After giving out all the invites Shikamaru had gone to the restaurant. It had been reserved for six hours, and the largest room was there which could hold upwards to sixty people if it was to be a bit snug. Eying the large neon sign, he smiled as he saw those helping with the set-up. He could help but think how nicely everything looked from the orange and black color theme of the decorations and fairy lights hung up to the olde brick theme of the restaurant itself.

It was modestly done but he saw Ino and Chouji setting up the buffet, with Ino sneaking in small samples of each one with the other member of his team. He trusted them to make sure the food was perfect and adequate enough for everyone alongside the Ichiraku's who actually owned this restaurant as well as their ramen shop. It was a business venture they made with Chouji's clan. He was thankful to them all for being so open to hosting the venue. Though given it was a BBQ restaurant, there was plenty to sample and serve ranging from mixed mushroom yaki; a variety of mushrooms cooked in sauces within a pouch for a simple but delicious dish. They also had grilled tomatoes served with a distinct umami flavor from a soy marinade. There were several pork, chicken and beef dishes that were traditional barbeque meals as well. Shhikamaru couldn't help but think despite it being a modest guest list, least when it came to Naruto and who all got invited by Shikamaru there would be plenty of leftovers to be taken home.

Iruka and Anko were talking to the musicians set to play the event, though given Anko's grin she was trying to get some manner of plan set-up as a surprise. This worried him given that Anko was alongside Naruto when it came to pranks. Of course Iruka had been so at one time from what he said but he trusted his academy teacher to help assist in keeping it modest. Shikamaru wasn't about to tell her no; not to mention Naruto always had a knack for pranking Anko so it was a sort of war when it came to the two of them. Honestly, if Naruto was three years older and single, Shikamaru could see the two of them together in a weird way. Not that he would mention this to either of them.

Tsunade, Kakashi, Jiraiya and Shizune were at the bar, each talking to one another as well as the bartender. Tsunade was likely trying to get a tab set up for them, mainly herself as well as a gambling table given her habits. Kakashi was probably helping Shizune oversee it so that the bartender didn't do that or at least moderate them. Jiraiya was most likely just there by coincidence as Shikamaru had been unable to find him to invite him but was glad he was there nonetheless. It was rather interesting to see them interact, the four of them. Kakashi and Shizune were almost mediators to the two sannin who were known to get out of hand from time to time. Guess it came with being friends with people like them. Come to think of it, Sasuke and Naruto were not unlike the four of them. Naruto took after Jiraiya, whereas Sasuke tended to be a bit like Kakashi. It was a bit of a mismatch but fit what he was thinking. Though the bartenders seemed a bit worried as they were being told two different things by several people. However he thankfully was not part of that and knew Shizune would prevail.

Neji and Hinata had arrived early, both well dressed as they held respect for the blonde. Hinata once had a crush on Naruto, and sort of did but she knew Sasuke was right for him. This didn't stop her from being supportive of the blonde boy. He knew Neji and Naruto hadn't quite patched up the rift there was before but they both tended to work on it as they could, thankfully it seemed to be working and the two trained every so often. Naruto had the stamina and the clones to help Neji practice his moves and have an equal, whereas Naruto had to be a bit more tactical when approaching someone with such close range abilities that had near perfect range.

Shino stood with the cleaning staff for some reason; Shikamaru was not going to try and figure out the enigma that was Shino. He was under the assumption he was trying to use his bugs to help with clean up and determine if there had been messes made to better coordinate. It was an odd job he gave the glasses-wearing boy but Shino seemed appreciative of helping. It was hard to tell at times. Sakura wasn't there thankfully, though he felt he should have delivered it to her house at the very least. Maybe it was for the better given the way she treats Naruto. Kurenai hadn't arrived yet, surprising that Asuma wasn't either. They tended to be rather punctual.

Tenten and Lee arrived just after Shikamaru and were actually going around helping in any way they could which left Lee placing chairs and tables with Kankuro. Apparently the two had hit it off, and pursued a relationship. It came as a surprise but he was happy for the older boys, they weren't afraid of the matter. He hadn't expected Gaara and his siblings to show up but good thing he took preemptive measures and sent out their invites a few days before. Temari was actually now with him helping set up the entire event and get everyone one the same page for how they were going to execute it. This meant she went around and gave orders to everyone while he merely oversaw things and pointed it out so they could remedy it. Gaara was actually using his sand to make ice sculptures. He didn't even ask how or why, but he left it to the boy to do it, alongside the floral arrangements. Never struck him for that kind of person but Tenten found it to be enticing enough for her to join him unwarranted, which worried him until Gaara gave her an out of the blue smile. Apparently it surprised her too because she soon had a grin and he had a blush.

There were three guests who also hadn't arrived yet, one of which had sent him a letter the day before stating she would do her best to make it. That wasn't an issue given he sent one merely out of curiosity but to get a response was a surprise in of itself. After about an additional hour, everything was prepared. They all were happy to see their handiwork alongside one another.

"It looks fantastic. Well job everyone. Naruto and Sasuke should be here any moment..Let's give him a birthday to truly cherish!"

Tsunade couldn't help but feel uneasy though, Jiraiya sensing this too. He asked her about it, making sure she was okay to which she replied, "I feel like something's wrong." He attempted to reassure her, but Sakura crushed all hope of that as she entered with a worried looking Koyuki, the Princess of Spring. They had met just outside the door while Sakura rushed to fill her in before pushing through the front doors.

"Lady Tsunade, come quick! Naruto needs your help!"

Tsunade's heart dropped at those words. She was terrified of what she would find. It could be the villagers having done something to him but given the look on Sakura's face, the guilt oozing off her, she knew something wrong was tied to the pink haired girl. Clenching her fists together, she stepped toward the girl before speaking through gritted teeth.

"What did you do?"

She didn't know how to answer besides the truth.

"I hit him..I was so angry and seeing him..I punched him and his nose was broken and his eye was out of his head. I'm so sorry.."

"Save it brat. We will talk about a disciplinary punishment later. Right now, let's go see what we can do to fix your fuck up."

Sakura nodded, and Tsunade, Jiraiya, Kakashi and Koyuki all followed Sakura, the latter going as she was a diplomat ensuring that one of her ambassadors, whom had become one given his heroic actions during the return to the Land of Spring, was going to be alright. This would likely have repercussions, Sakura potentially injuring the political relations the land and village had.