Upon reaching the Hokage's Rock. They saw that Shisui and Itachi had already prepared everything they needed:
Potatoes, to be bake in ash on the coals. Boiled eggs and hard cheese. Meat, for kebabs. Bread, patties and rolls. Sauces. Condiments. Water and lemonade. And tea in a thermos. It was all in baskets that Itachi and Shisui had in a couple of storage scrolls. They had brought them to the clearing from home.
Laying out a thick sheet on a flat area, they all started talking amongst themselves while sorting the food into places. Once they were done, Shisui and Itachi going themselves for kindling and fish. Mikoto, meanwhile, made a Deepening in the ground in a weed-free spot and made a fire out of the nearest dry branches. The children, on the other hand, watched with interest. Since this was the first time they had seen the use of ninjutsu. Although it wasn't what you'd call it. But it still looked cool when Mikoto simply used her index finger to release some flames that quickly spread to the firewood.
The two kids were ecstatic, and for Sasuke it was his first, albeit basic familiarization with chakra's attribute.
Seeing their enthusiastic faces, Mikoto asked them with a smile:
How's that? Impressed?
Naruto:
- It's so Cool, Dattebayo!
Ayame:
- It's very beautiful!
Sasuke:
- Yes. It's amazing!
When she heard Naruto say his catchphrase, Mikoto's mind briefly drifted back to a memory of a red-haired girl who often shouted that strange phrase when she was excited. Looking at him, she saw that he was much like her. Both in face and character.
Mikoto looked around at them all and said:
- Okay. You now can play ball or other games, just stay away from the fire and be careful.
Naruto, Ayame, and Sasuke moved to the trees and started playing simple ball games:
- Edible-Non-Edible. Seated Dodgeball. Earth, Air, Fire, Water. Catch the ball. And other ball games.
After they got tired of playing ball, they started playing tag, hide-and-seek, classics and others.
When they smelled fried food, they stopped playing and went to the fire. Mikoto was cooking fish and meat. Shisui and Itachi, on the other hand, were putting plates of cooked food on a sheet.
The three of them couldn't help but laugh when they appeared, all grimy and with joy in their faces.
Sasuke, his face dirty with mud, decided to ask:
- What's wrong, why are you laughing?
Shisui still holding his stomach, without saying anything, handed him a small mirror that was lying next to other things.
Sasuke, looked at it and realized the reason. Turning around quickly, he looked at Ayame and Naruto, who was smiling widely. But the smile on their faces froze when they saw their reflection in the mirror. Sasuke, satisfied that he wasn't the only one to be embarrassed, quickly put the mirror down and laughingly run to the small and not deep river, followed by screams Naruto and Ayame. Which made everyone laugh even more.
Mikoto and Shisui, meanwhile, continued to feel ninjas starting to appear around them in the distance. They immediately realized from some of the chakra emissions, the reason for their apprehension. Uchiha and Nine-tails. And if they detected any malicious feeling towards the latter, they would not hesitate to intervene. After all, there are those among them who reek of darkness. ROOT. Looks like Danzo's nerves are in a bad state since he sent about a dozen of his men. At the same time, the Hokage probably wants to see how they'll act and whether they're worth his trust going forward. But they quickly adjusted their mood, for today they were sincerely celebrating Sasuke's birthday.
Shisui thought: - "After all, although I love the village, I can't work like these guys every day. Even they have shifts. I should at least relax for a day. It's lucky that they don't know about my Mangekyo yet, or they wouldn't have let me near it for fear of unforeseen situations. Even though I wouldn't hurt that child."
Back to the picnic. Kids played by the water for a while and came back and sat on the sheet. Tired but satisfied. All the food was prepared and the meal began. Everyone started talking to each other about this and that. All sorts of casual topics. When it was over, they just started enjoying the sunset. After the sun disappeared from the horizon, they gathered all the things, including trash and completely put out the campfire with water from the river, which they filled bottles for this purpose.
At the Rock, they descended at a leisurely pace, delighting in the sight of the night lights in the village. The sight, though not rare, was quite interesting. After they finally reached the road, the first thing they did was head to Ichiraku.
Pulling back the curtains, they crowded in with one adult and five children and entered and sat down on stools.
Teuchi seeing them, with a smile in his eyes fixed his cap and said:
- Well, how was it? Did you have fun? Is there still room for dinner?
Kids:
- Of course!
Mikoto.
- Yes, we had a wonderful time.
Shisui:
- And we won't say No, to your special dishes!
And Itachi just nodded.
Teuchi:
- I'm glad to hear that! And about the special dishes, hold on, just a little longer.
Guys:
- Okay!
Teuchi returned and began to put the Special Exclusive Ramen, prepared especially for Sasuke's birthday, into bowls. Naturally, he had prepared special dishes and for the childrens, when it was for Ayame's in February, and Naruto's in October. But because of the specifics of that day, they won't celebrate his birthday until a week from now. Then this animals will won't try to hurt Naruto again.
Those people who tried to harm in any way, Teuchi kicked them out of his establishment. Whether they were ninjas or not. If a civilian or ninja tried to do something funny, the ANBU or Police wouldn't let it happen. Otherwise, there would be distrust in the brass if all sorts of powerful guys could harm ordinary civilians. Uchiha doesn't count, he realizes that people are inciting them themselves, but he can't do anything about it, and for his daughter's sake he doesn't want to get involved in these matters.
When he had finished setting out large bowls of Ramen for each of them, he wished them a pleasant appetite. They too wished each other the same and began to eat. When they had finished, they thanked Teuchi for the wonderful meal and began to disperse and good day's end.
Sasuke turned to Teuchi, Naruto and Ayame, Shisui, Itachi, Mother and said:
- Thank you for coming to my birthday party, it was my pleasure to spend it with you! Thank you for this day and for just agreeing to come out together! I had a lot of fun and joy! And Thank you so much for the Ramen, it was delicious!
Teuchi:
- I'm glad and it's your special day, I had to do accordingly, something special!
Naruto grinned stupidly from his ears and repeated the smile with Teuchi's eyes and shouted:
- Thank you too, Dattebayo! I didn't know it was possible to spend a day like this. For me, this is one of the Happiest Days I could ever have! Thank you for having me! From now on, you're my true friend. And it's not every day that I get to feel such a good feeling! It's called warmth and friendship, isn't it? Anyway, thank you so much! I will treasure this as one of my dearest memories!
Ayame aside too with squinted eyes and a smile added:
- Everything Naruto said, I wish I could say something similar too, but that Jackass said all the words that I have a hard time picking them out. But basically, just like Naruto said. I really appreciate you inviting us. It was nice and fun to spend time like this.
Shisui after they got out and headed towards the Uchiha neighborhood, said with the same emotion:
- Thank you for inviting me, Sasuke. I also appreciate it! I hope when my birthday comes around, you'll come too and we'll have just as much fun together with all of you! I don't know a lot of words, but thank you! By the way, my birthday is in October. The, uh, nineteenth. Thanks for the day and here you go!
After rummaging through his clothes for a while, he pulled out a new scroll.
He continued:
- This is a gift! A scroll that contains my notes and experiences of using and controlling chakra. In the coming days or months, your father will probably help awaken your chakra's hearth. It will be just right to quickly and efficiently master your chakra once it becomes stable. Itachi already knows everything there is to know, so he doesn't need it and if there's anything you don't understand, you can refer to us.
Sasuke replied seriously:
- I will do my best not to let you down and study everything until next year.
Shisui grinned and said:
- You don't have to be so serious, just take it as some hints so that you can have an easier time with it in the future and become a good ninja with a strong foundation. And I know someone who was too stubborn and practiced to the point of exhaustion. In the end, poor me, had to carry his body home every time, it was so hard!
Itachi simply looked at him with an impassive face, promising himself that he would be tougher during sparring, due to the fact that he Shisui made him, as an older brother, lose face.
Feeling a chill run down his spine, Shisui turned around abruptly, only to see Itachi just standing there with his usual expressionless face. Thinking it was just his imagination, he said goodbye to they family and headed towards his home, unaware of the hard times looming.
Reaching the house, they entered where Itachi and Mikoto told him to wait here and headed to their rooms. Coming out with their arms crossed behind their backs, they walked up to him and said:
- Surprise and Happy Birthday!
Mikoto was holding a soft toy of a Hawk that was bigger than Sasuke, and Itachi was holding a Raven that was almost the same size.
They said with a slightly strained smile:
- It may not be as useful or valuable, but it's what we decided to give you.
Sasuke hugging them both around the waist said:
- Thank you for the gifts, Mother, Brother, they are much appreciated!
And pulling away from them and taking a serious look face with his eyes closed, he began to walk holding the toys from side to side, continuing his speech:
- I once read in a book that: - "The value of a gift is not measured by its cost or usefulness, but rather by the care and attention we put into choosing it. Therefore, we should not turn the search for a gift into a competition to see who will buy what more expensive or whatever."
Opening his eyes, he saw that he found himself in an embrace.
Mikoto said softly:
- Thank you son for your kind words.
Itachi's voice behind him:
- Yeah, we're not having a competition, we just gave what we wanted to give you.
As they separated, they said goodnight to each other and went to bed. Mikoto wouldn't be cooking tonight, as Fugaku would most likely be staying in his office for the night. Thus ended the day. One of the rare days that Sasuke would remember in future with warmth and a gentle smile on his face.