Chapter 58:
"If it were an invitation to a birthday party for someone from the Uchiha clan, I could understand. After all, we are technically Uchihas. But why are we invited to Himawari's birthday?" Shunhi grumbled as they walked toward Naruto's house. Truth be told, he just didn't want to spend money on a gift.
Still, showing up to a birthday party empty-handed just to eat and drink for free was a bit shameless. In the past, Shunhi might've done exactly that. But with age, even he had developed some semblance of dignity.
After all, he was now the Deputy Director of S.H.I.E.L.D. If his identity were ever exposed, did he really want people's first impression of him to be "cheap"?
"Happy birthday, Himawari." Standing at Naruto's front door, Uchiha Itachi calmly greeted the girl who opened it. His smile was reserved only for Sarada.
"This is our gift," Shunhi said, handing over a bag.
It was a joint gift from him and Itachi—a hamburger made by Minato Namikaze himself.
In fact, this was something Shunhi had only recently discovered: the Transformation Cards retained the original person's habits. He guessed it was probably some form of muscle memory.
Just like how Kushina would sometimes display Patrick Star's vacant expression when she was deep in thought, Minato, after transforming into SpongeBob, had developed a knack for making hamburgers.
As for Orochimaru, Shunhi speculated he probably now liked eating goats and feared frying pans.
"Let me see what Mouse-nii got!" Boruto snatched the bag from Himawari and impatiently opened it. "Huh? It's just a hamburger... and there's only one..."
"This hamburger is filled with the love of an elder," Shunhi explained. And he wasn't wrong—Minato had indeed prepared it with a grandfatherly affection in mind.
"Thank you, Uncle Shunhi." No matter what, Himawari gratefully smiled as she accepted the gift.
"Only someone like Himawari would fall for that kind of gift..." Boruto muttered, then suddenly changed his tone. "But still, thanks, Shunhi-nii."
"Hey! Boruto, you messed up the generation! You should be calling him Uncle Shunhi!" At that moment, Naruto came over and bonked Boruto on the head, then turned to Shunhi. "Uncle Shunhi, you made it."
"Idiot Boruto," Sarada said, with Sasuke walking behind her.
While Naruto often missed Boruto's birthday parties, he never skipped Himawari's. That was the one thing Boruto still thought his dad got right.
"Kushina, don't get any closer. Naruto might spot you." Up in a tree near Naruto's house, Minato grabbed Kushina's hand.
"I'm his mother! What's wrong with going to my own granddaughter's birthday party? You knew it was her birthday today and didn't even tell me. You went ahead and prepared a gift yourself," Kushina said, glaring at him.
"That's because Shunhi only came to me asking for the hamburger at dusk—I didn't have time to tell you it was Himawari's birthday. And besides, looking like this, Naruto wouldn't believe we're his parents anyway..." Seeing tears well up in Kushina's eyes, Minato quickly relented. "Alright, Kushina. We can get a little closer, but we have to be careful."
As a father, Minato didn't care about his current identity or whether he could meet Naruto face-to-face. He was already dead. Knowing Naruto lived a good, happy life was enough for him.
But for a mother like Kushina, it was different. Mothers are the most unreasonable beings in the world. No matter how good or happy Naruto's life was, she would always feel it wasn't good enough.
Minato had already prepared to make a quick escape with Kushina if necessary.
Maybe Kushina had forgotten that Naruto's wife was from the Hyuga clan—but Minato hadn't.
The birthday party carried on as usual. When Naruto placed a cake on the table, Hinata quietly approached and whispered, "Naruto, there are two people outside. Are they from the Anbu?"
"No. A lot's been happening lately, and all the Anbu have other missions." Naruto whispered back. Regardless, neither he nor Hinata wanted to ruin Himawari's birthday. He glanced at Sasuke. "Sasuke, there are two possible enemies outside. I need you to stay here and protect the children. I'll disappear and summon my real body."
Sasuke silently nodded, and Naruto's shadow clone vanished.
"That idiot..." Sasuke muttered as he saw Boruto go from surprised to furious.
Couldn't Naruto have gone into a room to disappear instead? With his speed, he'd be back in no time. But then again, that wouldn't be Naruto.
"That was... a shadow clone... That bastard! I won't forgive him!" Boruto growled, seeing tears well up in Himawari's eyes.
So that meant Naruto had probably only ever sent shadow clones to all of Himawari's previous birthday parties.
"Boruto, don't talk about your dad like that..."
"Enough, Mom! That guy never cared about us!" Boruto snapped at Hinata. Sasuke didn't doubt that if Boruto had Uchiha blood, his Sharingan would've awakened right then and there.
"We've been found, Kushina!" The moment Naruto vanished, Minato realized what had happened and immediately used Flying Thunder God to flee with Kushina.
"Damn it, we were too late..." Naruto, now in Sage Fox Mode, quickly returned from the Hokage Tower to his home.
Seeing Naruto arrive through her Byakugan, Hinata stepped outside and said worriedly, "Naruto, those two already left."
Naruto nodded and was about to speak when he suddenly sensed an attack from behind Hinata.
"You bastard! Take this!"
Naruto easily caught Boruto's punch. Deactivating Sage Fox Mode, he frowned. "What do you think you're doing, Boruto?"
"You've never come to my birthday, and now you use a clone for Himawari's too? You're not even fit to be my father!"
In reality, Naruto had always attended Himawari's birthdays in person—this was the first time he'd sent a shadow clone. There was no helping it; with both the Ōtsutsuki threat and S.H.I.E.L.D. matters, he had to personally be involved.
"You think I'll believe that?!"
...
"Momoshiki-sama, you should've recovered by now, right?" Ōtsutsuki Urashiki asked, watching as Momoshiki finished the last Chakra Fruit in his hand.
Kinshiki stood silently behind them. All around were the bodies of shinobi who had been drained of their chakra. Momoshiki glanced at his right palm where his Rinnegan had fully recovered and gave a slight nod.
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