The Best Gift

It was late at night, around 10 p. m.

The streets of Konoha were deserted, with only a few figures flashing by, mostly ninjas returning home after finishing their work.

In this day and age, technology is advancing rapidly, but using electricity is still a relatively luxurious activity, so the whole village looks somewhat dark.

Um... it's just darkness in terms of light.

Not long after, four somewhat hurried figures approached the outskirts of Konoha. Instead of using the main gate, they entered through a secret passage.

After all, even the doormen need to rest at this late hour.

The two ninjas skillfully slipped into the still dimly lit Hokage Building.

The Third Hokage generation is getting older and doesn't stay up late as often, but he's still sitting at his desk today.

He didn't process any documents, but simply waited quietly for something, with a squad of Anbu guarding him.

Click!

Shuichi opened the office door and walked in with Akiha.

This mission involved a complex situation, starting with the disappearance of Konoha Ninja, then the unusual behavior of the Matsuyama Castle lord, and finally, discovering the truth and becoming involved in the struggle for the Seven Star Tree.

Many details need to be reported to the Konoha High Command to discuss how to handle Matsuyama Castle, how to deal with the other two countries, and so on.

Shuichi took out a Scroll from behind his back and gestured for several Anbu to come and take it.

"These are the bodies of the Wind Squad and the Jonin Kawakami Squad. Two of them are completely missing, and the remaining few are partially mutilated. We have done our best to collect them."

After the Third Hokage nodded, the leader of the Anbu came over to hand over the duties to Shuichi, and they quickly left the Hokage Building to prepare for their comrade's burial.

This is the fate of ninjas; being able to retrieve the body and return to their hometown is considered a success.

The large clans in the village have a high death rate every year, not to mention the other Civilian Ninja.

The only downside is that the Shinobi World is accustomed to preserving bodies for burial; cremation is generally not accepted.

Therefore, the Impure World Reincarnation technique is taboo because the practitioner is clearly desecrating the corpse of the deceased and completely disrupting the peace of their soul.

"... And so, before the handover, Kirigakure and Sunagakure had vanished without a trace, presumably having left the Land of Fire."

Setting aside the weight of death, Shuichi reported the mission details to the Third Hokage in a light tone.

After saying the last word about the mission, he immediately yawned and complained, "This mission has taken a long time, involving many intense battles. Our team is almost exhausted."

"Itachi was still Genin, while Shisui's strength was far beyond Chunin could measure. They're downstairs..."

Sarutobi Hiruzen was somewhat speechless. Bringing Itachi along was Shuichi's own request. According to the normal way Konoha trained new Genin, they would start with low-level missions and gradually gain experience.

How could Shuichi act so recklessly, dragging Genin straight to the battlefield where the conflict was most intense? If other Jonin followed his example, no matter how many Genin in the village, they wouldn't be enough to kill.

"I understand. Since you've worked so hard, you should go and get some rest."

After the Third Hokage spoke, seeing that Shuichi seemed to pretend not to hear, he already knew what nonsense Shuichi was trying to spout.

Considering the significant benefits their team had secured for the village, he continued, "One Special Jonin and one Chunin spot. Have them come over tomorrow for the promotion ceremony. You can inform them."

"Lord Hokage, you're awesome! Then let me take a few more small things; you probably won't mind, right? After all, this mission doesn't pay!"

"..."

After leaving the Hokage Building, Shuichi quickly beckoned Shisui and Itachi over. Seeing their slightly tired but determined appearance, he grinned and said:

"Through my tireless efforts and recommendations, the Lord Hokage has decided to officially bestow upon Jonin and Chunin. Congratulations!"

As their expressions changed in surprise, the joy wasn't over yet; Shuichi immediately pulled out two Scroll and handed them over.

"My Ninjutsu library doesn't restrict you, and I haven't thought of a good gift for your promotion, so I'll use this Third Lord's Fire Release training notes as a present. I hope you're satisfied."

Itachi and Shisui's expressions remained unchanged, but while they were pleasantly surprised, they solemnly extended their hands to receive it.

Thank you, teacher!

"Thank you, Captain!"

"Alright, kids, I hope you get a good night's sleep tonight!"

After everything was settled, the group quickly parted ways and went home.

When Shuichi said he was exhausted, he wasn't lying. This mission could be described as a trek across three thousand miles.

His final act of guarding a massive area consumed an enormous amount of chakra, while the other Konoha Ninja faced little pressure.

There was no other way; he had to carry out the orders he had given, even if it was tearful. After all, this was what the successor to the Hokage was supposed to do.

Demonstrating one's strength and sense of responsibility to as many ninja as possible within the village is crucial for ensuring a smooth transition when succession occurs.

Without using chakra to run fast, Shuichi strolled leisurely towards his Villa.

This corner of the village was much livelier than the other parts, but not many people would be out shopping so late, so he had no interest in lingering there.

He skillfully turned into the yard, locked the iron gate, and quietly used the key to open the Villa door so as not to wake Bai, who lived in the corner room on the first floor.

"Huh? Someone's here?"

Once home, Shuichi completely relaxed, turned off his X-ray vision, and stopped using his chakra perception.

However, thanks to his long-honed ninja skills, he sensed someone in the main hall on the second floor. "Is that Hong? She's probably here to help me clean my room..."

BOOM--

Just as I stepped onto the last flight of stairs, a soft sound came from both sides of the wall, and all the lights in the small hall turned on at once.

The slightly dim, warm yellow light made the room look unusually cozy. Shuichi looked at the large number of colorful ribbons falling beside her and showed a rare expression of surprise.

Happy birthday, Shuichi-kun!

A girl with black hair and red eyes jumped out from the wall, a gentle smile on her fair face as she looked at Shuichi's face with utmost tenderness.

"Hong... what's wrong?"

Shuichi's eyes widened slightly.

Hong approached, took his hand, and led him to sit down on the sofa in the living room. A delicate, dark-colored cake sat on the table in front of them.

"You'll be 18 in an hour!" Hong looked at him with a slightly embarrassed but expectant expression.

"I remember you love sweets, so I specially prepared a chocolate cake. Would you like to try it?"

Seeing all this, Shuichi couldn't help but feel a moment of disorientation.

He's been here for over ten years, and no one has ever celebrated his birthday.

Even during his infancy and early childhood, his ninja parents were too busy with the war to give him much care.

For so many years in a row, the only gift he received on his birthday was that "ding" sound from the system.

It instantly granted him enough power to dominate the Shinobi World, making him deeply aware that he still had a sense of existence.

Shuichi has many friends, teachers, and disciples, many of whom are sworn brothers he can entrust with his life, but he often feels lonely.

Now he understands: it's because he has no family!

There is no one with whom I can open my heart and indulge myself freely.

He came to Konoha with a mature soul, so he couldn't sincerely say, like the Third Hokage, "Everyone in Konoha is my family."

But after today, will he...?

"Shuichi, Shuichi!" Hong noticed he had suddenly drifted off into thought, gently tugged at his arm, and pouted as she spoke:

"Did you just finish a task and get back too tired? Why don't you go and rest first..."

"No, I'm not tired right now!" Shuichi turned around and smiled, pulling the small cake to the table.

After slicing it open, he handed Hong a fork, saying, "Here, I want you to eat with me."

This girlfriend is definitely worth having!

"..."

The cake had a sweet flavor with a slightly bitter aftertaste. The girl wasn't a professional pastry chef, so it was clear she had put in a lot of effort to produce something like this despite her busy schedule.

The two of them ate with great relish, taking turns feeding each other every now and then.

In the slowly escalating, ambiguous atmosphere, whenever someone accidentally gets some cream on their lips...

The other person would always kindly lean over... and use their mouth to suck up the cake residue for him/her...

The cake was finished, and Shuichi arm around Hong's waist and told her about what had happened during the mission.

He quickly realized that discussing this topic under such circumstances was incredibly foolish, and he thought of a certain plan he had once made.

He leaned close to the other person's ear and tentatively asked, "I'm thinking of going to a hot spring, how about... you come along?"

Hong's body tensed instantly, her ears visibly turning pink. After hesitating for a moment, she said shyly:

"You're definitely up to no good. We agreed beforehand that you wouldn't lay a hand on me. Also... today's situation is special; there won't be a second time."

"No problem!" Shuichi patted his chest and agreed.

As for whether there will be a second, third, or even Nth time, well, women are all two-faced creatures.

"Please sit down first, I'll be back later..."

Before she could finish speaking in a low voice, Shuichi had already darted off the sofa like a rabbit. Hong silently spat in her heart, her face burning as she slowly followed.

After cleaning the hot spring room with lightning speed, the hot water was soon full, and the small space was filled with heat.

Shuichi refreshing sigh and plunged into the water, feeling as if much of his fatigue had evaporated instantly. He leaned against the pool wall, settling into a comfortable sitting position.

Only its head was above water, its eyes fixed on the door, motionless.

Whoosh whoosh whoosh--

The very slight sound of a sliding door rang out, and a figure tiptoed in.

Shuichi almost whistled when he took a closer look. The girl appeared before him, her hair piled on top of her head, wrapped in a large white bath towel.

Although nothing was exposed on her body, you could tell by sight that... her cleavage was quite deep.

"I won't watch! I won't watch!"

To get her into the pool immediately, Shuichi quickly covered his eyes with his hands; playing the fingertip peeking trick was too low-level.

Let's get them on board as soon as possible; then everything will be easier to negotiate!

As expected of a rare and outstanding female ninja in the village, Kurenai's movements of throwing off the towel and diving into the water were swift and fluid. When Shuichi heard the "splash" and let go, only her head was visible as she stared at him.

"..."

Inside the bathroom, the two could be heard talking faintly. As ninjas with somewhat different hobbies, they didn't have many topics to discuss, mostly about the village, ninjas, and the future.

"... I encountered an interesting female ninja on this mission."

As the time at the hot spring was about to end, Shuichi suddenly started talking about another woman in front of another woman, instantly drawing Kurenai's attention.

Before the latter could ask, he immediately repeated, "She's a master of Lightning Release, and she's even younger than you."

However... after encountering me, she was torn in two and died a agonizing death on the spot, because she was a genius from an enemy country and also a murderer who had killed Konoha Ninja.

"I'm starting to regret not siding with your mother back then." Shuichi man of strong will and rarely changes his mind, but he did tonight.

Hong's place in his heart had changed; she was now more like his only family member.

Only now do I realize that even if Ishikawa Tatsuki and Kakashi died unexpectedly, he would at most be saddened, and would most likely try to find a way to take revenge.

If something happens to Ke Hong, he might be in great pain, extreme pain, and he wouldn't even be able to predict what will happen next.

Human emotions cannot be suppressed. When someone enters the heart of this transmigrator, Shuichi feels more fear than before, when he was simply worried about his friends.

Hong remained silent for a moment, but felt a warm glow inside. After a while, she whispered, "Then... what do you want to do?"

"I want to place the Flying Thunder God Mark on you first!" Shuichi said slowly. "This mark will be permanent. As for other trump cards, items, and Ninjutsu, I'll figure that out later."

"Then let's go!" Hong said weakly, her voice drifting from an unknown source, her tone carrying an inexplicable expectation.

But after she said it, she felt like she had been too proactive, and the plot seemed to be spiraling out of her control.

Shuichi moved his body with a serious expression, "Then I'm coming over?!"

Splash splash--

As the two drew closer, and the distance between them became less than a person's width, the thickening mist could no longer obscure Shuichi's vision.

The scene before him was too clear to see, and Hong made no attempt to conceal herself. Shuichi's blood surged instantly, and she pounced on it like a ray of light.

Whoosh!

The large bath towel that was hanging on the wall was somehow spread out on the marble countertop by the pool.

The soft, thick fibers were flattened by the combined weight of the two people, and the tactile impact... wasn't felt on the towel beneath them.

"You really did plan this all along!" she said, her face flushed red.

But she didn't struggle at all. Turning 18 is a significant milestone for everyone; the cake wasn't really a gift.

Because she carried with her the most precious gift, which she had already decided to give to her beloved.

"Where is the Flying Thunder God Mark?" A murmur came from the air.

"... It was secretly carved last year."

"..."

At this moment, Shuichi's mind seemed to travel back to his past life, to that game he hadn't touched for over a decade, which he now remembered vividly.

"No... don't..."

Just once, the only time.

Red tacitly agreed.

Peeking into the bushes with his face...

Overheating! Dragon Strike! Blood Tide! Energy Unleashed!

"Phew, happy times are always too short."