"Deidara, you're a bit late," Kisame greeted as he sipped his sake. Across from him sat Itachi Uchiha, his usual stoic demeanor unshaken.
"Kisame, there's something I've always wanted to ask you."
"Oh? Judging by your tone, I doubt it's a good question," Kisame replied casually.
"Do you have the bloodline of the Hōzuki Clan?" Deidara asked curiously. "Otherwise, why are your teeth so sharp? That's a signature trait of the Hōzuki Clan."
"Ah, that."
Kisame downed another cup of sake and deliberately bared his razor-sharp teeth with a grin.
"Maybe. It's possible that one of my ancestors was a ninja from the Hōzuki Clan, and I just happened to inherit some traits through atavism. You know what atavism is, right?"
Kisame, as always, was surprisingly cultured.
Seeing the astonished looks around him, Kisame explained with a smile, "Of course! Even though I'm just a ninja who relies on brute force, I've never neglected my personal development. I read regularly. In this aspect, I might even surpass Itachi-san!"
"By the way, how many people are here so far?"
"I'll just tell you straight: only the leader and Byakko haven't arrived yet. Saves time," Kisame replied.
"You guys are so slow."
"It's all Deidara-nii's fault! He was messing around with his clay again and lost track of time. If I hadn't gone to fetch him, he'd probably still be at home!" Kurotsuchi complained.
"Yo, Deidara! Come sit over here!" Hidan shouted from inside, waving enthusiastically at the entrance.
"Hidan talks too much. Can I sit here instead?" Deidara asked, not particularly eager to sit next to the overly loud and excitable Hidan.
But Kisame immediately rejected the idea. "No way. I want to sit quietly with Itachi-san."
"Kisame, if you had to choose between Samehada and Itachi, who would you pick?"
"Uh..." Kisame froze mid-sip, his hand holding the cup suspended in the air.
Gotcha! Deidara thought smugly, his face lighting up with a sly grin. You think you can shrug me off, Kisame? Let's see how you answer this one.
Reluctantly, Deidara made his way over to Hidan and Kakuzu's table. As soon as he sat down, Hidan shoved a cup of sake toward him.
"Deidara, drink up!"
Deidara downed the sake in one gulp. Thanks to his ability to Clayify, he had no fear of alcohol. Tonight, he was the god of drinking—invincible, undefeated!
"Kurotsuchi, want some?" Deidara turned to Kurotsuchi, who was sitting nearby.
"I don't drink that stuff," Kurotsuchi replied haughtily, though her eyes kept darting toward the sake cup.
Deidara ignored her. Women are the most troublesome when they're being contrary.
"Kakuzu, how's your heart collection coming along?" Deidara asked casually.
At this, Kakuzu let out an annoyed snort. "Good hearts aren't so easy to come by. I'm a lot weaker than I used to be."
"Damn it! Back in the day, I fought the First Hokage, Hashirama Senju!"
"Kakuzu, is that true or not? Last time I heard, Hashirama said he didn't remember anything like that," Hidan chimed in, his curiosity piqued.
Damn! Kakuzu cursed internally. He had let that slip again! Drinking really did loosen the tongue. His face flushed slightly under his bandages. He made a mental note to stop bragging about that in the future.
"Kakuzu, why aren't you saying anything?" Hidan pressed on.
Just as Kakuzu was about to lose his patience, Nagato and Konan entered the room, drawing everyone's attention and saving Kakuzu from further embarrassment.
"Leader, you're still wearing that outfit today?" Kisame joked, glancing at their black cloaks with red clouds. "Surely our organization isn't so poor that we can't afford other clothes?"
"Kisame, don't dwell on such trivial matters," Pain (Tendo) replied coldly as he walked further inside. After all, one couldn't expect a corpse to show much expression.
"Leader, aren't you going to give a year-end speech or something? Isn't that what bosses usually do?" Deidara teased.
"Let Konan handle that," Nagato said, already feeling a headache coming on.
"Not interested. Let's just enjoy the meal," Konan replied flatly.
The gathering was lively yet uneventful. Everyone drank and chatted casually, but the atmosphere brought them closer together. It was as if an invisible barrier had been broken, allowing them to truly see each other as comrades and friends moving forward.
"Deidara-nii, I'm going now," Suigetsu announced, pulling out the bouquet of flowers he had bought earlier. He was ready to confess to Haku.
Deidara struggled to suppress his grin, keeping his expression serious as he replied, "Go for it!"
"Suigetsu, believe in yourself. You'll definitely succeed!"
The gathering wasn't limited to core members. Even figures like Zabuza, Haku, Karin, and the Xuanyuan Group had been invited, as well as rogue ninjas like Hōzuki Mangetsu from Kirigakure.
Suigetsu hid the bouquet behind his back and slowly approached the table where Zabuza and Haku were seated.
"What do you want?" Zabuza growled, clearly irritated. Ever since the Land of Rivers became a battleground and their base there was semi-abandoned, Zabuza and Haku had been reassigned to Amegakure.
He had hoped for some peace and quiet, but this brat kept showing up to provoke him—and worse, he had his sights set on Haku. Unforgivable!
"None of your business. I'm here for Haku," Suigetsu retorted, showing no respect for Zabuza. Not only was there the matter of the Decapitating Blade's ownership, but Zabuza's repeated interference in his pursuit of Haku was infuriating.
Slightly flushed from two cups of sake, Haku looked up. "Suigetsu, what is it?"
In that moment, even Suigetsu, who usually didn't care much for girls, had to admit that Haku was incredibly charming. Her gentle demeanor made her seem like the perfect future wife, someone who could raise many children with him.
He was determined to have children who inherited both the Hōzuki Clan's and the Yuki Clan's Kekkei Genkai!
"Haku! Have children with me!" Suigetsu declared loudly, pulling out the bouquet from behind his back.
"Idiot!" Karin punched Suigetsu's head, which promptly turned into a splash of water.
"Who starts a conversation like that?!"
"But Karin, you told me to buy flowers and speak my true feelings courageously!" Suigetsu protested, looking confused.
"I said to speak your true feelings, not that! Karin shouted in exasperation.
"But that is my true feeling!" Suigetsu insisted.
Bang!
The sound of the Decapitating Blade striking the ground echoed through the room. Fortunately, Suigetsu's Hōzuki Clan bloodline saved him; otherwise, Zabuza's swing would have sliced him in two.
"You little brat! I'll kill you today!" Zabuza roared in fury.
Suigetsu's head emerged from a puddle of water on the ground. "What does having kids with Haku have to do with you?!"
"First you stole my Decapitating Blade, and now you want to steal Haku too?!"
The tension between the two escalated, but the surrounding atmosphere grew even livelier.
"Now this feels like a proper New Year celebration! So lively!" Kisame remarked, downing another cup of sake, his face full of amusement.
"I agree," Deidara said as he walked over, finding the view from this side much better.
Meanwhile, Haku, flustered and caught off guard by the sudden proposal, finally spoke up. "Suigetsu, no."
"I'm already Zabuza-sama's tool."
"And besides... I'm a guy."
"What?! You're really a guy?!" Suigetsu staggered back, his face filled with disbelief.
He no longer believed in love.
~~~❃❃~~~~~~~~❃❃~~~
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