mother's fight; her eyes were fixed on Sasuke, who had just come out of the bath and whose hair was still sticky.
So handsome... so cool... so stylish...
Minato Namikaze picked up his daughter, noticing her unwavering gaze, and chuckled, "Do you really like Sasuke- san? Do you want him to hold you for a bit?"
Just as Huali was about to nod, everyone's attention was drawn to the sound of the door opening.
Squeak—
Kagami Uchiha changed his shoes in the entryway and looked up at everyone.
"Is today a special day? Why are you all here?"
"Well?"
Naruto leaned back on the sofa and said, "Master, I only came because Shisui told me you were coming to Sasuke's birthday party today. Otherwise, I wouldn't have wanted to celebrate that arrogant guy's birthday!"
Kagami Uchiha looked at Shisui.
Shisui scratched his head. "I thought you knew it was Sasuke's birthday today, which is why you specifically chose this day to tell me."
After changing into fluffy cat-shaped slippers, Kagami Uchiha said calmly, "I just wanted to talk to you and Sasuke about something. Since it's your birthday, let's talk about it tomorrow."
"Also, don't talk to me like I'm some missing person who has returned. Don't I come back every month?"
"Um?"
Kagami Uchiha was very sensitive to gazes; from the moment he entered the room, those eyes were fixed on him.
He met the gaze of the owner of those starry eyes.
"Little girl, who are you?"
"It's Huali! Didn't you see her when she was born!" Kushina's voice was still as loud as ever.
Kagami Uchiha glanced at Huali, then at Chiho, who was helping Mikoto in the kitchen. "She didn't have much hair when she was born, so with this kind of chakra, I thought Chiho had given birth to another one."
It has to be said that this little girl has a very high concentration of ancestral blood, showing signs of atavism.
Kagami Uchiha could almost foresee her future and that she would awaken abilities no less than Karin's.
"What do you mean, you brat! Do you think I can't have a cute red-haired daughter?!"
Kagami Uchiha picked at his ear. "Minato, it's amazing you haven't gone deaf after all this time."
Minato gave a wry smile, "Actually... Kushina has become very gentle. Kagami, have you ever thought that the problem is that you're too easy to make people angry?"
Over the years, everyone has changed, but Kagami Uchiha's mouth is still as foul as ever.
"Compared to Kushina, I'm the gentler one."
Kagami Uchiha picked up his tea and met Huali's gaze. "Still looking? What's so interesting?"
"You're beautiful."
As soon as Huali finished speaking, she blushed and snuggled into Minato Namikaze.
"Putting aside your strength, you're just a handsome guy with a terrible personality." Kakashi said with a smile while peeling an orange, performing a rapid-fire demonstration of lifting his mask to eat the orange and then pulling it back up.
"So you know my strength?"
As soon as Kagami Uchiha finished speaking, Kakashi felt his hands fall limply to his sides, his mask still slightly off.
Everyone looked at him with curiosity, even Minato had only seen his true face once when he was still young.
He had a handsome face and a perfectly placed beauty mark at the corner of his mouth.
"Ah! So this is what Kakashi- senpai looks like under his mask!"
"I thought you'd have sausage lips or buck teeth or something."
"Yeah, although I think he's not as handsome Sasuke-kun, he's still a top-notch handsome man. Why is he wearing a mask?"
Kagami Uchiha crossed his legs and said disdainfully, "He probably thinks being masked is cool. Before reading 'Make-Out Paradise,' this guy liked to read novels about how ninjas should die, full of chuunibyou (middle school syndrome) vibes."
"Hey, stop talking! I'm the Mizukage, after all!"
Hatake Kakashi, who had come all the way from the Land of Water, brought a bodyguard with him.
An unwritten rule is that bodyguards are the first choice for the next generation of shadows.
Mei Terumi, who had been holding her breath the moment Kagami Uchiha entered, was now stunned as she looked at Kakashi's face.
To be fair, Kagami Uchiha is a bit more handsome than Kakashi.
But she didn't dare to look directly at Kagami Uchiha's face. Only a naive girl like Huali would dare to stare at him for so long.
Kagami Uchiha sneered, "Haven't you figured out why we made you the Mizukage yet?"
"Because you're a counterfeit."
"Mirror, I challenge you to a duel!"
"No, Sakumo isn't dead yet. I don't want him to be an old man burying his old friend."
The birthday party was very lively.
Apart from Mei Terumi, no one else felt restrained by Kagami Uchiha's presence.
To them, Jing was a friend, a brother, and a strict yet gentle master.
It's a person.
Rather than the god as seen by outsiders.
"I didn't prepare anything. This may not be of much use to you, but consider it a memento." Kagami Uchiha took out a tattered scroll from his pocket and handed it to Sasuke.
Minato recognized what it was.
"Mirror, that's..."
"Hmm, a tenth birthday gift from that lecherous old man."
Sasuke accepted it with both hands as if it were a precious treasure. "I will keep it safe, thank you, Master!"
The fact that Kagami Uchiha has kept it since he was ten years old shows just how important it is to him.
Sasuke wasn't going to feign reluctance to accept it; he was determined to preserve this treasure!
Naruto looked at Sasuke with envy. Sasuke may have appeared carefree, but he was actually quite thoughtful.
Judging from Kagami Uchiha's usual actions and his current statements...
Perhaps, Sasuke was his master's most beloved disciple...
He didn't say anything, but he couldn't help feeling a little down.
Snap—
A large hand pressed down on his head.
"What are you feeling down about, kid?"
Kagami Uchiha chuckled and said, "If I'm still alive when you turn ten, I'll prepare a gift for you too."
"Well!!"
Naruto's pupils contracted sharply. He didn't care about the gift; his focus was on Kagami Uchiha's words... "I'm still here."
His eyes were brimming with tears. "Master, why are you gone? Are you going to die?"
Kagami Uchiha gently ruffled Naruto's hair.
"Don't worry, I won't die."