rpbooks Chapter 65 Surprise
Chapter 65 Surprise
"Naruto! Satsuki! Stop right there!"
Iruka's voice, filled with urgency, trailed behind, "You two, come with me right now and apologize to the Hokage!"
"No way!" Naruto said without turning his head. "The Third Hokage isn't that petty; he definitely knows we didn't really cause trouble!"
"You problem student! Stop right now!" Iruka raised his voice in anger, a vein throbbing on his temple. "Do you know how scary that was? I thought you were really going to spar secretly in the school! Where have you forgotten the rules of the ninja academy? This is utter nonsense!"
In the school building corridor, footsteps, shouts, and the light, quick running and jumping of teenagers mingled together. As Iruka chased after them, a weight lifted from his heart—thank goodness…they didn't actually fight.
But then, a wave of fear washed over him. What if the Third Hokage hadn't notified him in time? These two were sparring without any restraint. What if they had actually set the Ninja Academy on fire? What if one of them had suffered a serious, incurable injury?
If that were to happen, Iruka would never be able to forgive himself.
"Listen up!" Iruka gritted his teeth and quickened his pace. "I'll reflect on this with you! It's my responsibility for not teaching you guys to follow the rules properly! But you'd better stop right now, Naruto!"
"No way!"
Naruto abruptly turned into a classroom next door. For some reason, the lights were still on in this classroom, even though it was so late—it was their classroom. Satsuki followed closely behind and also slipped inside.
"You little bastard..."
Iruka pushed open the classroom door, but the second half of his rebuke caught in his throat, and he abruptly stopped. The scene before him was something he had never imagined—
The rectangular desks in the classroom were covered with clean tablecloths, and were filled with various snacks and foods, including brightly packaged potato chips, small pieces of fruit, and several boxes of exquisite-looking pastries.
In the very center of the table was a large cream cake with "Iruka-sensei" written on it in jam, and several candles next to it, though they hadn't been lit yet.
Naruto, Satsuki, Shikamaru, Choji, Kiba, and Shino—six children—stood side by side behind the table. Shikamaru yawned habitually, Choji secretly clutched a bag of potato chips, Kiba's Akamaru wagged its tail, and Satsuki lowered his eyes slightly, a faint smile playing on his lips.
At the back of the classroom, a simple banner was hung, with words cut out from colored paper: "Happy Birthday, Teacher Iruka."
"Happy birthday, teacher!" Naruto was the first to jump out, shouting energetically at Iruka, his eyes shining like stars. "Didn't expect that, did you? Even the Third Hokage had to ask me to help deliver the message!"
Iruka stared at the scene before him, his mouth opening and closing involuntarily, but no sound came out. The food on the table steamed gently, and the children's smiling faces were bathed in warm light.
"Happy birthday, teacher." Shikamaru and the others also spoke up, their voices not loud, but filled with sincere wishes.
Naruto grinned and leaned closer, teasing, "Teacher, I originally wanted to do one of those surprises where the lights are turned off and then the candles suddenly light up, but I was worried that when you were chasing us earlier, you might just jump out the window and go around to the back, and then the surprise would be ruined. You don't mind, do you?"
"Hey, what's wrong? So teachers can make that kind of face too."
Seeing Iruka's expression, Kiba teased him mercilessly, and Akamaru immediately barked as if in agreement.
Iruka finally snapped out of his daze, his lips moved, and he stammered, "Naruto...you...so...everything just now...was..."
"That's right! It was all a trap to lure Iruka-sensei into the classroom!" Naruto said with a smile, his tone full of smug satisfaction.
The next moment, Iruka felt all the tension in his body suddenly relax. The anxiety he had felt while running all the way, the panic of thinking they were going to secretly spar, and the fear that Naruto would cause trouble and be punished again—all of it vanished. It was just a prank. He hadn't caused any trouble. Thank goodness… This kid just wanted to give him a surprise.
He wanted to put on a stern face and scold him for "nonsense"—even the Hokage had been dragged into this—but seeing the smile in Naruto's eyes, the words that came out of his mouth were dry and unintelligible.
"Naruto... how did you know it was my birthday today?"
"It's simple! I sneaked into the teachers' archives. Stealth is a required course for ninjas!"
"What?! You!... "
Hearing this, Iruka's anger, which he had just suppressed, almost surged up again—but before he could utter the reprimand, he suddenly felt a burning sensation in his eyes, and something warm welled up uncontrollably, covering them with a thin layer of mist.
He had heard other teachers say that some thoughtful students would secretly remember their teachers' birthdays and prepare small surprises for them on that day. At the time, he always felt that such things were far removed from his own life—he always felt that he was not a qualified teacher, that he had been prejudiced against Naruto, and that he often neglected his students. He never imagined that he would have such a moment himself.
He glanced at Naruto, who was still waiting for praise, then at Satsuki, Shikamaru, and the others who were silently smiling beside him. His heart felt warm and tender, as if it were being soaked in lukewarm water. He had so much to say to them—thank them for their kindness, apologize for not being more attentive in the past, tell them how surprised he was… But a thousand words stuck in his throat, and in the end, only a choked sob escaped his lips.
"I... thank you... thank you so much, Naruto... and everyone... thank you..."