In the courtyard of the Hatake residence, Sakumo, who had been up for a while and finished his morning training, was sitting cross-legged on a piece of bluestone on the left side of the courtyard, meditating.
"Cough, cough!"
Hearing the cough from behind the house, Sakumo opened his eyes.
Turning his head to look at the house behind him, Sakumo's eyes showed concern, and he stopped meditating.
The person coughing in the house was Sakumo's wife, an ordinary person whose health had never been too good, especially now during her pregnancy, which added a significant burden to her already weak body.
Considering his wife's health, Sakumo had considered not having this child, but his wife had vehemently refused.
As a wife and mother, Sakumo's wife was determined to give birth to a child for her husband, even if it meant risking her own life!
"Tap, tap, tap!"
Walking to the front of the house, Sakumo hadn't even pushed open the wooden door when he heard a knock at the front gate.
"Sakumo, I'm fine, go and open the door!" Hearing the movement, the voice of Sakumo's wife came from inside the house, sounding a bit weak.
"Take care of yourself." Sakumo reminded her with concern, then turned and walked towards the front gate.
Arriving at the gate, he lifted the latch and opened it.
"Oh, up and about, Big Bro Sakumo!"
Outside the gate, Kizaru, hands in pockets, greeted with a smile.
With her hair tied in a single ponytail, Yuki stood next to Kizaru, her hands somewhat awkwardly placed in front of her, curiously looking at Sakumo.
Is this the teacher that Kizaru introduced me to?
"Good morning, Kizaru!" Smiling, Sakumo responded before shifting his gaze to Yuki.
Looking at Yuki, then back to Kizaru, Sakumo asked, "Kizaru, what's up?"
Pushing Yuki, who seemed a bit nervous, forward a step, Kizaru introduced, "This is my sister, Shimura Yuki! She's really fond of swordsmanship, so I was hoping you could teach her."
Hearing Kizaru's request, Sakumo looked at Yuki again, this time with a more deliberate and observant gaze.
Several joint missions and previous sparring sessions had resulted in a good relationship between Sakumo and Kizaru.
Add to that Kizaru's well-known status as the heir to the Hokage.
Whether considering the future of the clan or personal emotions, Sakumo was inclined to agree to Kizaru's request.
"The Hokage indeed suggested that I become a supervising Jonin. Isn't this child still in school this year?" Looking at Yuki, Sakumo asked.
"That's great. Yuki is applying for early graduation, which works out perfectly." Placing his hand on Yuki's head, Kizaru said.
"Early graduation? Another prodigy!"
Sighing inwardly, Sakumo couldn't help but think of his own unborn child.
I wonder if that child will inherit my swordsmanship. It's really something to look forward to!
"You're quite talented!" Putting aside his thoughts of the future, Sakumo smiled warmly and praised Yuki.
"I'll do my best to pass the assessment and become your disciple, senpai!" Faced with praise, Yuki was not embarrassed but confidently lifted her head and addressed Sakumo.
"Hahaha! I like confident kids. Good luck with the assessment!" Sakumo admired this confident junior.
"That's settled then, Sakumo, my man." Hearing Sakumo encourage Yuki, Kizaru knew things were settled.
Nodding, Sakumo looked at Kizaru and invited, "If you're free, let's have breakfast together!"
"Then I'll intrude."
Saying he'd intrude, Kizaru showed no signs of being polite and simply took Yuki's hand, walking into the Senju residence.
Closing the gate, watching Kizaru, who had already walked to the middle of the courtyard, looking around familiarly, Sakumo shook his head with a smile.
"You're really not polite!" Walking up to Kizaru, Sakumo teased with a smile.
"Hehehe! Do we need to be polite, Big Brother Sakumo?" Turning to look at Sakumo, Kizaru smirked.
"Follow me!" Walking up beside Kizaru, Sakumo invited.
Just as Sakumo was about to take Kizaru and Yuki to the dining room, Sakumo's wife, resting in the room in the middle of the courtyard, pushed open the wooden door.
"Sakumo, do we have visitors?" Speaking softly, Sakumo's wife, who had been pregnant for some time, her stomach slightly swollen, looked at the conspicuous Kizaru.
When Sakumo's wife looked at Kizaru, Kizaru also looked at her.
Looking at Sakumo's wife, who was already showing signs of pregnancy, and then thinking about his own newly accepted disciple, whose wife was also pregnant, Sakumo couldn't help but think.
Kakashi, Guy, and more and more people familiar to Kizaru were about to be born into this world.
It's really something to look forward to!
As for his future life as the head of the ninja school, Kizaru was increasingly looking forward to it.
"Good morning, Mrs. Hatake!" Faced with his friend's wife, Kizaru was still very polite, smiling and greeting.
"You must be Kizaru! Sakumo often talks about you, saying you're quite a formidable ninja." With a gentle smile, Sakumo's wife praised Kizaru.
"Reiko, it's windy outside. You should go back inside and rest!" Concerned for his wife, Sakumo appeared in front of her in a flash, reaching out to support her.
"It's stuffy in the house. I came out for some fresh air... cough, cough!" Before she could finish her sentence, Sakumo's wife started coughing.
"Quick, let's get inside!" Seeing his wife's face turn pale from coughing, Sakumo hurriedly said.
Speaking, Sakumo supported his wife and walked into the room.
Rubbing his chin with his right hand and watching the two enter the room, Kizaru understood why Kakashi had lost his mother at a very young age.
Sakumo's wife's health is really poor!
"That lady..." Yuki also noticed, her kind heart showing a trace of concern.
Nodding, Kizaru put his right hand on Yuki's shoulder and whispered, "Don't worry!"
"Okay..." Yuki replied softly, still looking towards the direction of the room.
After settling his wife and masking his worries with a smile, Sakumo walked out of the room and gently closed the door.
"Sorry to keep you waiting. Shall we go have breakfast first?" Walking towards Kizaru, Sakumo smiled.
Nodding, Kizaru didn't speak, but took Yuki with him and followed Sakumo to the dining room.
Sitting at the table, waiting for the Senju family members to bring breakfast, Kizaru looked at Sakumo, who was sitting alone.
"Sakumo, have you had Tsunade check on your wife?"
"Yes, they've all checked. Reiko is just an ordinary person with a naturally weak body, so we can only take it slow." Speaking of his wife, Sakumo's expression also became worried.
If even Tsunade can't help...
A name suddenly popped into Kizaru's mind.
"Sakumo, should we try asking Orochimaru?" Looking at Sakumo, Kizaru proposed a solution that wasn't really a solution.
"Orochimaru?" Sakumo was somewhat surprised by Kizaru's suggestion.
Sakumo didn't have much contact with Orochimaru, but he knew that he was a disciple of the Third Hokage, like Kizaru, and was quite formidable.
"The village is preparing to establish a Konoha Research Institute, did you know?"
"I'm aware."
This proposal had caused quite a stir when it was brought up at the high-level meeting, Sakumo remembered.
"Orochimaru will be in charge of the future institute. He has deep research in biological science and forbidden jutsu."
"If medical ninjutsu can't solve your wife's problem, perhaps we can try solving it through biological science or forbidden jutsu."
Kizaru still felt a bit hopeful about Orochimaru, who liked to research forbidden jutsu and had mastered core technologies.
"Biological science, forbidden jutsu!" As a more traditional ninja, Sakumo wasn't very familiar with these things.
But at the thought of his wife's current condition, Sakumo was unwilling to let go of any hope.
"I understand!" Nodding earnestly, Sakumo planned to finish breakfast and then visit Orochimaru.
"After breakfast, I'll accompany you!" Worried that Sakumo might be turned away by Orochimaru, who was obsessed with his research, Kizaru continued.
"Thank you, Kizaru!" Grateful, Sakumo sincerely thanked Kizaru.
"No need to be polite, we're good friends after all!"
Meeting Kizaru as a friend was truly fortunate!
Although he didn't know if Orochimaru could solve his wife's problem, Sakumo was very grateful for Kizaru's proactive suggestion and help!
After enjoying a hearty breakfast, Sakumo followed Kizaru out of the house.
After letting Yuki roam freely, Kizaru took Sakumo to the experimental base where Orochimaru usually stayed.
While the institute was still under construction, Orochimaru, who was deeply immersed in his research, stayed at the experimental base to continue his research with shadow clones supervising the progress of the project.
Because of the institute and the sage jutsu, Kizaru, who had visited Orochimaru several times, led Sakumo to the experimental base with ease.
Sensing someone entering the base, Orochimaru, who was researching the wood clones left by Madara, stopped his work.
Leaving the laboratory and walking through the dim passage, Orochimaru saw Kizaru and Sakumo in the lobby outside the base.
After looking at Sakumo, who was visiting for the first time, Orochimaru turned to Kizaru.
With a faint smile on his face, Orochimaru approached while speaking, "Kizaru, what's the matter?"
"Orochimaru-senpai, Sakumo here has something he wants to ask for your help with." Without beating around the bush, Kizaru directly stated the purpose.
Nodding, Orochimaru looked at Sakumo beside Kizaru.
Stepping forward, Sakumo explained the purpose of his visit to Orochimaru.
After listening to Sakumo's request for help, Orochimaru nodded calmly.
Kizaru's face, Sakumo's status as a strong individual, Orochimaru didn't refuse but fell into thought.
With an inherently weak body, weak life force, and being an ordinary person who couldn't refine chakra, it was indeed a challenging situation.
"Sakumo, do you just want your wife to live longer, or do you want to heal her body?" Thinking of some unconventional methods, Orochimaru asked aloud.
Uncertain how to answer Orochimaru's question, Sakumo turned to Kizaru for help.