After the cake cutting, Kazuki looked around and saw that there were some food and drinks set up as well.
Akari smiled warmly and said, "This is your birthday party, Kazuki, but it's also a celebration for all of you finally becoming chunin."
Kazuki, Ryuma, and Yuki looked at her in surprise.
"I can't believe you guys did that in just one year, and Kazuki in only six months," Akari continued. "I am so proud of you all. It's not official yet, but I know Lord Hokage will promote you all to chunin."
Ryuma and Yuki cheered happily.
"But," Akari said, her tone turning a bit serious, "we have one final mission before this. It's an A-rank mission, in a week from now. That will be the final test for you all from my side."
They all nodded. After that, they celebrated a little, eating the snacks and talking about stuff.
Kazuki looked at the group and said, "Hey, why don't we all visit Keiko together?"
Akari smiled and said, "That's a great idea."
Ryuma was also very happy to hear that. They all left the apartment and went to the hospital to visit her. They reached the hospital in a few minutes and entered her room.
She was still in a coma, but they sat around her bed and spent some time there, talking to her as if she could hear them. When it was time to leave, they stepped outside the hospital and got ready to part ways.
Yuki remained behind for a moment as the others left. She looked at Kazuki and said, "Make sure you come to my house for dinner tonight." Without waiting for a reply, she gave him a quick smile and left.
After that, Kazuki went home to practice his Fuinjutsu. He was currently learning seals to conceal one's chakra. He practiced for a bit, drawing the symbols carefully on his scrolls.
It was nearing night time, so Kazuki packed up and headed towards the Senju clan compound. On the way, he sensed with his passive ability that there were some shinobi following him.
'I'm being followed,' Kazuki thought. 'But I shouldn't sense them back. Fugaku must have sent them to see if I actually don't have any relation with the Senju clan other than Yuki being my friend.'
He ignored the trailing shinobi and kept walking normally until he reached the Senju compound.
Kazuki knocked on Yuki's house. The door opened, and Yuki was standing there. She grabbed his hand and led him towards a room inside. Kazuki entered the room and saw that it was all decorated. There was a large cake in the middle of the table, along with some of the best dishes that Kazuki liked. Aika and Urahara were also there, smiling at him.
Kazuki was speechless. "You didn't need to do all this," he said.
All of them wished him a happy birthday and they started to celebrate. Kazuki blew out the candles, and they cut the cake. They all sat around the table, eating the delicious food Aika had prepared and laughing together. For Kazuki, the warm atmosphere felt like he was with his own family.
After the celebration and dinner, Kazuki and Urahara were sitting alone in a quiet room.
Urahara poured himself some sake and took a sip. He looked at Kazuki and said, "For the past few years I've observed you, Kazuki. You have turned out to be an amazing shinobi. You have exceeded my expectations. You will eventually become an elite jonin if you improve at this pace, but I've noticed throughout the years that after reaching jonin level strength, the progress slows down drastically."
Urahara paused and looked him in the eye. "I heard you saved Yuki's life in the chunin exams. I'm grateful for that."
"It was my job, Uncle," Kazuki replied calmly. "I'm a part of the Senju clan, so it's my duty to save the heiress, and she's also my teammate."
Urahara's expression turned serious. "Do you know who was behind this?" he asked.
"Yes, Sensei told me it was Danzo, one of the elders," Kazuki replied.
"Yes, he's the person I was talking about who wants me dead," Urahara said with a heavy sigh. "As I told you, he wants the Senju clan to become selfless like we were in the past. Because of the past, we are very weak now. Most of the people are not pure blood and we had become one of the weakest clans of Konoha. Only now have we become a little stronger, but some elders are still on Danzo's side."
He put his sake bottle down and looked away. "I have walked down this path of selfishness. I raised Yuki to become a suitable clan leader for the Senju clan. I was foolish back then. I took away all of her happiness. I never allowed her to play with her friends when she was a child and made her train. Throughout the time she had become like a puppet. She only did what I ordered and behaved like a perfect heiress. She never showed any true emotions in front of anyone."
Kazuki listened silently, remembering the fake smile Yuki used to wear back at the academy.
"Then one day, I gave her the mission to become friends with you," Urahara continued. "It was only a mission at first, but soon she started to open up. She started to show real emotions on her face and became like a normal child. So Kazuki, I ask this favor of you... No."
Urahara stood up. "As the Senju clan head, I order you to stay by Yuki's side and protect her if something ever happens to me."
Kazuki also stood up. He looked at Urahara and bowed deeply.
"Yes, Lord Urahara. I, Kazuki Uchiha, vow to protect Yuki with my life."
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