Ginji was barely two months old when Orochimaru and the others became fathers one after the other.
Duy, now expecting his second child, welcomed another son into his family. He named him Might Kai. When their old group of friends gathered for a meal at Duy's house, Kawakaze couldn't resist teasing him about the name.
Duy simply laughed and explained, "I hope the two boys will grow to be as strong and reliable as armor."
Orochimaru also had a child, a baby girl who inherited his rare snake-like pupils and Pakura's striking beauty. She was named Satsuki. At her full-moon celebration, the gathering turned into a drunken affair.
During the festivities, Kawakaze joked about arranging a marriage between Ginji and Orochimaru's daughter.
Orochimaru immediately rejected the idea. "What could possibly be good about Kawakaze Hatake and Tsunade's son? My daughter will definitely marry for love. An arranged marriage is out of the question," he declared.
Jiraiya was the last among them to become a father. Maki gave birth to his son, and, in true Jiraiya fashion, inspiration struck while he was eating ramen. He named his son Naruto.
Thus, the legendary Sannin in the original story, all had children and happy families. It was unclear if their newfound stability was due to having children, but life seemed to be looking up for everyone.
One sunny afternoon, Orochimaru sent someone to summon Tsunade.
"What's so urgent?" Tsunade asked with a scowl as she pushed open the door to his lab, her irritation plain on her face.
The message was clear: I'm not happy.
She'd been enjoying a nap during her lunch break and wasn't thrilled about being interrupted.
"I'll tell you when I'm ready," Orochimaru said coolly, not even looking up from his work.
Unlike Kawakaze and Jiraiya, Orochimaru wasn't the least bit intimidated by Tsunade's temper.
"Then just tell me," Tsunade said, taking a deep breath as she walked forward. If this isn't important, I'll make Satsuki my daughter-in-law, she thought, her affection for the adorable girl undeniable.
"Take a look," Orochimaru said, stepping aside to reveal a petri dish.
"This… is a success?" Tsunade asked in shock, her voice tinged with disbelief. She had never expected the experiment to progress this far.
"Mm," Orochimaru responded softly.
Inside the petri dish was human tissue that had fully matured. It was a fusion of Tsunade's cells and Hashirama's cells.
After countless trials, the experiment had finally succeeded. The next step would be live testing and, if successful, transplantation into Tsunade herself.
Apart from the anomaly of Kawakaze, this breakthrough was monumental for their research. It also promised to offer invaluable insights for Orochimaru's own future transplant plans.
"Let me see."
At this point, Tsunade had no desire to blame Orochimaru. She pushed him aside, her eyes fixed on the human tissue in the petri dish as if it were a rare treasure.
"There aren't enough living bodies," Orochimaru remarked. He had become more restrained than in the original timeline, refraining from capturing anyone on his own anymore.
"Well, I'll take care of it," Tsunade replied, her gaze still locked on the sample.
Konoha, being a large village, had no shortage of death row inmates either in the Anbu or the prison. As Hokage, Tsunade could easily handle such matters.
"As soon as possible. I still have a lot to do," Orochimaru said with a faint, almost imperceptible smile.
Every day, he had to leave work on time to spend time with Satsuki, so his schedule was tight.
"I'll have someone deliver it the day after tomorrow at the latest," Tsunade assured him after doing a quick mental calculation.
"Fine," Orochimaru responded curtly. He didn't bother lingering to watch Tsunade marveling over the tissue and walked away to attend to other tasks.
A short while later, the door to the laboratory was pushed open again.
"Sister Tsunade, you're here," Misaki said as she entered.
"Oh, I came to take a look," Tsunade replied, glancing up and greeting her warmly.
"I just came back from Pakura Sensei's house. Satsuki is really cute," Misaki said, her expression glowing with fondness.
"Really?"
"Your brother-in-law said that Satsuki could be Ginji's wife," Misaki continued.
"Your Sensei, Orochimaru, still disagrees," Tsunade said casually, but her offhand remark seemed to strike a chord.
"Don't even think about it," Orochimaru's voice rang out sharply from the other room, his tone like a snake whose tail had just been stepped on. "Even if I were to consider her as a daughter-in-law, she would have to like Ginji on her own!"
"Haha~ You said it yourself," Tsunade laughed heartily. Let's see how long you can stay calm, Orochimaru.
"Sensei Orochimaru treasures Satsuki very much," Misaki said, covering her mouth as she laughed quietly. Only Sister Tsunade and Brother-in-law Kawakaze had the ability to unsettle Sensei Orochimaru like this.
"What's there to be envious of?" Tsunade teased. "At most, you and Nawaki will have a cute daughter in the future."
Tsunade gave Misaki a knowing wink. This sister-in-law wasn't going anywhere.
"Oh, Sister Tsunade!" Misaki exclaimed, her cheeks flushing immediately as she stamped her foot. "It's still too early for you to say that!"
The thought of having children with Nawaki was too embarrassing for her to even consider.
"It's not early. Misaki is already a big girl," Tsunade replied, her gaze deliberately falling to Misaki's chest.
Though not as large as her own, Misaki's figure was certainly nothing to scoff at.
"I'm leaving! I'm going to find Sensei Orochimaru," Misaki said, fleeing in panic.
Still shy and unable to compete with Tsunade's playful banter, Misaki had no choice but to retreat.
"Haha~" Tsunade laughed like a rogue as she watched Misaki rush off. If she had whistled, the image would have been complete.
After carefully placing the petri dish back, Tsunade prepared to leave. The lab was now primarily Orochimaru's domain, and she only visited occasionally.
"I'll go first," she called out. "Let me know when the live experiment is over."
"You're welcome to leave," Orochimaru replied, not bothering to come out.
"Bye," Tsunade said casually, unbothered by his indifference. Between her and Orochimaru, such politeness was unnecessary.
Leaving the hospital, Tsunade walked toward the Hokage's Office with a light, happy step. Upon arrival, she immediately instructed someone to pass down orders regarding the details of the live experiment.
"Isn't this a bit too cruel?" Shōta asked hesitantly. He knew what awaited these death row inmates—it was often more terrifying than death itself.
"I know this is inhumane," Tsunade admitted, letting out a long sigh. "But there's no other way. The ninja world is far from peaceful right now."
Her expression turned serious. Relying solely on Kawakaze would leave him overburdened, something she couldn't allow. Even if she had to shoulder some of the blame, she was determined to keep up with Kawakaze's pace.
There was selfishness in her decision, but it wasn't one she would ever regret.
"I hope this peace can last a little longer," Shōta said, shaking his head with a bitter smile. He felt powerless to change the current state of affairs.
"Don't worry. When the day of true peace comes," Tsunade replied with determination, "I will definitely prevent this kind of thing from happening."
"I believe you," Shōta said without hesitation. He knew Tsunade was not someone who said one thing and did another.
"Let's not dwell on this anymore," Tsunade said, shifting the subject. "We all have children, so how come you're still single?"
Her words immediately made Shōta blush. He looked seven parts aggrieved and three parts embarrassed.
"I'm so busy everyday, where would I find the time to look for a wife?" he protested. "Why don't you give me six months' leave? I'll find a woman and get married."
Shōta's suggestion was half-serious, half-wishful thinking. It wasn't as if he wanted to remain a bachelor.
"Six months? You might as well kill me," Tsunade retorted without hesitation. "I'll give you three days off to go on a blind date."
Tsunade's refusal was swift and absolute. If she gave Shōta six months off, how would she manage?
"You said it, three days it is," Shōta quickly agreed, knowing when to quit. Arguing further might result in her taking back the offer altogether.
"I…" Tsunade started, realizing she'd walked into his trap. But it was too late to backtrack. "Fine. Three days. I'll ask Kawakaze to help."
Though reluctant, Tsunade stuck to her word.
"Thank you, Lady Hokage. I will make the most of these three days," Shōta said, grinning from ear to ear.
"Get to work," Tsunade said, waving him off dismissively. The more you talk, the more likely you are to mess up, she thought, unwilling to let the conversation drag on any longer.
"Okay," Shōta replied, settling down to work seriously.
As for the matchmaking, it wasn't just talk. Word had it that his clan had arranged for him, the Hokage's favored assistant, to meet an exceptional young woman.
Whether it was true or not, Shouta wasn't sure, but now that he had time off, it was the perfect opportunity to find out.