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⏰ Resets Monday!
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Morning.
Hakuki, who had finally managed to sleep in, was jolted awake by a sensation on his face.
He pried his eyes open. Xiao Qing's little dragon claws were marching across his cheek, leaving tiny red paw prints.
"…"
He grabbed the small dragon and tossed it toward the wall.
Xiao Qing landed gracefully on the desk, its jade-like vertical pupils shooting him a resentful look.
Hakuki rolled over, determined to catch a few more winks.
Knock knock!
The door was tapped by Takenouchi. His voice came from the other side. "Hakuki? Your classmates are here to see you."
Hakuki opened his eyes with the weariness of the damned. He surrendered, got out of bed, and opened the door.
The moment the door swung open, a brilliant, sunny smile blossomed on his previously expressionless face.
"Good morning, Uncle."
Hakuki beamed at Takenouchi.
"Good morning, Hakuki! Get ready and come have some breakfast."
Takenouchi ruffled Hakuki's hair and stepped aside, revealing two figures sitting politely on the tatami.
Shisui and Juri sat with their hands on their knees, backs straight, the picture of perfect posture.
Hakuki's lip twitched. He nodded.
He wasn't a real girl, after all. He washed up quickly.
From the wardrobe overflowing with pink, lavender, sky-blue, and floral-print dresses, he painstakingly selected a dark blue cheongsam with auspicious cloud patterns.
"Hakuki."
Seeing him, Shisui and Juri's eyes brightened.
Takenouchi was an excellent cook. Though Shisui and Juri had already eaten breakfast, they still ended up having quite a bit more at his invitation.
After the meal, saying goodbye to Takenouchi, Hakuki left with the other two.
The weather was beautiful. Clear skies, a gentle breeze, bright sunshine.
"Hakuki, do you know what day it is today?" Juri asked.
What day?
Hakuki shook his head.
"It's Itachi's birthday," Shisui said.
He glanced at Hakuki's slightly surprised face and added, "Itachi actually likes you a lot. So we came to invite you to his birthday gathering."
"Okay."
Hakuki wouldn't refuse, of course. This was a prime opportunity to boost favorability.
"Hakuki, you haven't gotten a gift yet, right? I haven't either. Let's go look together later!" Juri said, sounding troubled about what to give Itachi.
He'd heard girls were naturally gifted at picking presents.
He planned to seek Hakuki's help.
Hakuki nodded.
If he was going to farm favorability, how could he miss the gift-giving chance?
But what would Itachi Uchiha actually like?
The three of them entered a gift shop.
"How about this?" Juri held up a shuriken from a shelf.
"…" Hakuki replied. "Wanna bet? Out of ten people today, nine will give him shuriken."
Shisui quietly added, "I'd believe it."
Juri let out an 'ah,' put the shuriken back, and resumed his headache-inducing search.
"Shisui, what are you giving him?" Hakuki asked curiously.
As Itachi's best friend, what would Shisui choose?
Shisui smiled. "A weapons pouch."
"I didn't really know what to get either. But I figured Itachi would need a weapons pouch eventually, so I bought one," he explained.
"Makes sense."
Practicality was key.
So, what should he give?
This birthday gift opportunity might just push Itachi's favorability past sixty.
No room for slacking!
"Shisui, come here a sec!" Juri suddenly beckoned Shisui over mysteriously.
Shisui looked at Hakuki, a bit surprised Juri would call him alone when Hakuki was right there.
"What's up?"
Shisui went over.
Juri pointed at something on the shelf. "What do you think about giving this?"
Shisui blinked, making sure his vision wasn't failing.
He gave Juri a deeply conflicted look. "Are you… sure?"
Juri nodded firmly. "Of course! Didn't you just say to get something useful? Don't you need this? Won't Itachi need it?"
Shisui was silent.
Need it? Sure, everyone needed them. But was it… appropriate for them to buy underwear?
Juri patted his chest. "This is it! I really can't think of anything else!"
For someone like Juri, picking gifts was pure torture.
He stealthily went to pay, avoiding Hakuki's line of sight.
"You're done already?" Hakuki was surprised Juri finished faster than him.
Looking at the beautifully wrapped gift box in Juri's hands, he was curious. "What did you get?"
"N-nothing! It's a secret!" Juri coughed twice.
Hakuki narrowed his eyes. Something felt off.
His gaze flicked between Juri and the gift box. A sudden realization struck.
He didn't have a gift. But the System did.
System, target 'Uchiha Juri' for gifting.
Hakuki thought to himself.
Uchiha Juri's favorability should be high enough to exchange for a gift.
The oblivious Juri was still wondering if Itachi would like the little tiger-print briefs he'd bought.
[Ding! Target 'Uchiha Juri' favorability: 100!]
Huh?
Hakuki stared at Juri in shock.
He'd thought Juri's favorability was probably in the seventies or eighties. But full?
What had he done?
He hadn't even been trying to 'grind' Juri!
Self-grinding?
If everyone were this low-maintenance, his life would be easy.
[Target favorability maxed. Host may select a skill draw!]
Hakuki proposed, "Can I specify an item category instead? No skills."
For a character like Juri who never appeared in the original anime, a max-favorability skill draw was probably pretty lame.
Better to just get a gift for Itachi Uchiha and try to push his favorability to sixty.
"Granted," the System replied.
[Ding! Random system-assigned item delivered. Does Host wish to receive?]
[Yes] [No]
Hakuki was curious about what the gift was. He selected [Yes].
"Hakuki, haven't you picked yet?" Juri, noticing Hakuki zoning out, asked.
"I… have a gift at home! I'll go get it!" Hakuki didn't have time to check the gift. He brushed off Juri and Shisui, and before they could respond, vanished like the wind.
"…"
"…"
Juri and Shisui looked at each other.
"Let's wait for her here."
"Okay."
…
Hakuki ducked into an empty alley to check the gift automatically placed in his storage.
[Shadow Blade]
What was this?
Hakuki, a somewhat experienced otaku, had never heard of it?
[Weapon Description: A prop from Pleasant Goat and Big Big Wolf: Dunk for Future*. The weapon of Wolffy.]*
Hakuki: (╯°□°)╯︵ ┻━┻
[The blade is short and the material is tough. It can be used for sneak attacks or held crossed in front of the chest for defense. Possesses strong defensive and close-quarters combat capabilities. Has six forms: First Form, Samurai Combat Short Blade; Second Form, Dual Crescent Blades; Third Form, Brilliant Light Crimson Blade; Fourth Form, Soaring Kirin Blade; Fifth Form, Dual Flight Kirin Blades; Sixth Form, Mechanical Four-Finger Blade.]
Hakuki: ⊙ω⊙
[Due to max-level capability, form changes are free and not constrained by the system.]
Hakuki: →_→
He never expected to draw something from Pleasant Goat and Big Big Wolf in this lifetime.
Truly, times had changed. Even Pleasant Goat and Big Big Wolf had evolved into something he could no longer look down on.
If he drew Strongman's Super Drill one day, he wouldn't even be surprised.
"Honestly… I kinda don't want to give it away now."
Hakuki hefted the First Form short blade that had appeared in his hand, feeling reluctant.
"…" The System remained silent. The choice was the host's.
To be fair, the Shadow Blade's offensive power in the Naruto world wasn't overwhelmingly strong. It might be a weirdly cool weapon in the early stages, but it would be completely outclassed later on.
Hakuki understood this perfectly.
He only hesitated for a second before wrapping the Shadow Blade in a thin cloth.
The packaging was shabby, but he was confident no one else's gift could top his.
Hakuki returned to the gift shop holding the bundle. Shisui and Juri were still standing motionless by the entrance.
"Hakuki, what's that?" On their way to the Uchiha compound, Juri kept eyeing the cloth-wrapped Shadow Blade curiously.
Shisui's gaze also kept drifting toward it.
"A gift," Hakuki said with a smile.
"…" Juri rubbed his nose. Obviously. He was just really curious!
The war was still ongoing, so Itachi's birthday gathering only included a few close friends.
Besides Shisui and Juri, it seemed he was the only other one invited.
Hakuki smirked internally. Typical introverted kid.
Fugaku Uchiha had also squeezed out a day from the warfront to spend with Itachi.
Mikoto arranged the abundant dishes on the table with gentle warmth. "You're finally here! Itachi's been waiting for you."
Waiting for a long time?
Was that something Itachi would do?
Hakuki instinctively glanced at Itachi, kneeling formally on the tatami. His gaze caught the faint red tinge on the boy's earlobes.
Alright then.
Every Uchiha was a damn tsundere.
"Hello, Aunt Mikoto! Hello, Uncle Fugaku!" The three of them bowed politely.
"Come, sit!" Mikoto smiled, setting out cushions for them.
Hakuki, being the 'girl,' was seated next to Mikoto and subjected to her motherly affection.
Juri and Shisui sat beside Itachi, with Fugaku, the patriarch, at the head.
Fugaku spoke first. "The three of you, so young, have already completed an A-rank and an S-rank mission. Impressive."
His eyes held genuine appreciation.
The first escort mission had been upgraded from B to A-rank due to the Iwa-nin encounter.
This latest S-rank mission had made Hakuki's trio famous among the new generation in Konoha.
"It was all thanks to Hizashi-sensei," Hakuki said, lowering his head with a hint of shyness.
Fugaku's lips twitched slightly. He knew exactly how capable Hizashi Hyuga was.
The matter of establishing the treaty with Amegakure wasn't lost on him or the head of the Hyuga clan.
They all understood the Third Hokage's intent.
But the Third was Konoha's leader. There was nothing they could do.
That didn't mean they wouldn't remember.
"Sigh." Fugaku looked at the three outstanding children and sighed softly. "Soon, you'll likely be dispatched to the battlefield. Once you're there… be careful in all things."
Hakuki paused.
Many of their peers had already been sent to the front.
With this mission concluded, it was naturally their turn.
Only…
Hakuki felt a pang of guilt.
He'd promised Snake-sama the medicine… and it was gone.
"Now, now, let's not talk about such heavy topics. Let's cut the cake!" Mikoto forced a bright smile. Kind-hearted by nature, the thought of sending children to war pained her deeply, even if she couldn't stop it.
"Okay." Hakuki raised a smile, bright and warm.
[Ding! Target 'Uchiha Mikoto' favorability: 60!]
[Ding! Target 'Uchiha Itachi' favorability: 52!]
After the meal came the gift-giving.
Fugaku gave a kunai. He said nothing, just fixed Itachi with a gaze so intense Hakuki found it suffocating.
Like the patriarchs from his past life.
Saying nothing, yet pressuring their children to grow up through looks and actions.
No wonder kids in this world matured so fast.
"Itachi, congratulations on growing a year older, advancing toward six!" Mikoto's beautiful eyes held nothing but loving affection for her son. She clasped her hands, asking expectantly, "You start at the Ninja Academy tomorrow! That's Mommy's gift to you."
"…"
Hakuki wasn't sure how Itachi felt, but he was a little stunned.
Was 'being sent to school' really a gift any kid would like?
"Thank you, Mother," Itachi replied.
From his young, already-expressionless face, Hakuki couldn't decipher his true feelings.
"Hehe…" Mikoto covered her mouth with a light laugh, then placed a hand on her lower abdomen.
Hakuki's eyes widened in sudden understanding. He stared laser-focused at Mikoto's stomach.
No way!
Sasuke!
Is that you?
Are you still just a tiny embryo right now?
"Itachi, the real gift is… Mommy is pregnant. In a year, you'll have a little brother."
Mikoto's gentle face glowed with a mother's radiance.
Itachi's pupils dilated. His gaze locked rigidly on Mikoto's abdomen. It took him a long moment to blink, his face showing clear astonishment. "A… brother…"
What would a brother be like?
Itachi couldn't imagine. But he was full of anticipation.
Fugaku's expression softened slightly as well.
Hakuki's feelings were complicated.
To think he'd get to witness this scene in person.
Shisui presented his gift next.
Itachi thanked him politely.
"Itachi, this is from me. Open it… later tonight!" Juri stuffed his gift box into Itachi's arms, winking mysteriously.
"…" Itachi nodded blankly, seemingly not understanding what could be so secretive. "Okay."
"This is my gift for you, Itachi. Happy birthday!"
Hakuki tilted his head slightly, offering a flawless, perfect smile.
He'd practiced this in the mirror. This angle, the light from the window, this pose—it was guaranteed to have a god-tier effect.
His efforts were not in vain.
Through the lush green summer leaves outside, scattered sunlight seemed to cast a soft glow on him. His silvery-white hair stirred slightly in the breeze. On his porcelain, childish face was a tender smile that could make hearts race.
[Ding! Target 'Uchiha Itachi' favorability: 60!]
"Thank you, Hakuki." Itachi accepted the bundle with both hands, curiosity evident. "May I open it?"
Hakuki nodded. "Of course."
Of course he should open it. How else would everyone see how awesome his gift was?
Itachi carefully peeled back the black cloth, revealing the Shadow Blade in its entirety.
The dark blue handle had a mechanical aesthetic. The silver-white blade emitted a faint orange glow.
"This is…" Itachi looked at Hakuki in surprise.
Naturally, Hakuki had to explain the blade's awesomeness. He took the short sword in hand and began his explanation, calm and unhurried. "This is the Shadow Blade. A weapon with six different forms."
"The First Form is the current short blade." Hakuki gave it a practiced spin. The blade whistled through the air.
"Second Form: Dual Crescent Blades."
The Shadow Blade in his hand began to shift, morphing into two crescent-moon-shaped blades.
Itachi's eyes widened in surprise.
"Third Form: Brilliant Light Crimson Blade."
The two crescent blades in his hand began to emit a dazzling crimson light, their sharpness astonishing.
"Fourth Form…"
Hakuki felt smug inside. Just you wait, kid. No one can resist Wolffy's weapon!
After Hakuki demonstrated all the forms, the looks everyone gave him had changed.
Shisui, for some reason, held a trace of wistful envy in his eyes.
Juri's gaze was filled with pure covetousness.
The fiery intensity of that stare made the hand holding the Shadow Blade feel a little warm.
Mikoto looked slightly embarrassed. Such a weapon was unheard of. Anyone could see its value. She felt the gift was far too precious.
Fugaku's eyes shone with unusual brilliance as he looked at the blade.
For a ninja, besides personal strength, possessing a powerful weapon was also crucial.
"Hakuki, this… is too valuable. I cannot accept it." Itachi shared Mikoto's sentiment. He forcibly tore his gaze from the Shadow Blade, looking at Hakuki sincerely.
It's fine, it's fine! Your favorability will get me even stronger skills!
Hakuki smiled and shook his head, pressing the Shadow Blade into Itachi's hands.
"I already have my own preferred weapon. I came across this one by chance, and it's of no use to me. Itachi, you're my friend, and you're younger than me. As your big bro… big sister, consider this a token of my regard!"
He'd almost slipped up.
Hakuki breathed an internal sigh of relief.
[Ding! Target 'Uchiha Itachi' favorability: 70!]
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