Orochimaru and the Third Hokage exchanged letters, yet he remained hesitant to apply pressure on the Daimyō. After repeated persuasion from Orochimaru, the Third Hokage finally relented, sending someone to confront the Daimyō's office once more. As the most formidable force in the Land of Fire, he should have taken this step long ago.
At this time, Sakumo and Duy had returned to Konoha. Their wives were due to give birth any day, and they had also brought the young children back home.
Konoha's First Public Hospital.
In a private room, Nayuki lay on her side in a hospital gown, her belly large with child. In her hand was an apple that Sakumo had just sliced for her. She carefully broke off a piece along the cut, a small smile forming at the precision of his knife skills.
Onimaru, the family pet, lounged lazily in the corner, occasionally casting a glance toward Nayuki.
"Tsunade, when is Nayuki going to give birth?" Sakumo asked, setting the fruit knife back onto the plate. His face betrayed his worry as he watched his wife. Several days had passed since her admission to the hospital, and they were already overdue.
"Don't worry, Big Brother. With Tsunade here, everything will be fine," Kawakaze reassured him. Kawakaze had already asked Tsunade to prepare ample blood supplies, and Tsunade herself was overseeing the delivery. There was no room for error.
"Sakumo, it's normal for delivery to go past the due date," Tsunade added with a calming smile. "Why don't you take Sister Nayuki for a walk?"
"That's a good idea," Sakumo agreed immediately. He turned to Nayuki with a warm grin and stepped forward to help her. "My dear wife, let's take a stroll."
Nayuki chuckled, taking his hand as she sat up to put on her shoes. "You're so nervous—where's your fatherly composure?"
"Haha, you say that now, but you haven't given birth yet," Sakumo joked, leading her out of the room for a walk.
As they left, Kawakaze smirked at Tsunade. "When Duy comes out holding his newborn son, Big Brother Sakumo is going to panic all over again."
"You just like to stir trouble. Sit down—I have work to do," Tsunade shot back, rising to leave for the research lab. She had been struggling for weeks to stabilize her grandfather's cells and had made little progress. The frustration had her questioning her own skills.
"I'll come with you," Kawakaze offered, only to be cut off immediately.
"No, you're not. You've already been barred from the research lab for over a month. Know your place," Tsunade said without looking back, shutting down his attempt.
Left with no choice, Kawakaze sat back down, sulking. The prolonged ban from the lab was proving insufferably dull.
Just by listening to the voices outside the ward, Sakumo knew that Duy had been bragging again.
"Sakumo Big Brother, your wife still hasn't given birth, huh? Look at how cute my son is," Duy said, stepping out of the adjacent room with baby Guy in his arms.
Sakumo inwardly regretted arranging for their hospital rooms to be connected. "So cute, just like you," Sakumo replied, trying to sound polite, though he couldn't stop staring at the baby's unusually bushy eyebrows.
"I'll take Nayuki for a walk in the courtyard," he added quickly, using it as an excuse to leave. He gently patted Nayuki's stomach as they walked, as if to coax the baby out.
"My baby, why haven't you come out yet?" his gestures seemed to say.
Nayuki chuckled at her husband's antics. "Don't worry. The baby's not worried, even in here," she teased.
"It's Duy fault walking around with that baby in front of me all day," Sakumo grumbled with a sheepish smile.
"You're both like children," Nayuki sighed helplessly as they continued their walk.
After a while, Nayuki suddenly stopped, clutching her belly. A sharp pain struck, and she felt liquid running down her legs.
"Go back! Go back! I'm going to give birth," she said urgently, her voice laced with pain.
"Okay, okay!" Sakumo reacted immediately, scooping her into his arms and rushing toward the delivery room that had been prepared in advance.
"Kawakaze, call Tsunade!" he shouted at the top of his lungs as he sprinted through the hospital.
Kawakaze, hearing the commotion, used the Flying Thunder God Technique to teleport straight to the research lab. "Tsunade! My sister-in-law is about to give birth—hurry!" he exclaimed, grabbing her and reappearing in front of the delivery room.
"You wait outside—I'll handle everything," Tsunade said calmly, leading Nayuki into the delivery room with the assistance of the nurses.
Now came the anxious wait.
Sakumo paced relentlessly outside the delivery room, unable to calm down.
"Big Brother, stop spinning around—you're making me dizzy," Kawakaze complained from the nearby rest area, trying to lighten the mood.
"What else would I do if not this?" Sakumo retorted, ignoring him and continuing to pace.
"Have you thought of names yet?" Kawakaze asked, hoping to distract him.
"For a boy, I'll name him Kakashi. For a girl, Yumiko. What do you think?" Sakumo replied, finally sitting down next to Kawakaze.
These were the names Sakumo had deliberated over for quite some time.
"Let's call the boy Gogokai ('Fifty-Fifty Split' or 'Even Match')," Kawakaze joked with his usual mischievous grin.
"What's so funny about Gogokai? It sounds ominous," Sakumo retorted, his tone sharp. "The children of the Hatake Clan only know victory, never draws." He dismissed Kawakaze's suggestion without a second thought.
At that moment, Onimaru, who had been lying near the delivery room door, suddenly stood up as if remembering something important. Without warning, the dog bolted off down the hall.
"Onimaru, where are you going?" Sakumo shouted as the dark shadow sped past.
"Damn dog, who knows what it's up to," he muttered.
"Forget it. Leave it alone. It's not like it's causing harm," Kawakaze replied, unbothered.
Just then, Duy appeared with Guy cradled in his arms, though neither brother noticed when he had arrived.
"Your wife is about to give birth," Duy announced matter-of-factly.
"Let me hold him," Kawakaze said, reaching out to take baby Guy from Duy's arms.
With his bushy eyebrows and thick black hair, Guy was undeniably unique. Kawakaze gave his round little cheeks a light pinch, which woke Guy from his sleep.
The baby blinked his big, dark eyes at Kawakaze, but didn't cry.
"So cute," Kawakaze murmured, admiring the baby before reluctantly handing him back to Duy. He would later remember that he was the first outside the family to hold Might Guy, and that would give him a lasting sense of pride.
In the future, Might Guy would have to address him as "Uncle" whenever they crossed paths.
Duy, however, couldn't help but notice Guy was now wide awake. "He was asleep just now. Did you pinch him awake?" Duy grumbled under his breath, but there was no point in arguing. He busied himself trying to soothe Guy back to sleep.
"Be a good boy and sleep now~" Duy began singing softly, only to be cut off by Sakumo and Kawakaze in unison.
"Go away." The baby's constant singing was driving them insane.
Feeling a bit dejected, Duy muttered, "Fine, whatever," and left with Guy in his arms.
The two brothers fell silent. This was a particularly trying time. Kawakaze couldn't help but wonder what state he would be in when Tsunade went into labor.
The delivery room's soundproofing was excellent, and they couldn't hear anything from their spot near the doorway. After a long wait, the sound of Onimaru running reached their ears.
"Woof woof~"
Kawakaze saw Onimaru approaching, a small white puppy in its mouth. Upon closer inspection, it resembled a snow dog. Onimaru trotted up to Kawakaze and gently placed the puppy in his arms.
"Woof woof~"
The dog barked a couple of times at Kawakaze.
"What did it say?" Kawakaze asked, cradling the puppy and stroking it gently. He looked at Sakumo, confused.
"It says the mission is complete," Sakumo replied. Being his wife's dog, Onimaru's barks made some sense to him.
Kawakaze suddenly remembered what he had asked of Onimaru months ago. The dog had an impressive memory.
"Good boy, that's great," Kawakaze said, scratching Onimaru's chin in approval.
"Woof woof woof woof…"
"What did it say?"
"How should I know?" Sakumo admitted, shrugging.
Kawakaze carefully studied Onimaru's expression. The dog's gaze flicked between him and the puppy, its meaning clear: "You've taken my puppy, so you can't bully me anymore."