AN: new chapter up
Chapter 47 - Happy Birthday
It was the 10th of October. It was his birthday. As it happened to fall on a Friday, Naruto took a day off from work, getting a three-day long weekend.
Taking in the emptiness of his home, his mind went back to his past life. His birthdays were never happy back then. He used to be an orphan; he had no parents, no other relatives, and no actual friends. He was all alone. Furthermore, the 10th of October was a day of mourning for the Village Hidden in the Leaves, a day when everyone was reminded of the night when Kyuubi, the Nine-Tailed Demon Fox, broke out of his mother's seal and caused a massacre, killing thousands.
But his current life was different. He was no longer alone. He wasn't an orphan, nor was he unwanted. His home was empty only momentarily. In a few hours, he would be surrounded by his family again. It was just early in the day, so everyone had their own things to do.
His little sister, Eri, was at school. She started school a few weeks ago, but the little girl proved to be a social butterfly. She had dozens of friends her age now! She was happier and smiling more than ever. Eri's situation in the past was rather similar to Naruto's previous life: a child born with a cursed power, abused, lonely, and with no family to care for her. Naruto was glad that he could be for Eri what he wished other people had been for him in his past life. Changing Eri's life was the thing that Naruto was the most proud of; it was his biggest accomplishment.
As for Kushina, now that Eri was older and started going to school, she decided to go back to work as well. It wasn't that they were hurting for money, but she needed to fill her time with something; she needed an occupation. So she rented a small gym and started teaching Judo classes to young children. Her kind, motherly disposition and her beauty were a hit in the neighbourhood. It was a small-time gym for now, but Kushina didn't have any ambitions of turning it into a big-name martial arts gym.
Lastly, his father was busy working with Principal Nezu. Ever since Minato revealed his quirk to the world and helped evacuate the UA High students and teachers from the shelter, Nezu began requesting his help in other matters as well, things like delivering reinforcements to Pro Heroes, rescuing people in need, or even smuggling dozens of people out of Japan. Minato often joked that Nezu was working him like a dog, but the pay was more than satisfactory.
Going out into the garden, he was suddenly assaulted by a German Shepherd dog who started barking excitedly and jumping on him. It was only a cub for now, but it was still larger than most dogs.
"Good boy, Kuro, good boy!" Naruto laughed as he ran his hands through his fur.
When they first got the dog, Naruto was worried the dog would be terrified of him due to his fox quirk and Kurama's presence, but it seemed to be completely the opposite. Kuro absolutely loved him.
Minato and Kushina had promised to buy Eri a dog two years ago, but due to Naruto being attacked by AFO and the family needing to go into hiding, they had not been able to do it. But now that they were living in a safe environment again, they finally kept their word. Eri was, of course, ecstatic. She was the one who chose the dog breed and named him too.
Although it was October, the weather in Florida was still nice and warm. Naruto was only wearing black shorts and an orange t-shirt. Busying himself with cutting the grass in the garden and playing with Kuro, he lost track of time.
It was only when the yellow school bus stopped in front of the house and Eri came out of it that he realised how much time had passed.
"Byeee! See you on Monday!" Eri yelled and waved her hand at her schoolmates in the bus, who suddenly pressed their faces against the windows and seemed to become super excited.
Turning around, Eri saw the reason for their behaviour: it was Naruto. His six golden fox tails made him unmistakable. Only a few months after moving in, he was already a local celebrity in Jacksonville; after all, the USA was no different from how Japan used to be when it came to how much people loved Pro Heroes.
⁂
"Something came up, and I'm going to be late. Could you take Eri-chan to her friends' house?"
"Sure, I don't mind," Naruto said.
Eri was going to have a sleepover with her friends from school. Her friends lived in the same suburb, not far away, but it wouldn't look nice if the little girl were to go there all alone.
"I hope you're not going to go there wearing shorts and a T-shirt."
"...Of course not."
But the pause he made before answering betrayed the fact that he had been thinking of doing just that.
"Your little sister is super proud of you, you know? Her teachers told me she talks about you all day long. So dress nicely for her sake. You wouldn't want Eri to feel embarrassed by her slob of a brother in front of her friends' parents, would you?"
"Yeah, mom, I get it; you don't have to nag me."
Kushina laughed on the other end of the call.
"Fine, I'll stop. Also, don't forget about coming to the Astoria Hotel at 6 o'clock. We have to discuss you-know-what with you-know-who."
⁂
After dropping Eri off at her friends' house and saying his goodbyes, Naruto noticed that it was almost time to go to the Astoria Hotel. He could get there in less than two minutes if he ran, but he didn't want to get there all sweaty and stink for hours to come. After all, he was going there for the sake of meeting Japan's Pro Heroes in person and discussing their plans regarding All For One and how to retake Japan from the hands of the villains.
"I wonder how long until you get three more tails," Kurama suddenly came out of his shirt and said as he sat on Naruto's shoulder.
"We know by now that my quirk evolves when I'm in a life-and-death situation. There hasn't been any of that lately," Naruto replied.
There were villains and criminals in Jacksonville, Florida, too, but Naruto was so powerful nowadays that most villains hardly posed a challenge anymore. His continuously growing popularity in Florida and in the USA at large wasn't only due to his good looks or due to being put into the spotlight by the fiasco in Japan. It was also because he was strong beyond belief.
"But honestly, it's enough already. You know how much time it takes me to bathe with these 6 tails?"
Due to his sensitive sense of smell, Naruto felt compelled to always keep himself clean. But running and beating up villains all day long was guaranteed to make him need to bathe. Although having fox tails was tremendously useful in fights and mid-air combat, it was a pain to clean too. Merely showering and drying himself up took him half an hour every day.
"I have a feeling that something special will happen when you get 9 tails," Kurama said.
"What makes you think so?"
"Call it a gut feeling. An instinct."
As people on the street started noticing Naruto's presence and came to ask for him to take a selfie with them, Kurama retreated into Naruto's shirt.
"Going to sleep already?" asked Naruto.
"You know I don't have the patience to deal with humans. Unless there's an emergency, don't wake me up until tomorrow."
⁂
Looking at the tall building in front of him, Naruto scratched his hair.
'Did the meeting have to be in a place this fancy?' he asked himself.
He wasn't an expert in the field, but the Astoria Hotel was a five-star hotel, and it looked like the type of place to charge 50 dollars for a soda. But when he remembered that Principal Nezu was paying for the whole thing, he shrugged his shoulders and stepped inside.
At his mother's nagging, Naruto dressed nicely to drop Eri at her friends' house - he was wearing a pair of clean white sneakers, blue simple jeans, a crew-neck white T-shirt, and a thin biker jacket. It wasn't an elegant or fancy outfit, but something that one would wear on the street. He felt a bit out of place in that luxurious hotel.
Led by one of the hotel's bellboys, Naruto arrived in front of a wide, red, and black double door. But when the attendant opened the door and he saw that it was completely dark inside, Naruto became tense because his sensitive hearing picked up the sound of many people breathing.
He suddenly grabbed the bellboy by the arm and shoved him behind his back. His hands turned into vicious-looking claws, and four golden chains came from his back, ripping the back of his shirt and jacket to shreds.
But just as he did that, the lights were turned on, and a loud chorus of voices yelled:
"Surprise! Happy Birthday!"
Minato, Kushina, Izuku, Todoroki, Tokoyami, Nezu, Best Jeanist, Eraserhead, Hawks, and many other Pro Heroes from Japan were smiling at him. There had to be nearly 50 people.
"You guys… shit, I almost thought the villains were going to jump my ass!"
"Naruto, language!" Kushina admonished him while the rest of the heroes burst into laughter.
It took nearly 10 minutes for everyone to wish him a happy birthday and shake his hand.
"What's this all about?" Naruto asked his father when things were finally starting to calm down, and he saw everyone standing up as the cooks started bringing the food to the buffet. "I thought we were going to have a meeting and discuss our plans to defeat All For One, not eat, party, and drink."
"It's your birthday, isn't it? You're finally an adult now in the eyes of the law!" Minato said, and despite his words, he ruffled his hair as if he were a kid.
"But-"
"Just enjoy the moment, son," said Minato. "Look, they are all doing the same. This may be our last time to see each other's faces, you know? We're up against a villain with dozens of quirks, someone who has lived and dominated a country for nearly 200 years. We're going to fight an army of over 100,000 villains soon. Some of the people here may lose their lives… this could be the last chance they have to feel good and have a party."
"I understand. I was inconsiderate," Naruto apologised.
He thought that they had thrown this birthday party only for himself, but he realised from his father's words that this party was just as much for celebrating his birthday as it was for the sake of everyone else gathered there.
"By the way, where is Rumi? I can't see her anywhere," he asked as he looked around.
As the saying goes, speak of the devil, and he shall appear. Just as Naruto uttered those words, the wide doors of the party room opened, and Usagiyama Rumi stepped in, followed by her mother.
Normally, Usagiyama Yua was the type of woman who attracted everyone's attention when she stepped into a room, but at that moment, her daughter was firmly at the centre of everyone's attention.
"Everyone is looking at us," Rumi whispered under her breath.
"I know, right? I told you we should arrive fashionably late~" Yua told her daughter smugly.
Until then, everyone there had only seen Mirko wearing her Pro Hero suit or some street-style casual clothes - she was like the definition of a tomboy. They had never seen her dressed like she was currently.
Her long white hair was tied in a high ponytail; she was wearing make-up for once, a white sweater dress was hugging her body tightly, and a pair of high-heeled white ankle boots completed her look. That dress would have looked comfy and rather modest on another girl, but on Mirko, it looked almost sinful due to how much her curves stood out.
She felt blood rushing to her face, and she had to fight hard against the urge to cover herself when she felt everyone's gazes on her. She wasn't even revealing anything indecent because the dress covered her up until her neck, but the sixth sense of her rabbit quirk made it even worse for her because she could tell exactly what each one of them was looking at.
"Be confident, Rumi-chan," her mother said, pushing her softly from behind. "You are gorgeous. Own it. Act like it."
As Mirko started walking towards Naruto, people's gazes on her grew in intensity when they noticed that the dress left her back completely exposed, down to her bunny tail. But she did her best to ignore them, focusing her attention on Naruto alone.
⁂
"Can't take your eyes off me?" Rumi asked with a grin and rested her chin on her palm as she looked at Naruto.
Naruto, Rumi, Minato, Kushina, and Yua were seated at one table together. The parents were watching their interactions with shit-eating grins on their faces.
It was not like Mirko was the only woman there. Midnight, Mount Lady, Makoto Tsukauchi, and Nejire Hado—excluding Yua and Kushina, there were quite a few other beautiful ladies present at the party. But he only had eyes for her.
"I've never seen you wear elegant clothes," he said.
"That's because I don't have any," she laughed. "My mom gave them to me. Do they fit me?"
"Is that even a question? You're gorgeous. In comparison, I look like a hobo next to you," he said, turning to show the holes in his t-shirt and jacket through which the Adamantine Sealing Chains popped out.
"See? I told you he's going to love it," Yua said, all the while having a full-of-herself expression on her face.
"Yes, you were right, mother," Rumi said, letting out a sigh.
"Don't forget the other piece of advice I gave you~"
"What advice?" Naruto asked curiously.
"Nothing for you to concern yourself with!" Mirko said quickly.
"Why not tell him, dear? You have to get started on that football team you promised me."
"Mother!" Rumi yelled, her face beet red now.
Naruto joined Yua and his parents in laughter at her mortified, embarrassed face.
Soon, the waiters brought a large birthday cake on a cart.
"Come on! Make a wish!" Kushina said as Naruto stood up and went to the cart.
Glancing around, he saw that everyone was looking at him.
'I wish we could meet again like this next month.'
There weren't only grown-up heroes but former classmates of his too. Izuku, Gaara, Tokoyami, Todoroki, and three upperclassmen who had graduated two years ago too: Lemillion, Nejire Hado, and Sun Eater. They were young, barely 18 and 20-21 respectively. It would be such a shame for them to lose their lives.
He knew it was not realistic. They were going to war a few days later, and they were at a heavy disadvantage. Even so, he couldn't help wishing from the bottom of his heart that everyone there survived.
'I'm going to do my best. I'm going to go all out from the start. So please, God, if you exist, take care of them too.'
Making that wish, he took a deep breath and blew out all the eighteen candles on the cake.
As everyone started singing the Happy Birthday song, the waiters started serving everyone a slice of the birthday cake.
Considering that everyone at the party was of legal age, alcohol was brought in too, and soon, a merry mood was installed as friends grouped and drank together; others started dancing on the dancing ring, while others just drank and ate together, enjoying each other's company.
The party was still in full swing after one hour, but the partygoers had long since forgotten about the birthday boy.
"Come with me," Mirko said as she stood up from the table and took his hand in hers.
"But I don't know how to dance. I've never danced," said Naruto, standing up reluctantly.
"Just follow me," she said, pulling him after her.
Walking behind the rabbit girl, Naruto didn't know where to look. His eyes kept between her exposed back and that large, firm, and muscular ass that was every day on his mind.
Looking back, she smirked and gave him a knowing look when she caught him in the act. Naruto felt himself getting hot under the collar when Mirko added an extra sway in her hips as she walked ahead of him.
To his relief, Rumi was not leading him to the dancing ring but towards the doors.
"Where are we going?" he asked.
"Somewhere where we can be alone."
They were out of the large party room now, in the hotel corridor. They only took a few steps before Naruto found himself pushed against the wall, with Mirko pressing her chest against his.
She was taller than normal thanks to the high-heeled ankle boots she was wearing, but she was so short compared to him that even then, she still had to pull his face down to her so she could kiss him.
He wrapped his arms around her, running his hands over her exposed back greedily as he pressed his lips against hers.
Rumi moaned into his mouth when one of his hands trailed down her back and grabbed her ass, giving it a hard squeeze.
She tried to break the kiss, but he turned around together with her and pressed her back against the wall, trapping her between the wall and his strong body. Leaving her no way to escape, he kissed her for all she was worth.
"W-Wait a minute!" she said, gasping for air when she finally managed to push him away.
"No. Why should I wait? I have waited for this for more than two years."
Her face was red, and her breathing was heavy with arousal, but she didn't change her stance.
"There are cameras in the corridor!"
"So? I don't care who watches us now."
"Come back to your senses, you horny bastard!" she barked at him, her face getting even redder at what he was implying.
He chuckled at her embarrassed face.
"I have a room, just for the two of us. So shut up and follow me!"
"You've been planning for this," he said, realisation dawning on him.
Rumi didn't reply and just walked quickly ahead of him. He couldn't help smiling at her. But as she walked ahead of him and the sound of her high heels clanking on the floor reverberated in the corridor, his smile disappeared, giving way to a look of hunger.
He had always thought that Rumi was drop-dead gorgeous, but today she had cranked it up to 200%. The white sweater dress hugging her every curve while leaving her back exposed, and the long silvery ponytail bouncing with every step she took, had him mad with lust for her.
[Lemon removed]
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[Lemon removed]
Eventually, their kiss came to an end, and Naruto gathered her smaller body into his arms, embracing her and pulling the covers over them.
In a few days, they were going to go to war. They were going to fight against All For One and his army of a hundred thousand villains. The odds were stacked against them, and there was even a chance that one of them or both would not make it out alive.
However, at that moment, all worries about the future and all thoughts about the past disappeared. The only thing on their minds was the person in their arms. A mixture of contentment, happiness, and euphoria left them feeling as if they were high.
Naruto was the first to close his eyes and fall asleep. Rumi remained awake a few minutes longer. As she lied with her head on his chest, she thought:
'It was worth waiting nearly three years for him.'
It was the best day of her life. According to Japanese society, she was a woman out of her prime: a close-to-expiring 'Christmas cake' that would be sold off in stores at a discount. An 'old' woman who was unwanted and unneeded. Therefore, Rumi had taken a rather big gamble by deciding to wait for him until the age of 28.
Mirko didn't know that adding up the years of his previous life, Naruto could be considered to be of the same age as her or even older. But she decided to put her trust in him and hope that his feelings for her were not temporary.
And it had all paid off. Nearly three years later, Naruto still loved her. He loved her more than ever, and her feelings for him were no different.
Her arms tightened a bit harder around him. She was not going to let go of him for anything in the world. Her determined thoughts aside, tiredness caught up to her eventually, and Mirko closed her eyes, falling asleep too.
AN: You can find the full uncensored chapter on my Discord server, at /x7xdd53WqE.