Time passed day by day, and Tsunade's belly grew bigger along the way.
Kawaki had already gotten used to his daily routine of going back and forth between work and home—it was boring, sure, but manageable.
Coming home and seeing Tsunade with her rounded pregnancy belly instantly erased all his worries.
Today was Kakashi's second birthday, and everyone had started preparing early.
They'd invited many good friends over, and Sakumo even left work early today.
Before dinner time, the Hatake household was already buzzing with liveliness.
The Shinryu Yūhi family was naturally among the guests—after all, they were future relatives by marriage.
Dai had also come with his wife and child, and her slightly rounded stomach hinted that he might soon have another child.
It seemed like Gai would soon have either a brother or sister.
Seeing this, Kawaki couldn't help but think—if in the original plot, Gai actually had a little brother,
Together, those two brothers might literally kick their way to the finale.
Thinking about it with glee, he even laughed out loud.
"What are you laughing for all of a sudden?"
Tsunade jabbed playfully at Kawaki with her elbow.
"Nothing much. I'm just happy today," Kawaki replied, not bothering to explain further since it was a private joke only he understood.
"I see."
Tsunade found that explanation reasonable enough and asked no more.
"Orochimaru, we should really step things up now."
Jiraiya teased Orochimaru with a joke, and Makoto beside him was smiling too.
"You better focus on yourself."
"I don't need your concern."
A faint smirk tugged at the corner of Orochimaru's lips as he gently rested his hand on Pakura's belly.
"Not here, there are so many people around..."
Pakura shyly swatted Orochimaru's hand away. The expression on her face wasn't merely happiness—it was maternal bliss shining through her.
"No way, Pakura is pregnant?!"
Jiraiya looked shocked, as if he himself had fallen far behind.
"It just happened recently."
Orochimaru replied casually, a subtle hint of smugness in his tone as he offered no further details.
"What the hell…"
"My dear, we need to pick up the pace once we get home."
Jiraiya muttered under his breath and immediately turned to discuss plans with Makoto.
Had something gone wrong with his technique? He didn't think so.
"Behave! Can't we talk about this after we go home?"
Though she had long grown accustomed to Jiraiya's embarrassing antics, Makoto still blushed deeply.
"Alright, alright."
Jiraiya nodded in agreement, and everyone else burst into laughter.
"Fugaku, when are you and Mikoto planning to officially get married?"
Kawaki turned his gaze toward Fugaku nearby who hadn't spoken much until now.
"Me?"
"We're not in a rush. Maybe a few years later."
Fugaku glanced at Mikoto and took her hand into his.
"That makes sense. You two are always together anyway."
"There's no urgency for now."
Kawaki teased them lightly, making Mikoto blush slightly.
"Haha~"
"Well, not exactly. We aren't ready yet ourselves."
Fugaku said honestly. After all, Mikoto hadn't even turned eighteen yet, so talking about marriage indeed felt a little premature.
"How's the engagement between your Uchiha clan and The Snow Clan coming along?"
Orochimaru didn't particularly care about Fugaku's personal life, but he was quite intrigued by the merging of these two kekkei genkai clans.
"The progress has been good."
"We've already set up three pairings."
Fugaku also took the matter seriously. He knew the names of every newlywed couple involved.
"That's true, but I wonder if they'll have children who can inherit both bloodlines."
Orochimaru spoke bluntly.
"It's hard to predict. As far as I know, awakening the [Ice Release] isn't easy at all."
Fugaku didn't continue further because not everyone from the Uchiha clan could awaken the Sharingan either.
"Tsunade took a relaxed view of it. Konoha had no shortage of geniuses. Even someone with two Kekkei Genkai wouldn't necessarily be considered top-tier in talent here. Besides, with a steady stream of newborns from marriage alliances, eventually such a child would be born with both the Sharingan and [Ice Release]."
"Tsundae is right. We've got time," Jiraiya said. "This isn't something that will happen overnight." He understood Orochimaru's interest clearly.
"If such a child exists, I'll claim them as my disciple first."
"Then you might need my help too, Fugaku."
Orochimaru added jokingly, though no one could tell whether he was serious or not.
"What do you mean? Being Orochimaru's disciple would be a great honor."
Fugaku smiled in response. One day, he wouldn't mind returning the favor.
"Get a grip, Fugaku."
"Won't you worry about your kid getting sliced up by Orochimaru?"
Kawaki could joke with Orochimaru now that their relationship had grown more casual.
"I'll slice you up."
Orochimaru glared at Kawaki. He only planned to draw blood—not slice people up like a madman.
"Haha~"
With Kawaki cracking jokes, the mood lightened once more. Old friends began teasing each other, filling the hall with laughter.
It wasn't until Sakumo came over to ask everyone to take their seats that the playful banter finally ended.
Today, Kakashi looked especially sharp, wearing new clothes with his hair neatly groomed.
"Happy birthday, Kakashi."
Kurenai was the first to offer her greetings, handing him a small gift before giving him a kiss on the cheek.
"Thank you."
Kakashi was about to kiss back when Natsuki tugged him away. Even at his young age, he couldn't stand being ignored.
"Haha~"
This action set all the attending adults into laughter.
"Ohh!!"
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"I don't have anything great to give either."
"This is the latest version of the [Eight Gates]."
"I'll give this to you as a birthday gift."
Dai then handed over a scroll containing his carefully researched improvements. Inside were clearly written instructions for opening the [Death Gate], specially marked in red ink.
"You should thank Uncle Dai properly."
Sakumo noticed Kakashi was still sulking and gave him a gentle pat.
"Thank you, Uncle Dai."
Kakashi quickly snapped out of it, accepting the scroll with both hands while politely expressing his gratitude.
"Good. Train together with Might Guy in the future."
Dai sat back, satisfied. Gai stared at Kakashi, eyes wide with thought, clearly thinking about something.
Kakashi received gifts from each guest group, and his smile never left his young face.
"You all spent far too much. Let's eat, let's eat."
Sakumo thanked them politely before inviting everyone to begin eating.
Perhaps because it had been so long since so many had gathered together, everyone really opened up and drank freely that night.
Only Tsunade and Pakura sat quietly, not touching their drinks.
Once they were full of food and sake, it was time for the final course.
A servant wheeled in a three-tiered cake.
"Let's cut the cake."
Tipsy and reeking of alcohol, Sakumo spoke with slurred words.
He lifted Kakashi up to help cut the cake, giving everyone a large slice.
Still hungry, the youngest children took a few extra slices.
Kakashi, Kurenai, and Gai were then taken off by Nawaki's group to play elsewhere.
The dining room was now filled only with adults chatting casually.
As the evening wore on, the Hatake household's celebration finally wound down.
After seeing all the guests out, the day came to an end.
At Tsunade's urging, Kawaki washed up and went back to his room, where the scent of sake on him had mostly faded.
"Still got some energy?"
Lying on the bed, Tsunade gave a teasing smile.
"Don't tease me. I'm not giving in."
Kawaki no longer believed Tsunade's words. With her huge belly, he wasn't brave enough to respond.
"You don't believe me?"
Tsunade slapped her belly loudly.
"Gently! Gently!"
Kawaki quickly stopped her. That fierce tigress!
"Fine, I was just trying to be nice."
"If you want to stay single, go ahead."
Tsunade turned over as if sulking.
"I can hold back."
With that, Kawaki lay down and soon began snoring softly.
"You're making me furious."
Tsunade had been waiting for Kawaki to comfort her, but who knew he'd already fallen asleep?
She gave him a couple of light kicks before giving up.
—
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