Days passed one after another, and Mikoto gave birth to another son.
Originally, Fugaku wanted to name the boy Uchiha Kawaki, but Kawaki stopped him.
After careful consideration, the youngest son was named just like in the original plot—Sasuke Uchiha.
Although some of Hiruzen Sarutobi's past actions were regrettable, it didn't change the fact that he had been an outstanding ninja himself.
Three months later, Kushina gave birth without complications, with no accidents occurring at all.
Under the pressure of so many powerful figures, even half of the Nine-Tails acted as docile as a kitten.
Naruto Namikaze's face didn't have any whiskers either—he looked very much like Minato, a cute little boy.
He's definitely going to become a real heartthrob!
Near the end of this year, Hiashi Hyuga's wife gave birth to a daughter, naming her a beautifully elegant name—Hinata Hyūga.
"The Konoha Twelve Geniuses are finally assembled."
Kawaki murmured to himself, his eyes gleaming with anticipation.
In this Ninja World he had changed, what kind of bonds would these twelve young geniuses form?
"What did you say?"
Inside the room, Tsunade was playing with Ritsukimi and hadn't heard clearly.
"Nothing."
"I just said that the name Hinata Hyuga sounds really nice."
Kawaki casually made up an excuse. This was a secret only he could grasp.
"It does sound nice."
"But I still think Ritsukimi is cuter."
Tsunade playfully nuzzled her cheek against Ritsukimi's chest, making the girl laugh happily.
"That's right."
"Ritsukimi is the sweetest name of all."
Kawaki joined in the tickling of their daughter, and laughter filled the room for quite a while.
"Oh right, come with me tomorrow to Orochimaru's place."
"He said he needs to talk to you about something."
After tiring out Ritsukimi from playing, Tsunade finally remembered what Orochimaru had said when she left the lab earlier today.
"Strange! Has Orochimaru ever actually invited me to his lab willingly before?"
"What does he want now?"
Kawaki, used to being ignored, found this sudden attention oddly unsettling.
"I didn't ask. We'll find out once we go tomorrow."
Tsunade had left in such a hurry earlier that she hadn't even thought to ask.
"Fine then."
"You go clean up Ritsukimi and get her ready for bed."
Kawaki handed the baby over to Tsunade and flopped onto the bed in a spread-eagle position. Life felt far too comfortable at the moment.
The next day, Kawaki and Tsunade dropped the child off with Natsuki before heading straight to the laboratory.
Orochimaru and Misaki weren't surprised at all, but Itachi was startled.
He had never witnessed the elegance of the Flying Thunder God Technique before.
"What do you need me for?"
Kawaki strolled over to Orochimaru confidently, stopping beside him with a look that practically screamed begging for a punch.
Tsunade didn't even bother wasting her breath scolding him. She simply put on her lab coat and gloves, then got straight to work.
"We've hit yet another bottleneck in the Tailed Beast Cell Fusion Experiment."
"We've already located the habitats of both the Five-Tails and the Six-Tails—we need you to check them out."
Orochimaru spoke more like he was giving orders to a subordinate.
So far, we've collected cells from all the Tailed Beasts except the Five-Tails and the Six-Tails.
"This is how you ask for help?"
Kawaki frowned, visibly displeased. After all, he was the God of the Ninja World—shouldn't he be shown some respect?
"What? Just because I gave you a mission, you're already complaining?"
Orochimaru paused his work and glanced at Kawaki.
Want me to beg you? Dream on.
"If you're gonna keep up that attitude, I really can't do this."
In front of so many people, there was no way Kawaki would show weakness.
"Fine then, you won't go?"
"From today onward, the Tailed Beast Cell Fusion Experiment is suspended."
Orochimaru was completely fearless—he must have known at some point that Kawaki actually wanted this research completed even more desperately than himself.
"No, no, don't do that!"
"Just talk nicely, okay? Can't I just go already?"
Kawaki's imposing aura hadn't lasted three seconds before it instantly cracked.
He clung to Orochimaru's arm like a helpless little wife—where had the God of the Ninja World's dignity gone?
"Hah! Try being strong for once, won't you?"
Tsunade burst into laughter at Kawaki's antics. Misaki and Itachi chuckled along as well.
"Just give me an address—I promise I'll go and come back fast."
Kawaki ignored Tsunade's mocking. What was bowing to a future father-in-law compared to obtaining Ten-Tails cells?
"Hmph~ Why didn't you just act like this from the start?"
Orochimaru straightened up, lifting his chin slightly—his smugness evident now that he got his way.
He'd never want to halt the Tailed Beast Cell Fusion Experiment. If Kawaki had held out a bit longer, who knows who might've ended up yielding?
This scene completely overturned Itachi's understanding. He'd never seen Orochimaru-sensei like this before.
He stared at Orochimaru, blinking hard, as if what he was seeing were an illusion.
"You'll get used to it later."
Misaki noticed Itachi's confusion and gently patted his head with a warm smile.
The kid was just too inexperienced, making a big deal out of nothing.
"Here."
Orochimaru took off his gloves and pulled out a slip of paper with the address already written on it.
"You know my results speak for themselves."
Kawaki snatched the note, flashed a thumbs-up, and vanished in an instant.
"You really know how to boss people around."
Only after Kawaki vanished did Tsunade deliver her sarcasm.
You really should think twice before bossing my husband around in front of me.
"Well, what can I say? He's the God of the Ninja World."
"Strong power makes things easy."
"For Kawaki, capturing Tailed Beasts that would be life-threatening tasks for others is just child's play."
Orochimaru wasn't afraid to speak honestly here.
With the person concerned gone, he didn't mind boosting someone else's reputation while lowering his own pride.
This chapter isn't over yet—more action ahead!
If you enjoy Naruto: A Journey Beginning with Courting Tsunade, please remember to bookmark: (m.
"That part actually sounded decent."
Hearing Orochimaru praise Kawaki, Tsunade nodded contentedly.
"Glad to hear that?"
"Come take a look—there's a small issue here."
It had to be said—Orochimaru truly was a master manipulator, skillfully maneuvering both Kawaki and Tsunade.
"Let me see."
Tsunade leaned in. Just a minor problem—before long, the two of them sorted it out together.
Since her resignation, the lab's research had progressed remarkably.
The combined power of these two master-level researchers was far greater than the sum of its parts.
Fugaku finally wielded his Mangekyō Sharingan without hesitation.
The cultivated Tailed Beast cells were undergoing rapid growth, and the earlier-obtained Chōmei cells had already formed into massive, fully-formed wings.
If a suitable candidate could be found, they could be sealed inside a suitable host's body to observe the effects.
However, with the ninja world having now been unified, neither Orochimaru nor Tsunade had proceeded with such actions.
The hereditary bloodline disease of Kaguya Rin no Suke had already been cured, leaving only Bone Pulsation evolution research still ongoing.
Research into Uchiha Madara's cells and White Zetsu cells had also produced preliminary results, yet they were still far from being applicable to the general population.
As for the research on Hashirama's cells, it had long since been abandoned.
They had already extracted sufficient value from it, and further research no longer seemed worthwhile at this stage.
The Tailed Beast Cell Fusion Experiment had now become the top priority in current research.
The resulting product from fusing all seven types of Tailed Beast cells together, even just a small piece, radiated an incredibly powerful aura.
Orochimaru and Tsunade were both eager to discover the final outcome of this research.
It was a shared goal—and passion—for both of them.
...
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