Departure

"Naruto-kun, if you don't blow out the candles then the icing on the cake that I worked so hard to make, will melt and we don't want that now...do we?" she cracked her knuckles again. Naruto nodded slowly, eyes wide with fear.

"If you insist." Naruto then took a deep breath and made his wish before blowing out the flames on the candles. Everyone clapped and Sakura and Ino gave the boy a kiss on either cheek.

"Happy birthday, Naruto!" Naruto nodded as he accepted their presents. From Ino, he had gotten a large dark green backpack in which to carry his numerous presents. He also got a pretty sunflower with the bag.

"What do you know, something useful, and something...not useful." This earned him a glare from the blonde Yamanakas causing him to sweatdrop. Kurama face-pawed.

"You're an idiot...don't say things like that out loud." The Exceed told him. Naruto shrugged and put the backpack on the ground while placing the sunflower between his teeth. He opened Sakura's present and saw that it was another outfit for him. A navy blue t-shirt with a red spiral on the front and the image of a fox on the back. A pair of black cargo pants followed after.

"Thanks, Sakura." He said as he folded the clothes and placed them in his new backpack. From Chouza and Chouji, he got a cookbook which was actually a great present in Naruto's mind. He learned a few things from Ayame on cooking, but now that he had a cookbook he could put those things to use and see if he can actually cook his own ramen.

From Shikamaru's family, he got a Shogi game for travel. The game had an electric lachryma in it that allowed for one to either play against an A.I which had several skill settings, or the lachryma could be turned off so that two people could play the game.

"Thanks for the Shogi game, I'm sure it'll cure me of whatever boredom I have...but why a travel version?" Shikamaru shrugged at Naruto's question.

"You don't seem like the person who will stay here for long." Shikamaru said. Naruto smirked before putting the game away. After that, they had eaten Naruto's cake which vanished quite quickly due to a certain red eyed cat.

"Kurama, I didn't even get a piece!" Naruto said with a small glare at the cat. Kurama pulled back his fox head shaped hood and grinned like the vulpine he could become.

"Tough luck, brat." The cat laughed as it wiped away a bit of frosting that was on the side of its mouth before eating said frosting.

"You're dead to me."

"I love you too."

Naruto growled at the cat before feeling someone tap his shoulder. Naruto turned to see Teuchi and Ayame standing behind him.

"JI-CHAN, AYAME NEE-CHAN!" Naruto's mood suddenly became happy at the sight of his grandfather and sister figures, respectively. He gave them both a hug.

"I thought you guys were still working and couldn't come...what happened?" he asked. Ayame ruffled the shorter boy's hair.

"As if we'd miss your party." Ayame said.

"Closed up shop for the afternoon." Teuichi explained. Naruto grinned widely before laughing.

"Awesome...so can you make me more ramen, Ji-chan?" Naruto asked with a gluttonous look on his face. Ayame and Teuchi sweatdropped at that.

"No." They deadpanned, "Eat your cake and ice cream."

"But Kurama ate all my...wait there's ice cream?" Naruto asked. Naruto turned to see everyone else eating either chocolate, vanilla or cookies and cream flavoured ice cream out of small styrofoam cups. Smiles adorned their faces, while Shikamaru and his father just looked bored. Even eating ice cream, those two never seemed to show much joy in things.

"OI SAVE SOME FOR ME!"

"ICE CREEEEAM!" Kurama yelled.

"OH NO YOU DON'T! THAT ICE CREAM'S MINE!" Naruto tackled his flying cat to the ground before throwing him into the wall. Kurama landed against the vertical surface with a humourous "SPLAT!" sound before he seemed to peel off the wall as the impact made him become as flat as a sheet of paper. Kurama drifted down like paper in the wind before looking up.

"My...My ice cream." the crimson furred cat sobbed as he saw Naruto eat the delicious treat in front of him as a form of torture for the crimson cat. The scene caused everyone to laugh at Kurama's expense.

For the rest of the afternoon, Naruto spent his time at the party with friends and surrogate family members at the Haruno household, which was where the party had taken place. He packed up all his presents into his new backpack and then waved goodbye before he and Kurama left the house.

"See you later, guys!" Naruto said. Naruto smiled a foxy smile before heading out of Clover Town towards the mountains. Naruto kept walking as Kurama flew next to him, the white wings of his Aera magic flapping to keep him aloft with the low air currents.

Naruto and Kurama then looked back, watching the waving members of his circle of friends until they were out of his field of vision and vice versa. As soon as that happened, Naruto's and Kurama's facial expressions became serious. Their gazes as hard as any stone.

"Come on. He said he had something to tell you before you left." Kurama said with a serious tone. Naruto nodded.

"Ah, let's go." Naruto then grabbed onto the cat before a grey-green magic circle formed around his legs.

"Fuuton: Shunpo no Kazejin!" The two then vanished into the wind as the spell activated.

.....

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