Naruto felt so happy that he was yelling goodbyes and good nights at everyone's backs. The grin he had on must have been really wide, because Kakashi, Sakura and Sasuke were staring at him weirdly.
"What! Do I look weird?" Naruto asked them, pouting.
"Eh.. You mean besides the fact that your face is creamy and your hair looks like a christmas tree?" Kakashi asked.
"Naruto! Aren't you feeling tired at all?" Sakura asked him.
"Hehe.. This is the happiest day of my life, Sakura-chan! And I can't let tiredness ruin this, dattebayo!" Naruto scratched his head, knocking down a cherry to the floor.
"You are weird, I guess." Sasuke commented.
"Aaah.. Look who's speaking!" Naruto stuck out his tongue.
"Naruto! I have something for you.." Kakashi said, reaching into his pocket.
"Heeyy! What's it? What's it? Is it a gift?" Naruto peered at his hand.
"Take this." Kakashi said, giving him a small box.
Naruto took it eagerly and pried it open. Inside was a small square piece of mirror, framed delicately with wood.
"Huh? A mirror?" Naruto was confused.
"Try running chakra through it." Kakashi suggested.
Naruto concentrated and touched the mirror with chakra. Nothing happened for a second. Then suddenly, a globe of white light appeared above the mirror. Naruto felt something tugging at his heart. He stood there amazed, as something warm filled up inside him. He felt so happy he could fall over and faint. Then as quickly as it appeared, the globe of light went out. But the feeling remained inside him.
"Wh-What was that? Kakashi-sensei?" Naruto asked, his eyes as wide as it could go.
"What? I did not see anything.." Sakura frowned at Naruto.
"Is it the mirror of joy?" Sasuke asked, studying the mirror and Naruto's expression.
"Yes. This mirror absorbs all the negative emotions you have. The feeling will last for about ten minutes, independent of the amount of chakra you feed into it." Kakashi told them.
"Wow! This feels just great. I- I feel so light.." Naruto admired the mirror.
"But what is the use of it, if it lasts only for ten minutes?" Sakura asked.
"It is used mainly in battles, where there is a chance that emotions can turn the fighter reckless. It is something I bought when I visited the country of Mist. It should be useful to you, Naruto!" Kakashi said.
"Thank you so much, Kakashi-sensei!" Naruto jumping on to his sensei and giving him a bear hug.. Kakashi looked surprised at first, then he smiled, hugging him back for a while before setting him down on the floor.
"And this is from me, Naruto!" Sakura extended a little notebook towards him.
"Sakura-chan! What's this?" He took the book and turned the first page. A recipe? He turned the next, another recipe?
"Heh.. It is a series of recipes for making special powders which will turn your Ramen healthier. Each one differ in taste and flavor. And this is a sample. Try it Naruto! I'm sure you'll like it." Sakura gave him a little packet.
"Hey.. thanks Sakura-chan! Now I can eat as much Ramen as I want!" Naruto grinned.
Sasuke handed him a shuriken that looked weird. "This is for you. You'll find it useful."
"Huh? A shuriken?" Naruto said, inspecting it.
"It is not a usual shuriken, idiot. Once you throw it at the enemy, it will utilize his chakra and turn into a smoke bomb, blinding him for a little while."
"Whaaat! That is amazing! Sasuke! You can be real nice at times, ya know!" Naruto said, sticking his tongue out.
"Baka! It will actually help balance your stupidity in our missions!" Sasuke held his head in an irritated attitude.
"It will not! Err.. I mean I'm not stupid!" Naruto grumbled, as Sakura giggled.
"Alright. Time to go home and get some sleep. You coming?" Kakashi asked.
"I'm coming." Sakura replied, stretching her hands and yawning.
"Me too!" Naruto said, picking up all his gifts.
"Naruto, you are going to stay behind and help me clean up the room." Sasuke said, glancing at Naruto.
"WHAA- Oh no way! that is too much!" Naruto complained.
"Naruto! Consider it your training! And we shouldn't really leave Sasuke-kun to clean it all up himself, should we?" Kakashi smiled at him.
"You are a jerk! Sasuke!" Naruto pouted.
"Like I care." Sasuke retorted.
"Then we are leaving. Good night Naruto! Sasuke! Have fun cleaning up." Kakashi walked outside, waving.
"Good night you two! And happy b'day Naruto! We are so lucky to have someone like you on the team. Don't worry about the way we behave, the truth is, we care a lot about you." Sakura smiled, and hugging him.
"Really? Am I that awesome?!" Naruto asked, returning the hug.
"Don't make me change my mind, idiot!" Sakura retorted, and ran to follow Kakashi.
Naruto and Sasuke gazed after them as they walked away.
Hope you liked this chapter. It was a little difficult coming up with gift ideas... I suck at it, don't I? Anyway, please review! There will be one or two more chapters, and then I'm finishing it off!