1200 POWA STONES!!!!! W readers! L to those who have power stones but never use them
Chapter 66: Gifts
What is this...
Iruka's throat felt like something invisible was choking it.
His gaze fell on the prominent cream cake on the cloth-covered long table, with his name written in jam beside the unlit candles, warm candlelight already flickering in his mind.
A cake... specially ordered, wasn't it? When clearly... he should have been the one caring for them.
But now, these children had remembered his birthday and even planned such a surprise.
His heart was wrapped in warmth, each beat carrying a bittersweet throbbing sensation. Heat surged from deep in his nasal cavity, and he quickly bit down hard, desperately suppressing those emotions that threatened to spiral out of control.
No... absolutely cannot cry here! If he broke down crying in front of his students, his dignity as a teacher would be completely ruined!
Iruka blinked frantically, trying to make that moist heat recede. But the more he tried to control it, the more intensely that expanding warmth in his chest grew, almost ready to burst through his ribcage.
These kids... when did they even start preparing this?
His gaze swept over the students standing behind the table... Oh no, he really couldn't hold it back much longer.
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"Alright! The candles are blown out, now let's open presents!"
Naruto clapped his hands enthusiastically, his face bearing a brilliant smile. His voice echoed through the classroom with youthful energy, making the entire room's atmosphere heat up.
"Iruka-sensei, this is my birthday gift—you'll definitely love it! This is the highest quality in all of Konoha!"
Kiba stepped forward holding a simple gift box tied with a somewhat rough red ribbon that looked like he'd wrapped it himself.
Iruka stared blankly at the gift box held out to him, his mind still lingering on the scene from making his wish—in the flickering candlelight, the children's faces glowed warmly as they sang happy birthday together. Though their voices were uneven, it was the most beautiful song Iruka had ever heard.
How long had it been since he'd celebrated a birthday like this?
He was dazed for a moment before reaching out to accept Kiba's gift, his fingertips trembling slightly as they touched the box.
"Thank you, Kiba."
His voice was quiet but carried genuine gratitude.
"That's not right, sensei! According to birthday rules, you have to open the gift before saying anything!"
Naruto chimed in with a grin. Iruka smiled helplessly, nodded, and carefully unwrapped the packaging.
What met his eyes was a bag of dog food. And it was the most expensive kind from Konoha's pet shop, with "Premium Ninken Specialty" printed on the package.
"Seriously, why are you giving him that? Iruka-sensei doesn't even have a dog."
Shikamaru couldn't help but complain, lazily leaning against the table and shaking his head.
But Kiba looked completely matter-of-fact, even righteously retorting, "Isn't that simple? Iruka-sensei just needs to get a dog!"
The classroom immediately erupted in laughter. Yet amid all the laughter, Iruka simply lowered his head, his fingers gently tracing the logo on the dog food bag, the corners of his mouth turning up slightly.
"Kiba, thank you for the gift. I really like it."
This was the truth.
Actually, Iruka had known today was his birthday. But ever since his parents died in the Nine-Tails attack that night, no one had celebrated his birthday with him.
As a child, he'd secretly hoped someone might remember, someone might say "happy birthday" to him. But as year after year passed, that small hope was gradually buried in the corners of memory, eventually forgotten completely.
As an adult, he'd stopped caring about this day entirely. Occasionally when he saw his birth date on ninja academy files, he'd only glance at it indifferently. But... just having someone say happy birthday to him would have made Iruka very happy, very satisfied.
"Good! Next is my gift." Choji's round cheeks were full of excitement as he held out an envelope wrapped thickly and carefully.
Iruka accepted the envelope, and the moment he opened it, the Barbecue Q logo came into view—two meal vouchers with bold lettering marking "Five-Person Premium Beef All-You-Can-Eat."
"Choji... isn't this a bit too precious?"
"Just accept it, sensei!" Choji waved dismissively. "I have lots of these! My father gives them to me to treat friends with..."
After that, Shikamaru yawned appropriately and lazily stuffed a silk-wrapped elongated object into Iruka's hands.
"Don't expect much from mine—it definitely can't compare to the Akimichi family's generosity."
Unwrapping the silk revealed a sealing scroll.
"Just inject chakra to use it," Shikamaru explained with drooping eyelids. "The left technique stores ninja tools, the right stores documents, and I had someone add fire-resistant jutsu to the middle layer... such a drag. Here's the instruction manual."
Iruka realized this seemingly casual gift was probably a custom-made item Shikamaru had prepared long in advance.
This guy who always complained about things being "troublesome" had actually turned laziness into a unique philosophy—just like his way of handling things, every step he took was calculated ten steps ahead.
Once he decided to do something, he had to do it perfectly.
That's why even his gift was designed to be so thoroughly... Nara-style.
Iruka gazed at the sealing scroll in his hands, feeling Shikamaru's thoughtfulness—this level of ninja tool definitely wasn't something randomly pulled from a warehouse.
"This really helps a lot, Shikamaru." He looked up and gave Shikamaru an understanding smile. Shikamaru just lazily waved his hand.
Then Satsuki stepped forward with graceful steps, holding a deep blue rectangular wooden box. The Uchiha clan emblem was embossed on the surface, radiating the noble aura characteristic of prestigious families.
"Here." She said simply, handing over the wooden box.
When Iruka received the wooden box, he felt its substantial weight. Opening it revealed ten precisely arranged steel shuriken.
"As our teacher," Satsuki raised her chin slightly, "you cannot slack in training. If you think becoming a teacher means you don't need to practice anymore... you'd bring shame to our Uchiha clan."
A typical tsundere statement—clearly well-intentioned but wrapped in a thorny shell. But Iruka noticed Satsuki's gaze held a trace of inexplicable... resentment?
Of course he didn't know that just ten minutes earlier, he'd interrupted a certain black-haired girl's crucial moment of nearly holding her beloved's hand.
"Thank you, I'll use them well." Iruka solemnly closed the wooden box. Satsuki snorted softly and walked back to Naruto's side.
"Well then..." Iruka looked at the pile of gifts in his arms—dog food, barbecue vouchers, sealing scrolls, ninja tools... these uniquely characteristic gifts filled his chest with warmth. His gaze naturally fell on the last student.
Naruto held a beautifully wrapped square gift box, his face bearing a brilliant smile as he stepped forward in three quick strides.
"Iruka-sensei! My gift is the most amazing one!"
Everyone looked toward Naruto's gift, completely failing to notice Shino standing quietly to the side, holding a simple box in both hands.
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