"I understand, Teacher's Wife," Nagato said, clearly touched, as he picked up his chopsticks again.
With so many people caring about him, he couldn't afford to let them down.
"Alright, enough already."
"Longmen will be fine," Kawaki wrapped up the conversation with a firm tone.
He believed in Nagato — this wasn't anything major for him anyway.
"You said you had some good news for me?"
Suddenly recalling something, Kawaki turned toward Tsunade.
"Now you remember?" Tsunade teased with a mysterious smile, heightening everyone's curiosity.
"Teacher's Wife, what kind of good news is it?"
"Just tell us so we can all share your joy," Minato eagerly chimed in, kicking off the teasing.
"Yeah, come on, Teacher's Wife," the younger ones immediately jumped in on the fun.
"It's really nothing big," Tsunade replied casually, like it was no big deal. "I'm just pregnant."
This bombshell completely cleared the air, washing away any lingering heaviness from earlier.
Tsunade pretended to be indifferent while secretly watching everyone's reactions.
"Seriously? No way!"
"When did this happen?"
"Am I really going to be a dad?"
Kawaki hadn't even swallowed his food before blurting out a bunch of questions, making Tsunade laugh.
"I only found out this morning. It hasn't been long at all," she said, covering her mouth with her hand. She'd been hoping for this surprise for quite some time now.
"It's only because I'm sensitive to my body — otherwise most people wouldn't notice this soon."
"Woo hoo! Three cheers for my amazing wife!" Kawaki impulsively kissed Tsunade right on the face, sauce still on his lips.
One kiss wasn't enough to contain his excitement, though.
As he tried to plant a few more, Tsunade pushed him away playfully.
"Don't you feel gross?" she said, wiping sauce off her face with the back of her wrist, scolding him half-heartedly.
"Big Bro, I'm going to be a dad!" Kawaki rushed over to tell Sakumo, barely able to contain his joy.
"I heard!"
"This is wonderful news!"
"Servants, bring the sake!" Sakumo shouted, unable to suppress his wide grin.
"Tsunade, you shouldn't drink. Take care of yourself," Natsuki brushed Kakashi aside and quickly approached Tsunade with concern.
"It's okay if I have just a little. I'm barely a few days along," Tsunade said, though she made no move to take a cup.
"Auntie, am I going to have a little brother?" Kakashi walked up to Tsunade like a mature little adult and instinctively reached out toward her belly.
"Why not a little sister instead?" Tsunade lovingly ruffled Kakashi's silver hair with a warm, affectionate expression.
"A sister works too. I don't mind either way." His words caused everyone to burst into laughter.
"Teacher, Teacher's Wife..."
"Congratulations," Minato was the first to offer his well-wishes to Kawaki and Tsunade.
Right after, Nobunaga and his group joined in with their own congratulations.
"I'm just in a good mood today—nothing fancy for you guys this time."
"I'll just hand out some cash, simple enough."
Kawaki was practically glowing with excitement, his behavior betraying the flashy enthusiasm of a newly rich man.
He pulled a wad of cash from his pocket and handed out a share to Minato and the others.
"Thank you, teacher."
Minato and the others happily accepted without any hesitation.
Normally, they might have politely declined.
But today was different—they wouldn't dream of ruining Kawaki's mood.
"Uncle, uncle!"
"I want some too!"
Kakashi had already caught on to the power of money—it meant he could buy delicious snacks for Kurenai.
"Little money-lover, here, all of it for you."
Kawaki stuffed the remaining cash into Kakashi's hands.
"Thank you, Uncle."
Kakashi joyfully accepted it, nearly bouncing with excitement.
After glancing at Natsuki, he carefully tucked it close to his chest.
"No one even cares about your little bit of money."
Natsuki shot Kakashi a mildly annoyed look.
So young, yet always scheming.
She couldn't figure out who he'd taken after—he was definitely nothing like her as a kid.
"It's just that I'm afraid of losing it,"
Kakashi weakly retorted, though lacking confidence.
"Alright then, don't go spending the money recklessly."
"Making money isn't easy."
Sakumo warned sternly. This kid had it far easier than he did as a child.
"I know, Dad."
"At most, I'll just buy a few snacks."
Kakashi finally relaxed and sat beside Natsuki.
"Oh right, we haven't told Grandma yet, have we?"
Suddenly, Kawaki recalled—the Mito has been eagerly awaiting great-grandchildren for ages.
Once she heard the news, she might well reward them with another few land deeds out of happiness.
Of course, he didn't care about Mito's money—it was just a random thought.
"Not yet. Let's go pay her a visit after dinner."
Tsunade poured Kawaki another cup of sake while eyeing him greedily, casually answering.
"We should definitely go."
"Just drink lightly tonight—make a toast."
Sakumo smiled and raised his cup toward Kawaki.
"Mm, we'll keep it light then."
Kawaki cheerfully lifted his cup and drank deeply.
One sip down, how satisfying could it get?
Living two lifetimes over, he would finally become a father himself.
"How about you have a little too?"
Noticing Tsunade looking hesitant, Kawaki shook his cup slightly at her.
"Not tonight."
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Tsunade hesitated for a long moment before shaking her head again.
Once Kawaki put his cup down, she refilled it.
Inhaling the rich scent of sake greedily, the longing deep inside her stirred fiercely.
Actually, given her constitution, having a few cups wouldn't be a problem.
Still, Tsunade resolved to stay sober—for the sake of the child growing inside her.
"Well then, I won't push you further."
Trying to hide a grin, Kawaki took another drink and exaggeratedly smacked his lips twice.
"Teacher, please don't push things too far."
"It's bad for your health."
Minato, seeing Tsunade's glare intensify, began warning Kawaki.
True to his role as the first disciple, Minato always looked out for his teacher.
"Cough, cough~"
"You've got a point."
Kawaki was momentarily caught off guard by Minato's words and instinctively glanced at Tsunade, quickly regaining his composure.
"Haha~"
Konan and the others couldn't contain themselves anymore and burst into laughter, not caring whether it embarrassed their teacher.
"What are you laughing at? Eat your food."
"Act properly."
Kawaki gave a half-hearted pretense of scolding them.
Luckily for him, he had an ironclad poker face, showing no signs of discomfort whatsoever.
Moments later, he resumed drinking with Sakumo as if nothing had happened.
Though they promised just a few drinks, they ended up drinking for hours.
Eventually, only the two of them were the ones left in the dining room, while everyone else, including Minato, had already left.
Tsunade didn't mind waiting a bit longer before telling Grandma.
But as the aroma of sake grew stronger, she struggled harder to endure.
Finally, after finishing their drinks and leaving the dining room, she and Kawaki headed straight toward the Senju residence.
Kawaki claimed he wanted to walk off the sake, so, holding Tsunade's hand, he made his way toward the Senju estate.
Whenever they ran into someone they knew, he would stop to exchange greetings, then casually bring up Tsunade's pregnancy.
The pride and excitement written all over his face didn't escape Tsunade's notice.
This wasn't really about walking off the sake—it was plain old showing off.
Tsunade saw through him but chose not to call him out, instead playing along with Kawaki.
That only made his joy grow even more.
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