"It looks like it worked."
Tsunade stared at the steady readings on the monitors, still uncertain.
"You're not mistaken. Kawaki-kun succeeded."
Orochimaru's firm confirmation finally eased Tsunade's anxiety entirely.
She slumped to the floor, her legs giving out beneath her.
If anything had truly happened to Kawaki-kun, she couldn't even bear to think about how she'd go on.
"Alright, let me help you rest for a bit."
"I'll keep watch here."
Orochimaru helped Tsunade up—truth be told, he was exhausted too.
Not physically tired, but mentally drained.
If Kawaki had died, he might have started questioning the meaning of life again.
"Okay."
Leaning on Orochimaru, Tsunade made her way to a nearby chair and sat down, her eyes fixed on the monitors.
Minute by minute, time dragged on.
Kawaki was already unaware of everything happening around him.
He felt as though he'd been dreaming for an eternity.
Everything in the dream was so beautiful.
There was a blue sky, white clouds, green grass, blooming flowers—and Tsunade holding their child.
Everyone wore bright, smiling faces.
...
"Kawaki-kun is smiling."
Orochimaru immediately reported the development.
A smile meant Kawaki was conscious—at least partially so—which was still great news.
"That's good then."
After resting for a bit, Tsunade was already feeling much better physically.
She stood up, walked to Orochimaru's side, and stood beside the operating table with him.
The two stood in silence, watching Kawaki for a long moment.
After a long silence, the curve of Kawaki's lips widened steadily.
Suddenly, he let out a few syllables.
"Come here, Dad wants to give you a hug."
At that, Orochimaru burst into laughter—it seemed Kawaki had been having a pleasant dream.
"I wonder how many little ones Pakura gave birth to in Kawaki's dream?"
Orochimaru turned to ask Tsunade, unable to hide his amusement.
You wish. It's *you* who'll be the one popping out babies.
Tsunade shot Orochimaru a glare, but her expression softened.
"Haha, having more children isn't bad either."
Thinking about Pakura, maybe it was time to start talking about their wedding plans.
He couldn't afford to fall too far behind Kawaki-kun.
"Jiraiya's planning to buy a big house. Guess that means he's getting married."
"What about you? Any plans?"
At this point, Tsunade opened up as well.
Jiraiya, being an orphan, had lived alone in his old shabby apartment for years.
Now that he'd returned with Makoto Nakano, he truly intended to settle down.
Buying a large house made perfect sense—he had completed enough missions and saved substantial money over the years.
On the other hand, although Orochimaru had bought a mansion earlier, Pakura's position within Konoha remained rather delicate.
During the Second Shinobi World War, many Konoha ninjas had perished by her hands.
Even setting aside personal issues, hosting a grand wedding for Orochimaru and Pakura wouldn't be practical.
"I heard about it too. Once he finishes buying the house, we should celebrate properly."
"As for me… I guess Pakura will just have to bear some hardship."
"Still, the proper formalities must be followed—we'll just keep the guest list small."
Orochimaru understood what Tsunade meant, and he had thought it through clearly as well.
Surely Pakura would understand too.
"I'll prepare a generous gift for you two then."
Tsunade felt genuinely happy. The three of them who'd grown up together all had their partners now.
In the future, their children could continue the bond between them.
Perhaps that was what inheritance meant.
"Then I won't hold back."
Orochimaru smiled. Who didn't know Tsunade had money now?
"Don't get too excited yet; you'll have to pay me back eventually."
Tsunade teased him. If she really had a child, would Orochimaru really be stingy?
"Haha, I'm looking forward to that day."
Both laughed heartily, and the atmosphere in the operating room was no longer oppressive.
Filled with hope and anticipation for the future, they chatted animatedly.
Time passed unnoticed.
Occasionally throughout the operating room, cheerful laughter could be heard.
"Ugh… Huh?"
Kawaki woke from his sleep, slowly opening his eyes.
"You're awake?"
"How do you feel?"
Tsunade rushed over immediately and took Kawaki's hand.
Kawaki instantly felt a warm current travel from her palm through his entire body.
Orochimaru approached after seeing the instruments' data remained stable.
"Just really hungry."
As soon as Kawaki finished speaking, his stomach let out a loud "gurgle."
"That's normal. The cell fusion drained a lot of your energy."
"Do you feel strong enough? Let's go eat."
Orochimaru unplugged the wires connected to Kawaki.
"I think so."
Kawaki pushed himself up with both hands behind him.
He felt slightly dizzy, probably from the massive energy drain, but only for a moment.
After several minutes, seeing that he seemed fine, Tsunade finally let go and helped him off the bed.
They took a few steps, and since he showed no discomfort, Tsunade finally released him.
Outside the operating room, Misaki sat quietly reading by herself.
Thankfully, the operating room was well soundproofed; otherwise, she might have been worried by Kawaki's screams.
"Let's go, time for dinner."
Orochimaru invited Misaki to join them.
"Okay, Teacher Orochimaru."
Misaki put the book back and hurried out after being the last one to close the lab door.
The four exited the hospital; by now the sky had darkened.
It had already been seven hours since Kawaki was injected with Hashirama's original cells.
"Let's go get some barbecue—I feel like I could eat a whole cow right now!"
Kawaki rubbed his rumbling stomach and made this suggestion.
"Fine, we'll follow your choice."
Tsunade chuckled lightly and agreed.
The four arrived at Konoha's most famous barbecue restaurant, where many people still dined inside.
As regulars, the shopkeeper warmly welcomed them to a table.
Many patrons who recognized them gave them warm greetings.
Kawaki and the others politely responded to each greeting before finding an empty table to sit at.
Before long, the shopkeeper kept bringing dish after dish of grilled meat to their table.
The aroma of the sizzling meat made Kawaki's mouth water.
"I'll begin first!"
Without another word, he dove right in with a full-on feeding frenzy.
He couldn't remember ever being this starved in his entire life.
His incredible eating speed and massive appetite left everyone stunned.
The clueless onlookers huddled together, whispering.
"Lord Kawaki must be so strong because he eats this much."
"That tower of plates would last me three whole days."
A Konoha Jonin blurted out in disbelief.
"You really don't get it, do you?"
"He must've messed up at home and got starved for days by Hokage-sama."
A ninja who figured out that Kawaki was henpecked made a bold guess.
"I think that makes sense."
Surprisingly, his absurd comment actually got nods from a few other henpecked men.
"Poor guy. Sure, Hokage-sama's easy on the eyes..."
"But no way am I marrying someone like that."
A pimply young ninja sighed wistfully as he imagined his future.
"Hokage-sama is looking this way."
Someone quietly warned them, and everyone immediately fell silent.
They acted like they were completely focused on their meat.
"Am I really that scary?" Tsunade asked Orochimaru while passing another plate of meat to Kawaki.
"What do you think?" Orochimaru shot back, still flinching as he rubbed his head.
How many people in Konoha would even dare hit him?
...
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