"The ones who took over your village have already been dealt with. These minerals are my spoils of war. You all have no objections, right?"
"No, no… sir, please feel free. Do you need our help with anything?"
"No need. I'm in a hurry. Goodbye!"
After storing the corpses of the Kurokuwa clan and the minerals needed to craft puppets into two large storage scrolls, Izayoi took off into the air. At times flying, at times using instant movement, he left the Land of Rivers at the fastest possible speed.
The next morning, Izayoi returned to the Land of Fire. Without stopping to rest, he hurried to the tailor shop, created a shadow clone with a large amount of chakra, and handed the scrolls containing the minerals and corpses to the clone.
The real body didn't rest for even a minute. He first went to a certain shop to buy something, then, carrying souvenirs for Hinata and Hanabi, rushed back to Konoha at full speed.
Finally, before 6 PM, Izayoi made it back to the village.
Taking advantage of a shift change, Izayoi entered Konoha from a different route, returned from the outskirts to the central street, and quickly got home.
"I'm back."
Following the local customs, Izayoi called out loudly while changing his shoes at the entryway.
Then, carrying the gift boxes, he walked toward the second floor.
But at some point, a cloth curtain had been put up at the stairwell.
Pulling the curtain aside, his eyes were met with a dim room, the blackout curtains fully drawn.
Only the table in the living room had twelve candles burning, placed on a five-tier cake.
The cake was beautifully made, and each tier had three chibi-style snowmen — representing Izayoi and the Hyuga sisters.
"Onii-chan, happy birthday!"
"Izayoi-kun, happy birthday."
Hinata and Hanabi had already been waiting for Izayoi in the living room. As for the shadow clone, it had been mercilessly dispelled by the two girls yesterday.
Seeing him return, Hinata and Hanabi walked over, giving him birthday wishes as they each took a side and led him to the cake.
That's right — today was June 16th, Izayoi's birthday.
This was also why he had rushed so much to get back in time.
Ever since the three of them had become an inseparable trio, Hinata and Hanabi would celebrate Izayoi's birthday every year.
Especially after receiving intel that the shadow clone had been blasted away by the girls — Izayoi understood they were planning a surprise.
Naturally, he didn't want to let them down.
After seating Izayoi on the couch, Hanabi knelt beside the coffee table, resting her chin on her hands and grinning. "Onii-chan, make a wish!"
"Onii-chan's wish is simple — I hope Hanabi grows up healthy and tall, as colorful as a rainbow every day, as dazzling as the stars, and as beautiful as your big sister."
Izayoi put his hands together in prayer and closed his eyes, stating his wish aloud.
But at the end, he silently added a line in his heart:
"I hope everything goes smoothly… and that we can all escape the limits of lifespan."
After finishing, Izayoi blew out all the candles.
"Onii-chan, I love you to death! Mu~~a!"
Hearing Izayoi's wish, Hanabi pounced on him and planted a firm kiss on his cheek.
Izayoi rubbed her little cheeks with both hands and smiled. "Wish made — where's Onii-chan's birthday present?"
"My sister and I already got them ready for you."
Hanabi jumped off the couch, then returned with Hinata carrying three exquisitely wrapped boxes.
"Onii-chan, open them!"
Hanabi placed the gift boxes on the floor and looked at him eagerly.
Hinata didn't open the blackout curtains but instead turned on the living room light.
There were three gift boxes — two big, one small.
Izayoi untied the ribbon, tore open the wrapping paper, and opened the small box first.
Inside was a red scarf.
The moment Izayoi picked it up, he seemed to realize something and looked at the two girls. "Did you two knit this?"
"As expected of Onii-chan, you figured it out right away!"
Hanabi giggled. "Now guess who actually knit the scarf?"
"You already gave it away."
Izayoi flicked Hanabi's forehead and smiled. "Your sister must've helped. Since it wasn't just her alone, then it must've been both of you together."
"Mmph…" Hanabi puffed her cheeks.
Hinata simply watched the scene with a gentle smile, not at all surprised that Izayoi had guessed correctly.
"Autumn's coming soon, and winter not far behind. I really like this scarf."
Izayoi wrapped it around his neck and moved on to the larger boxes.
This time, he opened both at once. Inside were clothes.
One was a thick snowman suit. The other was a full-body white robe with flame patterns, made of more expensive material.
"Onii-chan, can you guess who gave you each outfit?" Hanabi asked again.
"This one's from Hinata." Izayoi picked up the snowman suit and shared a smile with Hinata.
"What about this one?" Hanabi picked up the white robe and asked.
"You both gave it to me." Izayoi flicked Hanabi's forehead again. "Didn't you notice the flame pattern on your own kimono? That's your favorite mark. Plus, you already gave yourself away. Since the snowman suit's from Hinata, then this one has to be from you or from both of you."
"No fun! Onii-chan, are you secretly reading our minds?" Hanabi threw a tantrum, rolling on the floor. "I was hoping to finally beat you this year!"
"Told you, you can't trick Izayoi-kun," Hinata said with a soft smile.
"Alright, don't be mad."
Izayoi picked Hanabi up and set her aside, then picked up the gift boxes he'd brought back and smiled. "I've got souvenirs for you two, too."
"Oh right, Onii-chan, where did you even go these past few days?" Hanabi was successfully distracted, asking curiously. "Your shadow clone said you were off doing something big. What was it?"
"You'll find out someday. I can't tell you yet."
Izayoi didn't want to taint his little sister-in-law's pure heart just yet.
"Onii-chan, you're so annoying!"
Hanabi made a silly face, then opened the box he gave her, mimicking Izayoi's tone. "Flat and big box… clothes?"
"Correct! Hanabi's so smart."
Izayoi, having won big today, promptly provided emotional support.
"Ehehe…" Hanabi giggled happily.
After coaxing the little sister, Izayoi pulled Hinata to sit next to him, handed her the other gift box, and whispered in her ear with a smile, "I really liked the gifts. Let's relive our childhood again this winter. Here's your present—open it up."
"…Okay."
Hinata had wanted to wait for Hanabi to finish before opening hers, but seeing the look of anticipation on Izayoi's face, she couldn't help but feel excited too.
She quickly unwrapped it and opened the box.
Her beautiful eyes widened slightly.
"What is this…?"
The Hyuga sisters both spoke at once, turning toward Izayoi.
"Onii-chan/Izayoi-kun, what kind of outfit is this?"
"It's called… a sailor uniform."
Izayoi said with barely concealed excitement, "I made it myself. Try it on — see if it fits!"
"Okay."
They were a bit confused at first, but once they heard that Izayoi had made the outfit himself, both girls' eyes lit up, and they got up together to go to the bedroom.
Meanwhile, Izayoi activated his Tenseigan — of course, not for peeking — but to locate Hiruzen Sarutobi.
Seeing that the old man was already off work, having dinner with his grandson Konohamaru and not using the Crystal Ball Technique to spy on people, Izayoi retracted his gaze.
But before deactivating the Tenseigan, he glanced briefly toward a certain spot outside the house.
Just then, Hanabi's surprised voice came from the room, making cold sweat bead on Izayoi's forehead.
"So perfect! Nee-san, how does Onii-chan know your measurements so well?"