Chapter 62: Birthdays

  Today, the prestigious families of Konohagakure are all dressed in their finest attire, bearing precious gifts, for today is the fifth birthday of Hyuga Hinata, the heir to the main house of the Hyuga clan. (Originally it was supposed to be her third birthday, but due to the storyline, it has been changed to her fifth birthday.)

  Tanuki and Sosuke, dressed in their formal attire, waited outside the door for their mother and the girl who was staying with them. After a while, they heard the sound of wooden sandals getting closer and closer, and then saw their mother, wearing a purple kimono with her hair tied up, walking out with the girl. The girl had brown long hair tied with a blue ribbon on the right side, and her small, delicate face made her look like a large doll. Her light blue kimono was printed with cherry blossom balls, making her look even more elegant and refined.

  He glanced at the girl with a slightly spoiled look, he really liked this 'little sister'. She didn't cry and whine like other girls all day long, she was well-behaved and quiet, occasionally showing cute expressions, of course also a bit silly, but it couldn't be denied that she was very smart. He had always wanted his mother to give birth to such a little sister, but now he already had one, and he also had Sasuke.

  Sasuke looked at Naruto and then turned around and hid behind his older brother, as long as he didn't see his already red face.

  "Mommy, why are many people going to celebrate Miss Toko's birthday at the Sōma house?" She looked up at Aunt Mieko, holding her hand.

  "Hmm... because she's the legitimate child of the Hinata clan, Aoi will understand when she grows up." Miki patted the girl on the head, clearly not wanting her to know these things, after all, she was just a kid.

  "En." He nodded, but couldn't help sliding down a few black lines. I'm already in my forties, please don't treat me like a five-year-old! (But in the blood clan, this age is indeed that of a child)

  "Mom, why does she call you mom?" Sasuke muttered discontentedly to Mika, but it contained a lot of vinegar, and the child's possessiveness towards his own mother made him unwilling to share his mother's love with outsiders.

  "Hehe, Akane will marry Sasuke or Tobi and become a bride, of course I'll be the mother!" Mikoto said gently to Sasuke and Tobi with a smile in her eyes.

  "Huh? Who's going to marry her?" Sasuke turned his head in denial, his eyes desperately evading, his tone seemingly unconvincing.

  "Sasuke." The raccoon dog seemed somewhat helpless as he rubbed his younger brother's head, his eyes full of doting affection.

  "Congratulations, it's been a day." Uchiha Fugaku said in his usual dry tone.

  Ko Usagi was clearly startled by that uncle's face and shrank back behind her father, Hinata Aizawa.

  "Tanuki brother, wait a minute and let's go eat Sansei Maruko together, okay?" The uninteresting-looking Hiyori glanced at the shy and introverted Hiyori, then reached out to pull on Tanuki's sleeve to discuss their plans afterwards. People like Hiyori are naturally incompatible with Aoi Sakura, and Aoi Sakura is also not interested in little Hiyori.

  Of course, Akira and Tanuki are a perfect match, both being sweet food lovers. Akira has many delicious desserts that Tanuki hasn't seen before, while Tanuki also has local specialties that Akira hasn't eaten before. They naturally exchange food with each other.

  While Sasuke is the opposite of his brother, he dislikes sweets and likes rice balls with wood fish and tomatoes. As a vampire, Akira occasionally drinks tomato juice, and since she thinks Sasuke is cute (it can be confirmed that Akira is a lolicon), she often gives him some tomato juice.

  "No way, brother will accompany me to practice hand sword." Sasaki pouted in protest, for him who didn't like sweets, he would rather go practice hand sword.

  "How about I and Tanuki brother have three-color dumplings, Sasuke has wooden fish rice balls, then we go practice hand-held sword together?"

  "Hmph!"

  This is a compromise, I didn't expect Sasuke to be more arrogant than Xerxes when he was younger.

  The weasel stood by, smiling lightly, doting on the two people who were arguing with each other.

  "She's so cute, Dad." Not far away, six-year-old Hinata pointed at the brown-haired girl, and still being a child without any curse mark, he was full of innocence that children should have.

  "Ningci, she is Mizu-shima's Kaede Mizu-shima, from now on you have to get along with her well." Hyuga Hiashi gently patted Ningci's head. The direct descendant of the prestigious Mizu-shima family in Konoha, Kaede Mizu-shima, was a child known by all the noble families in Konoha. The mysterious Mizu-shima family, everyone wanted to know what their blood limit was, and letting Ningci approach her would only bring benefits, not harm.

  "Yes, Dad." Ning Ci looked up at his father with a big smile on his face.

  …………

  "Miss Hiyori is already five years old, congratulations." Hinata led Niji to stand before Hinata no Ato.

  "Ah." Hidaka replied faintly.

  The little chick saw another stranger coming and, being shy, pulled on Hinata's clothes and peeked out timidly.

  "She's lovely too, Dad." Ning Ci raised his head, but this time his father looked at him with an expression he couldn't understand, and it wasn't until he grew up that he realized it was reluctance and sadness.

  "What's wrong, Dad?" Ning Ci looked at his father in confusion.

  "Nothing... nothing." Hinata's eyes darted away, he didn't want to see his son's gaze right now, if he looked again, he was afraid he wouldn't be able to bear parting with his son.

  "I'll take Ning away then, see you another day."

  "Good." (Ning Ci originally started practicing magic at the age of four, but it was changed to six years old for plot purposes.)