As the days passed, Tsunade's belly grew larger. Kawakaze had settled into the sa old routine every day. Though monotonous, it wasn't unpleasant. When he ca ho and saw Tsunade with her growing belly, all his worries would vanish.
Today was Kakashi's second birthday, and everyone had gathered early to celebrate. A large group of friends had been invited, and Sakumo had taken the morning off work. Although it was still early, the Hatake Clan was already bustling with activity.
The Shinku Yūhi family was present as expected—they were future in-laws.
Guy's father, Duy, had also arrived with his wife and kids. Looking at her slightly rounded belly, it seed Guy was about to have a younger sibling—a little brother or sister.
Seeing this, Kawakaze couldn't help but wonder: if, in the original story, Guy had a younger brother, would the two of them kicking Madara together have been enough to end the whole thing? The thought amused him so much that he burst out laughing.
"What are you laughing at?" Tsunade elbowed him gently.
"Nothing, I'm just happy today!" Kawakaze replied, keeping the joke to himself. It was one only he would understand.
"I see," Tsunade said, finding his explanation reasonable. She didn't press further.
"Orochimaru, we have to work hard," Jiraiya teased as he and Orochimaru joked around. Nearby, Maki stood smiling.
"Just mind your own business, you don't need to worry about " Orochimaru replied, his mouth curling up slightly as he petted Pakura's stomach.
"There are so many people here!" Pakura said, embarrassed as she slapped Orochimaru's hand away. Her smile held joy and a hint of motherly affection.
"No way, Pakura's pregnant?" Jiraiya exclaid in shock, realizing he might be lagging behind in progress.
"It's just sothing that happened recently," Orochimaru said with a casual air of superiority, offering no further explanation.
"Shit." Jiraiya cursed under his breath before turning to Maki. "Wife, we need to speed things up when we get back."
Was it his position or sothing else? It shouldn't be like this, he thought to himself.
"What's the matter? We can talk about it when we get back, can't we?" Maki, though used to Jiraiya's shalessness, blushed in embarrassnt.
"Okay, okay," Jiraiya nodded, and everyone began to laugh.
"Fugaku, when are you going to marry Mikoto?" Kawakaze asked, glancing at Fugaku, who had been relatively quiet.
"?" Fugaku replied. "No rush, a few years from now." He looked at Mikoto and gently took her hand.
"That's right, you two have plenty of ti," Kawakaze teased, making Mikoto blush slightly.
"Haha~"
"Not exactly," Fugaku added, "we're not ready yet." He was being truthful—Mikoto wasn't yet 18, and it was still a bit early for marriage.
"How are things with the marriage between your Uchiha Clan and the Yuki Clan?" Orochimaru asked, his interest more focused on the union of the two clans with Kekkei Genkai than on Fugaku's personal life.
"It's going well. There are already three pairs," Fugaku replied, clearly mindful of the matter and aware of the couples involved.
"That's good, but I wonder if there will be any offspring who can inherit both Kekkei Genkai," Orochimaru said bluntly, wasting no ti on pleasantries.
"That's hard to say. Awakening Ice Release isn't easy," Fugaku admitted. "And not every Uchiha awakens the Sharingan. Combining the two... the odds are probably very low."
"If they have such children, we'll focus on training them. If not, that's fine too," Fugaku said.
"There's still a long ti ahead," Tsunade interjected, her tone relaxed. She pointed out that Konoha wasn't short of geniuses. Even a child with both Sharingan and Ice Release wouldn't necessarily stand out in a village filled with talent.
"Besides," she continued, "as long as there are more unions over ti, sooner or later, there'll be a child who inherits both the Sharingan and Ice Release Kekkei Genkai."
"Tsunade is right. There is still ti."
"This is not sothing that can be achieved overnight," Jiraiya agreed, understanding where Orochimaru's focus lay.
"If such a child exists, I'll reserve a disciple for myself first," Orochimaru said with a hint of humor. "At that ti, I might need Fugaku's help."
Fugaku smiled, responding politely, "There's no need for that. It would be a great honor for soone to beco Lord Orochimaru's disciple."
"Fugaku, you should be more careful," Kawakaze teased. "I wouldn't want the child to end up sliced into pieces by Orochimaru."
Orochimaru shot Kawakaze a glare. "I'll slice you up." His tone was mock-serious, but even he found the accusation exaggerated. At most, he might draw so blood—not cut soone into pieces.
"Haha~" Kawakaze's joke lightened the mood, and the atmosphere grew lively again.
One by one, the old friends began teasing and exposing each other's shortcomings, filling the hall with continuous laughter. The banter only subsided when Sakumo ca over to gather everyone, telling them to sit down.
Kakashi was the center of attention today. Dressed in a new shirt with his hair slicked back, he looked sharp for his birthday.
"Kakashi, happy birthday," Kurenai said, stepping forward to offer her congratulations. She handed him a small present and gave him a kiss on the cheek.
"Thanks," Kakashi replied, leaning in to kiss her back when Nayuki grabbed him, stopping him just in ti.
At such a young age, he couldn't afford to take a loss.
"Haha~" This action made the adults laugh uncontrollably, unable to hold back their amusent.
"I don't have anything good either," Duy said. "This is the latest version of the Eight Inner Gates. It's your birthday present."
He handed over a scroll, carefully crafted after his research. Inside, the training thod for the Gate of Death was written in red letters.
"Thank you, Duy," Sakumo said, noticing that Kakashi was still sulking about the earlier incident. He gave his son a slap.
"Thank you, Uncle Duy," Kakashi echoed, imdiately taking the gift with both hands and politely expressing his gratitude.
"Well, practice with Guy from now on," Duy said contentedly as he sat down. Guy glanced at Kakashi, whose eyes were darting around, wondering what he was thinking.
Subsequently, Kakashi received gifts from each group of guests, and the smile on his face never faded.
"You've gone to a lot of trouble. Let's eat," Sakumo said politely, inviting everyone to begin the al.
It had been a long ti since so many people had gathered together. Sake was opened, and the adults drank freely, except for Tsunade and Pakura, who silently observed without touching a drop.
After everyone had eaten and drunk their fill, it was ti for the final part of the evening. A large three-tiered cake was wheeled in by the servants.
"Let's cut the cake," Sakumo said, his speech slightly slurred from the sake.
He embraced Kakashi and began cutting the cake. Everyone received a large piece, and the youngest three couldn't get enough, grabbing a few more. Kakashi, Kurenai, and Guy were later carried off by Nawaki and his friends to play, leaving only the adults in the dining room to continue chatting idly.
As the night deepened, the excitent at the Hatake Clan finally ca to an end. After seeing the guests off, the day was finally over.
At Tsunade's urging, Kawakaze washed up and went to his room. The sll of sake on him had faded considerably.
"Still in the mood?" Tsunade asked, lying on the bed in an alluring pose.
"Stop it, I won't agree to it," Kawakaze replied. With her big belly, he really didn't dare to entertain the idea.
"You don't believe anything I say?" Tsunade pouted and pounded her belly, making a loud noise.
"Be gentle, be gentle," Kawakaze hurriedly said, stopping her. This brute woman...
"Forget it, I was only being kind. If you want to be a bachelor, that's up to you," Tsunade said, turning her back as if sulking.
"I can hold my own," Kawakaze retorted before lying down and falling asleep in no ti.
"This really annoys ," Tsunade muttered. She had been waiting for Kawakaze to coax her, but he had fallen asleep instead. With a small act of defiance, she gave him a gentle kick to get his attention.
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