The silhouettes of the two busy children shifted back and forth as they worked.
Finally, Kanon put away the cleaning tools. Naruto, sitting on a chair, asked tentatively, "Kanon, aren't you tired? Your injuries haven't fully healed yet."
"Not at all. It's just simple chores. Our house back home was so huge, so I've been used to doing this for a long time."
"I see... but Kanon, you don't find it... gross...?"
Before Naruto could even finish his sentence, Kanon suddenly placed both of her hands gently on his cheeks.
"How could I ever look down on you? We'll always be best friends."
"By the way, did that Sakura girl you always talk about not come?" Kanon asked curiously.
"Sakura probably doesn't even know it's my birthday."
"I see..." Kanon nodded softly.
"But Kanon, how did you find out it was my birthday?"
"Oh, that? Last time I helped you clean your room, I noticed the mark on your calendar. I asked Lord Third about it later, and that's how I found out."
Hearing this, Naruto froze in place, his eyes welling with tears once again.
But a split second later, Kanon grabbed his wrist, her face breaking into a bright smile.
"Come on! Let's decorate the room!"
"Your place actually has potential. We can make it look great!"
With that, she put the cake safely into the refrigerator and began carefully setting up the decorations.
Her movements were gentle and meticulous, instantly filling the small space with a cozy, warm atmosphere. Watching Kanon's busy silhouette, the heavy loneliness and disappointment in Naruto's heart were completely washed away by a wave of warmth.
Right then, the last embers of the sunset faded away, and the entire Hidden Leaf Village was blanketed by soft, gentle moonlight.
Finally, Kanon finished putting up the last of the decorations. Naruto looked around at the setup, which was incredibly cute. Placed right in the center of the table was a large sign that read: HAPPY BIRTHDAY, NARUTO!
Surrounding it were numerous handmade plush dolls that Kanon had crafted herself, all gifted to him in a big pile. Even Sasuke had lent a hand, though his contribution was a doll designed specifically to mock Naruto.
"Did you prepare all of this yourself?"
"Yeah! Well, I guess you could say my brother helped out a little bit too."
Hearing this, Naruto's eyes grew even more watery. Feeling Kanon's gentle gaze on him, he hastily turned away and wiped at his tears with his right hand.
Yet he still forced a brave front, aggressively rubbing his eyes while letting out a loud laugh. "Hahaha! Who would've thought a guy like Sasuke would actually make a gift for me?! I never would've guessed!"
Seeing right through him, Kanon smiled and nodded. While Naruto's back was turned, she silently pulled out a party popper she had hidden behind her back.
The moment Naruto turned back around, Kanon beamed at him and yelled at the top of her lungs, "Naruto! Happy birthday!"
POP!
Streamers, glitter, and flower petals burst into the air, raining down as a delicate, sweet fragrance filled the entire room.
This time, Naruto couldn't hold it back anymore. A fresh stream of tears spilled down his cheeks. No matter how hard he tried to mask it, at this exact moment, the profound emptiness of his lonely heart was completely filled.
Lunging forward, Naruto threw his arms around Kanon and began to sob uncontrollably against her shoulder.
"Naruto..." Kanon murmured gently, softly patting his back to soothe his trembling shoulders.
Gradually, his crying subsided. Kanon's own nose was a little pink as she asked softly, "Do you... feel a bit better now, Naruto?"
"Mm! Way better! Thank you so much, Kanon!"
"Hey, what are best friends for?" Kanon smiled, giving a firm nod.
She then placed a paper birthday crown onto Naruto's head, clapping her hands rhythmically as she sang the birthday song just for him.
Accompanied by her beautiful singing voice and cheerful laughter, the warm candlelight danced across their faces, casting long shadows against the wall. In this moment, Naruto experienced a sense of pure, unadulterated happiness he had never known before.
Naruto closed his eyes. In his entire life up to this point, this was the very first time he was celebrating his birthday, and the very first time anyone had ever thrown a party for him.
"Hurry up and make a wish, Naruto!"
Naruto sat at the head of the table while Kanon stood right beside him, waiting expectantly with a beaming smile.
"I'm gonna become the Hokage, and make everyone in the whole village acknowledge me just like Kanon does!" Naruto yelled out loud.
Then, looking up at Kanon, he made a silent plea deep within his heart:
Kanon... I hope our bond and our friendship will last forever...
"Naruto! Silly! If you say your wish out loud, it won't come true!"
"What?!" Naruto flailed his arms in a minor panic.
"Don't worry, it's just an old superstition. I know you'll definitely become the Hokage and gain everyone's respect."
"After all, that's your grand dream, Naruto!" Kanon said warmly as she began slicing into the cake.
She handed him a generous slice with a smile. As Naruto accepted it, a profound sense of companionship completely filled his soul. In that exact moment, Naruto realized that no matter how vast and cruel the world might be, as long as she was by his side, he would never truly be alone.
But right as Naruto took his first bite of the delicious frosted cake, SPLAT! A handful of cake smashed squarely into his face. Whipped cream exploded everywhere, causing him to stumble back in shock.
Kanon burst into a fit of breathless laughter at her own sneak attack, and after a brief freeze, Naruto started laughing right along with her.
The two shared a moment of pure, blissful laughter. All too soon, the joyous evening slipped away, and the two of them finished packing up and cleaning the room.
"Kanon... are you still heading back tonight?"
"Hmm... it's getting pretty late to walk back. But I did mention to my brother that I'd be hanging out at your place today, so it should be totally fine."
But just as Kanon picked up the plastic bag and the empty cake box, preparing to say goodbye, Naruto reached out and caught her sleeve.
"Huh?" Kanon turned around, blinking in confusion.
"It really is late... Why don't you just stay over tonight?"
"Huh?!" A faint blush dusted Kanon's cheeks, but she knew Naruto well enough to know his request was completely innocent.
Sensing her brief hesitation, Naruto's expression slumped with disappointment. He simply wanted to spend a little more time with his best friend, even if it was just a few more hours.
Kanon instantly understood his feelings. Smiling softly, she slipped her feet back into her ninja sandals and dropped the trash bags onto the floor.
"Alright, you win!" Kanon conceded to his request.
"Really?!" Naruto gasped, his eyes lighting up.
"Since I'm staying, we've still got plenty of the night left. Want to go out for a walk with me?" Kanon extended her hand toward him.
"You bet!" Naruto grinned, throwing on his sandals. After locking up the apartment, the two of them headed out into the night.
The Hidden Leaf Village was draped in a blanket of gentle moonlight, quiet and serene.
The streets were mostly empty of villagers by now, though faint echoes of nighttime activity lingered. Strolling along a familiar path while chatting idly, the two eventually found themselves at the flower-covered cliff.
This was the very spot where they had first bared their souls and shared their dreams when they met. It was here that Kanon had first learned of Naruto's burning desire to become the Hokage, and where Naruto had learned of Kanon's dream to find a peaceful, endless field of flowers.
The moon tonight wasn't perfectly full, but it cast a remarkably bright, silver glow across the landscape, turning the ground a pale white while leaving the vibrant colors of the blooming flowers beautifully distinct.
Kanon sat down, staring up at the starry sky with a faraway look in her eyes, entirely lost in thought. Naruto sat right beside her, stealing glances at her striking profile, his cheeks flushing a faint pink.
Bathed in the ethereal moonlight, Kanon looked breathtakingly beautiful, making it completely impossible for Naruto to tear his eyes away.
Breaking the silence, Kanon finally spoke up.
"Naruto... do you remember what you told me before?"
"What did I say?" Naruto blinked, confused.
"That night... when you said you regretted having a stomachache and missing the chance to look at the moon with me."
Naruto paused, then slowly nodded.
"Yeah. I still regret it to this day."
"Maybe if I had been there with you, I could've helped carry some of that burden."
"But did you ever stop to think that if you had been there, it might have just meant one more corpse? Specifically... yours."
"Me? Ah, that wouldn't matter at all, Kanon! I don't have a mom or a dad, and everyone in the village hates me anyway. If I died protecting you, I'd be totally fine with that."
The moment those words left his mouth, Kanon's hand flew out and delivered a sharp slap right across his cheek.
Naruto winced, clutching his stinging face. "Ow! Kanon, what was that for?!"
But in the next instant, he saw hot tears streaming from the corners of her eyes. Perhaps this cliffside was the only sanctuary left in the world where she could allow her fragile, vulnerable side to show.
Instead of burying her face in her knees to weep silently like she usually did, she stared directly into Naruto's eyes, making no effort to conceal her tears.
The words of complaint died instantly in Naruto's throat. The horrifying imagery of her clan's slaughter was clearly still playing out in Kanon's mind, yet her gaze remained fixed and intensely serious as she addressed him.
"Naruto... I never want to hear you say something like that ever again."
"Because you are not alone."
Naruto could only give a silent, stunned nod. Her voice carried a heavy, solemn weight that shook him to his core.
"Do you honestly think that what truly terrified me that night was just seeing all those dead bodies?"
"No... I was terrified of a world where you and my brother didn't exist. You two are the only anchors left keeping me grounded in this world."
"That's exactly why I told you back then... that I was glad you didn't show up."
Sensing the atmosphere turning painfully heavy, Naruto scrambled for a way to break the tension. Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out a worn deck of playing cards.
"Huh? What's that?" Kanon blinked, caught off guard.
"Heheh! Well, we can't just sit here staring at the stars and being all gloomy all night, right?"
"Let's play a few rounds!"
"Alright! This time, I'm definitely pulling your Joker!" Kanon chuckled, the sorrow melting from her features.
"Bring it on! There's no way I'm losing to you, Kanon!"
After playing a few intense rounds, both Kanon and Naruto collapsed backward onto the soft grass, staring up at the sea of stars above.
"Hey, Kanon... do you think I really like Sakura?"
"Who knows? I guess you do."
"Yeah... maybe."
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NOTE: This fic has been completely translated. If you want to read the whole story head over to my p-atre-on: p-atre-on.c-om/Overgod [Just remove the hyphen to access normally]