Gu Qi's Birthday

"Gu Qi, time to head back."

From noon until dusk, Gu Qi had lost count of how many times the current had swept him into the river.

Although chakra kept his feet stuck to the rocks, the waterfall's flow was never constant.

Sometimes it rushed, sometimes it eased, and Gu Qi had to adjust the amount of chakra he used from time to time.

After spending the whole afternoon at it, Gu Qi finally managed to stand steady beneath the waterfall.

But once he settled down, Gu Qi ran into another problem.

The force of the water plunging down from above was no joke. Being hit by the falling water was practically the same as being struck by rocks.

The difference was that rocks usually hit only one part of the body, while the waterfall came crashing down over his entire body.

Gu Qi figured that even if this wasn't enough to help him master breath control, it would definitely make him much more resistant to blows.

"I'm aching all over. I didn't realize the waterfall was this powerful." Gu Qi complained as he got dressed.

Kakashi smiled. "That's the power of nature. So when you face an enemy, if you can make use of nature's power, you might get an unexpected advantage."

"Yeah, yeah, I get it," Gu Qi replied listlessly.

Seeing that, Kakashi didn't go on. Instead, he said, "Come on. I'm treating you to barbecue today."

"Well, well. Since when are you so generous?" Gu Qi asked, surprised.

Kakashi patted Gu Qi on the head. "Because today is our Gu Qi's birthday."

"Oh, right! I almost forgot." Only then did Gu Qi remember that today was his birthday in this world.

But Kakashi had missed Gu Qi's birthday in previous years because of missions, so over time, Gu Qi had rarely thought about celebrating it.

It seemed that this was the first time Kakashi had celebrated Gu Qi's birthday with him.

"Let's go, let's go! We'll pick up the dogs. Today I'm going to eat you into bankruptcy," Gu Qi said excitedly.

"Don't worry. I brought plenty of money today."

"Welcome, you two. Please, come right in." As soon as Gu Qi and Kakashi arrived at Yakiniku Q in Konoha, the proprietress greeted them with a bright smile.

"Ma'am, bring us your best ingredients!" Gu Qi called out grandly.

At his request, the proprietress beamed even more brightly. "Of course, sir. Just a moment. They'll be right out."

"I heard you made a deal with the Inuzuka Clan. Sounds like you made quite a bit of money?" Kakashi asked out of nowhere as they ate.

Gu Qi was just about to pick up a piece of meat, but his hand jolted in alarm. "Damn it, are you spying on me?"

"Bullshit. The whole village knows about it. Why would I need to spy on you?" Kakashi said dismissively.

Clatter!

The news startled Gu Qi so much that he dropped his chopsticks.

"Huh? How did that happen? I was being so careful."

Gu Qi had wanted to keep a low profile so he wouldn't draw the attention of a certain someone. He hadn't expected the news to spread so widely.

Kakashi looked at Gu Qi as though he were an idiot. "Konoha's not that big. Everyone hears the news right away."

"It's your fault. If you hadn't gone on a mission and left me without any spending money, why would I have been forced to sell myself?"

Gu Qi's words were so suggestive that many of the customers turned to look at them.

"Ahem. Didn't I leave you plenty of money before? What happened to it?" Kakashi asked, baffled.

Gu Qi's gaze wandered. "Food costs money. Shopping costs money. Experiments cost money!"

In truth, the system had swallowed all of Gu Qi's money, but unfortunately, he couldn't say that outright.

"I really don't understand why your experiments cost so much. Oh well, I'll just give you all my share from now on."

"Are you sure that's okay?" Gu Qi rubbed his hands together. He sounded a little embarrassed, but his face couldn't have looked happier.

"Heh." Kakashi knew exactly what Gu Qi was thinking, but the money had been Gu Qi's in the first place.

Besides, Gu Qi used it for worthwhile things, so Kakashi didn't need to keep a close eye on him.

"I'll give you the money, but you have to set limits on your experiments," Kakashi said sternly.

There was nothing wrong with doing experiments, and even biological experiments were fine. But if Gu Qi started imitating that one person, experimenting on living people would be a serious matter.

"Relax. I'm a pure and kind-hearted person," Gu Qi said, his big eyes wide and innocent.

Kakashi clicked his tongue. Gu Qi could be a bit ill-tempered, but he really was kindhearted. Still, for some reason, Kakashi felt oddly uncomfortable.

"Enough talking. Let's eat."

Brushing aside that strange feeling, Kakashi waved his hand and, while Gu Qi wasn't looking, ate the food he'd carefully grilled.

When he saw that his carefully grilled food was gone, Gu Qi flew into a rage. "Kakashi, you bastard!"

"Tch. I'm the one treating you, so why shouldn't I eat?" Kakashi said, polishing off another piece of meat.

"Ahh! Ras, sic him!"

"..." Ras glanced at the fearsome Kakashi, then silently went back to eating the barbecue in his bowl.

"Come again!"

"It's my birthday, so why did you eat all the good stuff?" Gu Qi grumbled as they left Yakiniku Q.

Thinking about all the delicious food Kakashi the dog had eaten made Gu Qi feel sick with frustration.

Having gotten his revenge for his own birthday last time, Kakashi said unconcernedly, "We're family. What's the big deal? What's yours is mine, and what's mine is mine."

"I'll bite you!"

The two figures gradually disappeared into the distance, unaware that a little girl was watching them silently from the street.

"I still couldn't give him the present..." The girl tightened her grip on the gift box and walked away, looking dejected.

"Kakashi, you little brat! Just you wait!"

At noon the next day, Anko once again failed to ambush Gu Qi. She stared after him as he sped away, shouting in frustration.

This was the tenth time. Every time, Gu Qi had managed to slip away just as Anko was about to spring her ambush.

At first, Anko had thought it was a coincidence. But after all this time, if she still couldn't tell he was messing with her, she'd have to be an idiot.

"Haha, you think I'm scared of you? Come on, hit me!"

Gu Qi turned and pulled a face at Anko. Then, once smoke was practically coming out of her ears, he darted away.

"Damn it. I'll have to figure out how to deal with those three Ninja Dogs," Anko said thoughtfully, rubbing her chin.

Anko wasn't stupid. She knew Gu Qi was using the three Ninja Dogs to find her.

What puzzled her was that she'd done a great job disguising herself. She'd even used special techniques to mask her scent, yet he still found her.

Certain that her disguise skills were no slouch, Anko began to wonder what the reason could be.

"Right. I'll have to pay the Inuzuka Clan a visit," Anko suddenly exclaimed, remembering a rumor she'd heard recently. She slapped her palm.

Anko wasted no time and shot out of the woods.

Some time later, at the Inuzuka Clan compound.

"Who's there?"

Hana Inuzuka was an excellent veterinarian, but she was also a Chunin and a member of the Inuzuka Clan.

So when she sensed someone watching her, she noticed them immediately.

Thud!

However, as a half-support type, Hana Inuzuka was no match for that hot-tempered girl.

With one hand braced against the wall and the other pressed against Hana's chest, Anko held her face close to Hana's. It looked as though she could kiss her at any moment.

"Anko? What are you doing?" Once Hana Inuzuka recognized her, her tense body relaxed.

Hana Inuzuka and Anko had graduated in the same year. And since they were both hot-tempered, they were fairly familiar with each other.

"Tell me, what kind of deal did Kakashi Gu Qi make with your clan? Was it about tracking?" Anko whispered in Hana Inuzuka's ear.

Hana Inuzuka's face flushed slightly. "So what if it was? Why are you asking about it all of a sudden? Oh, is it because of that?"

Plenty of people knew about the situation between Anko and Gu Qi, which was why Hana Inuzuka had asked.

"Exactly!" Anko didn't bother hiding it.

Anko pushed her away and scoffed. "You're old enough to know better than to pick on a kid! As for the deal, I won't hide it from you. It was about tracking."