First Birthday

Time-Skip; One Year Later;

The Third Shinobi War is coming to an end, and its effects are beginning to be felt across all the shinobi villages. Tensions along the borders of the Great Five Nations are starting to ease, and the entire conflict feels stagnant. It has become clear that the conclusion of the Third Shinobi World War is imminent; it is simply a matter of when it will happen. The people of Konoha are tired and weary from the ongoing fighting. They have had to endure the relentless greed and thirst of all the shinobi villages for their land and wealth, a legacy of the First and Second Hokages. Now, they face the repercussions of two Shinobi World Wars within two decades.

Fortunately, Konoha has always been a cradle of geniuses, with exceptional shinobi emerging in every era to carry the hopes and legacies of past Konoha heroes. One such shinobi is Minato Namikaze, who successfully held back Iwagakure. After his efforts, he was brought back for rest, particularly following the death of his student, Obito.

Meanwhile in Konoha;

In a relatively large traditional house on the edge of the village, one-year-old Kaito is running around, giggling. His mother, Honoka, is trying to catch him while holding his clothes. Kaito is feeling frustrated; despite being an adult in his mind, his mother insists on bathing him herself. This has turned into a game of cat and mouse. Honoka is enjoying the moment as Kaito finally acts like a child, unaware of the true reason behind his reluctance to take a bath.

His mother cherished her time away from the fighting and work while his dad was occupied with the war. She had been granted a temporary leave from her duties. She understood that Kaito was her miracle baby; she had been injured during the Second Shinobi World War when she was just a Chunin, facing off against a Jinchuriki from the Hidden Stone Village.

The Foreign Chakra had injured her internally. The scars from the injury had healed, but she was informed that she had very little chance of having a baby. More than 12 years later, she was blessed with Kaito.

Kaito wasn't a baby who needed constant attention; he only cried when he needed to eat or have his diapers changed. Even then, he scowled as if he were forcing himself to scream for attention. By the time he was 5 months old, he had learned to crawl, which seemed to make him much happier, as if he craved that newfound freedom. Little did everyone know just how much he desired it. At around 8 months, he said his first word, and to his mother's amusement, it was "Food." This angered her, and Kaito quickly learned why you should never provoke an Uzumaki. She promptly restrained him with her Chakra chains and gave him a spanking for refusing to say "Mama," only saying it after the punishment. From that day on, Kaito vowed never to anger his mother again.

Over time, Kaito's vocabulary gradually expanded as he adapted to the dialect of this world. He also learned how to walk, which led to this humorous encounter. Today, he wanted to bathe himself, but his mother refused and began to follow him as he ran around the courtyard of their house.

Haruka's dad used to visit him every month at first. However, because he is an Elite Jonin serving in the war, those visits stopped after a couple of months. It has now been nearly three months since he last came home. Despite this, he tried hard to make up for his absence. Each time he visited, he played with Haruka and read to him. These were Kaito's favorite activities. Kaito enjoyed these moments and used them to gather information for his plans. When his dad read something that caught his interest, Kaito rewarded him with coos and giggles.

"I am a genius! You understand what I need, and you get a cute laugh in return; it's a win-win," Kaito thought. His favorite moment was when his dad was explaining his responsibilities, which Kaito found fascinating. As a special bonus, he called him "papa" for the first time.

Kaito was finally getting dressed by himself, giggling as he celebrated his small victory, while his mom watched with amusement. Haruka knocked on the door, and Honoka opened it. Upon seeing his father, Kaito squealed happily and ran to him, yelling, "Papa!"

Kaito felt relieved that his dad had returned safe and sound. Haruka caught the little boy and lifted him. "Hey, little man, how are you?" Haruka asked. Kaito replied, still giggling with relief in his voice, "Good."

Honoka had a smile on her face watching her husband and their son talking to each other as if her husband was giving him a report of what he did.

After spending some time playing with Kaito, Haruka put him down. He turned to Honoka and said, "After my break this time, I won't be coming back for at least four months," his voice filled with sadness.

Honoka looks pissed " It isn't really that urgent with only small skirmishes on the border why is the Hokage keeping you that busy?"

Haruka answered, "I am under Minato's command and you know how they have high hopes for him so he is involved with nearly all battles major or not but with Minato having a break to rest I insisted I came with him, I can't miss my only Child's First Birthday can I?"

Honoka accepted begrudgingly and added," But be safe okay?"

Kaito then asked, "Are you coming back?" Haruka laughed and replied, "Of course I will come back; nothing can keep me away from you."

Kaito POV: 

Dad and Mom started discussing my birthday and who would be coming. Aunt Kushina and Minato were invited, along with Lady Biwako Sarutobi. Ino-Shika-Cho were also on the guest list because my dad is friends with them from work, along with their wives. The Third Hokage might join us as well, but I'm not sure if that will happen.

2 days later; Early in the Morning;

Kaito POV:

I woke up at 8 a.m., a routine my mom instilled in me. As I went down the stairs, I was surprised to find Aunt Kushina with Minato Namikaze, also known as The Yellow Flash of the Leaf. When she noticed me, her loud, lively voice called out, "There's my beautiful nephew! I've been here for an hour, and I even woke up Minato to join me!"

I replied, "Good morning, Aunt Kushina." Then I thought about teasing Minato, so I turned to him and said, "Good morning, Smiley Sun Mister." This made Kushina fall to the floor with laughter. Her laughs were so loud that even my mom came from the kitchen to see what was happening. When she arrived, she found Kushina laughing while clutching her stomach. After this, my mom told me that they had come to take me out and keep me company while Mom and Dad prepared a birthday celebration for me.

We explored Konoha, did some shopping, and finally tasted the famous Ichiraku Ramen. I have to say, it lived up to the hype! The legendary Otsutsuki Teuchi knows how to make great ramen. I noticed some people giving Aunt Kushina strange looks, likely because of her status as a Jinchuriki. Curious about her reaction, I decided to ask her about it.

"Aunt Kushina, why do some people look at you with fear and a bit of disgust?" I noticed a flash of sadness in her eyes before she returned to her cheerful demeanor.

Minato tried to interject, "Kaito, it isn't polite to ask about other people's secrets."

But Kushina interrupted him, saying, "Minato, it's okay. Kaito is family and an Uzumaki." She then turned to me and asked, "Kaito, I know you read a lot, and your mom said you're interested in history. Do you know what Bijuu are?"

I answered, "Yes, I know, and I also know that Mom once fought one of them."

She braced herself, anticipating the anger and disgust she was about to receive from her nephew. "I am a Jinchuriki, similar to the one that injured your mother," she said. Then, she closed her eyes, preparing for the inevitable reaction. Surprisingly, nothing happened. "Huh, cool," I replied.

Looking at me with a surprised expression, Kushina asked, "Aren't you afraid or angry with me?" I replied, "Why would I be, Aunt Kushina? You are you, and the Bijuu is the Bijuu. It's like the bowl and the ramen inside." She glanced at me and started laughing, while Minato looked on with a smile. Then she turned to me and said, "We have to go back home now; it's time for your party. Minato will grab our presents from home and meet us there."

So I got home and met my parents, I had fun at my birthday party. Aunt Kushina gave me a necklace left to her by Lady Mito while Minato gave me a nice diary that was locked with Fuinjutsu. My grandparents gave me a high-quality toy Kunai and shuriken as well as a calligraphy set while Ino-Shika-Cho gave my mom some medicinal herbs that help promote body growth that are used before the age of 3 years old.

Lady Biwako brought her son, Asuma, with her, who kept annoying me and playing with me like a child. Her gift to me was a pair of high-quality pants and a shirt made from material designed for shinobi, so they looked cool and were resistant to cuts. As the night went on, the guests left, leaving only my parents and grandparents. To my annoyance, I still couldn't stay awake—I was tired. The last thing I remembered was my grandparents arguing about who would take care of me first, as my mom was going back to duty soon.

This is my Happy family and I want to keep them safe.