A Little Surprise

The news that Hyuga Iwa had overestimated himself and tried to take Tsunade as his master instantly spread throughout the entire school. For a time, the school was in an uproar.

This news also brought back memories of the previous rumor incident.

Many students flocked to Hyuga Iwa, some asking questions, others mocking him. All sorts of people came, annoying him to no end.

Hyuga Iwa began living a secluded life focused on studying, doing his best to avoid too much contact with his classmates.

Even so, there were still some troublemakers who came looking for him, leaving Hyuga Iwa thoroughly irritated.

Fortunately, this state of affairs did not last long before another piece of news overshadowed it, letting Hyuga Iwa breathe a sigh of relief.

Kakashi Hatake had applied to graduate from the Ninja School!

The news instantly caused a huge stir among the students. Kakashi Hatake was only five years old, and he had only attended the Ninja School for a single year!

If Kakashi Hatake successfully graduated from the Ninja School, he would break the record for the youngest graduate!

There were also rumors that Kakashi Hatake's application had already been approved by the Hokage. Adult ninja had even acknowledged his strength, saying he would definitely pass the graduation exam.

The name of a genius spread throughout Leaf Village!

For a time, there was an endless stream of spectators, making that secretly smug guy happy beyond measure.

Only then did the students realize that Kakashi Hatake's surname was Hatake, and that his father was the hero of Leaf Village, Hatake Sakumo, known as the White Fang of the Leaf!

Hatake Sakumo, a name known to everyone, was once again frequently mentioned throughout Leaf Village. Some even said that Hatake Sakumo would one day succeed the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, as Hokage and become Leaf Village's Fourth Hokage!

A few days later, official news came from the Hokage that Kakashi Hatake had successfully graduated and become a Genin. The students' discussions grew even more heated.

There was an endless stream of students coming to congratulate him, and many ninja came as well. From Hyuga Iwa's observations, most of the ninja who came to celebrate were civilian ninja. People from several of Leaf Village's great clans had also come, but not a single person from the Hyuga Clan, Senju Clan, or Uchiha Clan appeared.

It was actually easy to understand why the Senju Clan had not come, since Tsunade was now the only publicly known member of the Senju Clan.

As for the Hyuga Clan and Uchiha Clan, the pride of being founding great clans of Leaf Village had always made them look down on other families, much less the Hatake Family, a civilian ninja family.

The outside commotion did not affect Hyuga Iwa, but as Kakashi Hatake's friend, he naturally had to celebrate after Kakashi officially became a ninja.

So Hyuga Iwa invited Might Guy, Obito, and the others, planning to prepare a little surprise for Kakashi Hatake. In Obito's words, it was absolutely the most unique idea he had ever seen!

Actually, Hyuga Iwa had originally intended this idea as a project for opening a shop. After observing and researching for a long time, he found that no one in the current Shinobi World seemed to celebrate birthdays. As a result, there were no birthday cakes, pastries, breads, or similar foods. This might be a way to make money.

Hyuga Iwa wanted to make money because his family truly did not have much left. He had seen his mother sigh over money more than once.

Perhaps there really was not much money left at home.

But according to Hyuga Iwa's plans, he still had a great many projects that required money. Leaving aside everything else, food alone would cost more than it did for others. The Hyuga Clan could really eat.

The experiments required for those plans were all money-devouring beasts. The money his family currently had could not even afford a tiny fraction of the equipment needed for the experiments.

When Hyuga Iwa heard that Kakashi Hatake had applied for graduation, he knew Kakashi would definitely succeed. So he had long since thought of a way to celebrate for him. It was simple yet distinctive, and Hyuga Iwa quickly thought of cakes from his previous life. He felt that would be a good idea.

As soon as he thought of it, he got to work. Hyuga Iwa convinced Yuko to help buy the ingredients, then began experimenting little by little.

First, he processed the eggs, separating the whites from the yolks. Then he added fresh milk and vegetable oil to the yolks, followed by cake flour. Finally, he poured the mixture into a mold and put it into an oven.

Of course, there were no ovens in the current Shinobi World, so Hyuga Iwa had to find another solution. He designed a simple baking stove himself, and after waiting for a while, the cake could be taken out.

It was just that Hyuga Iwa had never properly made one in his previous life, so at the beginning, it was difficult for him to control the heat.

After eating several days' worth of nearly inedible black, paste-like unidentified substances, a cake with a fairly decent taste finally appeared in the Shinobi World.

Hyuga Yuko blissfully savored the soft cake before her, her heart filled with joy.

Their family finally would not have to keep living off their savings!

Tears shimmered in Yuko's eyes as she looked lovingly at her son. In her eyes, Hyuga Iwa had always been an obedient and sensible child since he was young. No, sometimes he seemed more like an adult. Though he could be a bit chatty at times, in Yuko's heart, her Iwa was the smartest.

And that was indeed true. After all, memories from two lives were no joke. At the very least, having graduated from university in his previous life meant he possessed a certain level of intelligence. After transmigrating, Hyuga Iwa had also placed relatively more importance on learning knowledge. The current Hyuga Iwa definitely knew more than ordinary ninja.

Of course, what Hyuga Iwa knew was mostly theoretical knowledge. If he wanted to combine theory with reality, he still had a long way to go.

After tasting the cake, Hyuga Iwa roughly confirmed the method for making it. Then he had Yuko follow the steps and make a larger cake. This time, they added plenty of extra fruit, cream, and other ingredients, making the entire cake look even more delicious and enticing.

This celebration for Kakashi Hatake was also a test for Hyuga Iwa. Or rather, he was treating Kakashi Hatake and the others as guinea pigs. If they thought it was acceptable, he would have Yuko open a cake shop in Leaf Village, specializing in cakes and similar foods to make money.

That day happened to be a school holiday. Hyuga Iwa got up early, and after finishing his usual training, he went to Might Guy's house.

"Guy, I prepared a gift for Kakashi to celebrate him becoming an official ninja. What do you think? Want to go together?"

After hearing that, Guy looked delighted. "What? You even prepared a gift? Then what am I supposed to do? I haven't prepared anything at all!"

"I prepared two portions, one for you and one for me. Then we'll call Obito and the others over to celebrate with him. Not a bad idea, right?" Hyuga Iwa raised the cake he was carrying and handed one of them to Guy. "How about it? I'm a good friend, aren't I? If all of you are satisfied with this gift, then when you become a ninja, Guy, I'll prepare one for you too."

"Really?" Guy's eyes lit up as he looked at Hyuga Iwa with a face full of anticipation.

"Mm."

After receiving Hyuga Iwa's promise, Guy instantly became happy. Come to think of it, Guy was always so easily satisfied.

Hyuga Iwa and Guy each carried a large cake, along with baked goods like bread and cookies, to Kakashi Hatake's house. Obito, Lin, Shizune, and several others had also been invited.

"Kakashi, we prepared a gift for you. It's delicious food! I also invited a few classmates over so we can celebrate together."

"Huh?"

Kakashi Hatake looked at them in surprise. He had not expected Hyuga Iwa to invite so many people over, but what exactly was his gift?

Kakashi Hatake looked at the boxes in Hyuga Iwa's and Guy's hands, and a trace of anticipation rose within him.

The other students also watched Hyuga Iwa expectantly. When Hyuga Iwa took out the prepared cake, everyone was instantly captivated by its beautiful appearance. At the same time, the rich scent of cream wafting from the cake, mingled with the fresh fragrance of fruit, immediately whetted their appetites.

Hyuga Iwa took out the candles he had prepared and guided everyone through the celebration process from his previous life. Then, under their expectant gazes, he cut the cake into eight equal portions, exactly one for each person.

Everyone followed Hyuga Iwa through the celebration ceremony with curious expressions, then accepted their slices of cake and began tasting them.

"Wow, this is really delicious! Iwa, did you make this? It's so good." After taking one bite, Lin quickly devoured the rest of her cake, then stared fixedly at the cake in Hyuga Iwa's hands.

Seeing Lin's gaze, Hyuga Iwa smiled. "I'm glad you like it. Well, here's the thing. My mother is planning to open a cake shop in the future. If you want to eat some, you can go buy it there. I can give you a discount."

"Huh?"

"Really? Iwa, your family is opening a cake shop?" x3

"Hey, Iwa, you didn't give me this cake just to promote your cakes, did you?" Kakashi Hatake asked suspiciously. One moment Hyuga Iwa had been talking about celebrating for him, and the next he was already promoting his goods.

"It's just on the side, Kakashi. You're not that petty, are you?"

"So that really was your plan!"

"Hehe..."

"I've decided. I'll definitely come eat here often from now on!" Shizune licked the corner of her mouth and spoke with a serious expression.

"Me too."

"Count me in."

"Thank you, thank you for your patronage..."

"..."