As time passed, more people gathered outside the delivery room.
First, Duy returned alone, followed by Minato, who brought dinner. Soon after, Nawaki arrived with Kushina. The waiting area outside the delivery room was bustling and crowded.
Kawakaze and Sakumo finished eating the dinner Minato had brought and waited for a few more hours. Finally, the door to the delivery room opened.
"Both mother and child are safe. Congratulations, Sakumo," Tsunade announced. Her face was pale, and her forehead glistened with sweat, revealing that the process had been far from easy despite her smile.
"Congratulations, Big Brother," Kawakaze said as Sakumo excitedly grabbed his arm.
"I'm a father, haha!" Sakumo exclaimed.
One by one, everyone joined in congratulating him. The atmosphere outside the delivery room became lively and joyful, breaking the earlier tension.
Kawakaze pulled Tsunade aside, noticing her exhaustion, and gently wiped the sweat from her face.
"Was the process not smooth?" he asked.
"It was very dangerous," Tsunade admitted. "The baby was in the wrong position, and there was heavy bleeding after birth. If you hadn't asked me to prepare the blood bag in advance, I'm afraid your sister-in-law wouldn't have made it."
Tsunade's shaken expression made it clear how close the situation had been. The thought of Nayuki dying in front of her was unbearable.
"She's safe now, right?" Kawakaze pressed, his gaze intense as though he needed the confirmation to believe it.
"She's safe," Tsunade assured him.
"Phew..." Kawakaze exhaled deeply, relief washing over him. Now that Nayuki was safe, Kakashi wouldn't have to grow up without a mother.
"That's good. You've worked hard," Kawakaze said sincerely, shaking her hands.
"It's what I should do," Tsunade replied, though her exhaustion was evident. "I'm going to take a shower. I feel terrible."
Tsunade slipped away from Kawakaze's grasp and headed toward her office.
"You've worked hard. I'll wash you!" Kawakaze teased, a grin spreading across his face. "My family's been body-scrubbing for generations—if it's not good, it's free!"
"Pfft~ If it's not good, you can chop me up."
Kawakaze, emboldened by the good news, followed her toward the office, still grinning.
"Save your breath," Tsunade snapped, locking the office door behind her without hesitation.
Left outside, Kawakaze chuckled and muttered, "What a cheapskate." Shaking his head, he returned to the maternity ward.
By then, Nayuki had been wheeled out of the delivery room and was being taken to her ward. Duy had already left to tend to the baby, while Sakumo walked alongside the bed.
With one hand on the hospital bed and the other holding Nayuki's, Sakumo looked at her pale, sleeping face with deep concern.
"Let me hold the baby," Kawakaze said as he approached the nurse, gently taking Kakashi into his arms.
The baby had thick silver hair and a beauty mark near the corner of his left mouth—a small detail that stood out. It wasn't unattractive, but Kawakaze could understand why the boy would later hide it with a mask. The newborn, crumpled and fragile, didn't look particularly appealing at the moment, but Kawakaze couldn't admit that aloud. If Kakashi weren't his nephew, he wouldn't have volunteered to hold him.
Following the hospital bed into the ward, Kawakaze overheard the nurse's instructions.
"Lady Nayuki needs to rest now, so please keep your voices down."
"Understood," he replied softly.
Thanks to the robust constitutions of most ninja and Tsunade's swift treatment, Nayuki's condition was stable. The nurses soon removed the bed from the room, leaving the family alone.
"Sensei, may I have a look?" Minato asked in a hushed tone, leaning closer to Kawakaze.
Sakumo, preoccupied with Nayuki, had shown little interest in his newborn so far, giving Minato an opportunity to ask. Kawakaze nodded, reasoning that Minato's future role as Kakashi's teacher made the request appropriate.
Crouching, Kawakaze held Kakashi so Minato could see him better. Before long, Nawaki and Kushina crowded around, curious about the baby. Unlike the others, Kushina didn't hold back her opinion.
"Why is he so ugly? He looks like an underdeveloped monkey."
"How can you say that?" Kawakaze retorted sharply, though he privately agreed. Still, this was his nephew, and family loyalty trumped blunt honesty. With a playful glare, he ruffled Kushina's red hair, sending her stomping to the side in mock outrage.
Nayuki stirred, her voice faint but steady.
"Sakumo, where's our child?" she asked, her first instinct to check on Kakashi.
"Here he is," Kawakaze said, stepping forward. Blood is thicker than water—go ahead and hold your own child.
He carefully handed Kakashi to Sakumo, guiding him on how to hold the baby properly. Sakumo glanced at him. Having seen Guy before, he was prepared for what he thought might be an unpleasant sight. But to his relief, Kakashi's appearance surpassed his expectations.
With a soft smile, Sakumo murmured, "He's so cute," lifting the baby slightly to show Nayuki.
"You hold him," Nayuki said. She couldn't bring herself to look again after the first glance. If not for the silver hair and the facial features resembling her own, she might have suspected the child had been switched.
"Okay, okay."
Now, if Nayuki was saying that the moon in the sky was square, Kawakaze knew his brother would respond, "It's square, wife. You have a good eye."
"I'll head back first. If you need anything, call the nurse."
There was no reason for Kawakaze to stay any longer. After saying his goodbyes, he took the three little ones out of the ward. Using the Flying Thunder God Technique, he safely delivered them all home.
Kawakaze guessed Tsunade should have finished freshening up by now, so he returned to the hospital office and knocked on the door.
"Getting dressed," Tsunade's voice called out. She didn't even need to open the door to know who it was.
"Three."
"Two."
"Haha, I knew you'd come in," Tsunade teased.
Using the Flying Thunder God Technique, Kawakaze appeared on the office sofa, only to find Tsunade already fully dressed beside him.
"Didn't you say you were getting dressed?" Kawakaze asked, feigning indignation. "Shameless!"
"I hadn't even finished counting to 3," Tsunade replied, laughing as she watched Kawakaze. She had successfully tricked him.
"No way. You tricked me, so now you have to pay the price," Kawakaze said with a mischievous grin, pouncing toward her.
"Umm..."
After a while, the two separated, both breathing heavily. Tsunade slapped his hand off her chest, her face flushed with embarrassment.
"Alright, I'm heading back."
"Stay a little longer," Kawakaze pleaded, wrapping his arms around her.
"Stay? Over my dead body. Go."
Tsunade broke free from his grip, opened the door, and stepped out.
"I'll walk you," Kawakaze said, following her with a grin.
A week later, Nayuki had recovered, and Kakashi no longer looked so crumpled. Nayuki had grown increasingly fond of her baby's adorable little face and couldn't resist kissing it constantly. Sakumo, however, seemed a bit jealous.
Today was the day of Nayuki's discharge. Kawakaze brought the young boys over, and the ward had already been tidied up. After Tsunade went over some precautions, they started chatting.
"There's also a Jōnin's wife coming in later," Tsunade said. "Our hospital has the best facilities, so anyone who can afford it comes here." She couldn't help but feel a sense of pride. It was, after all, a mark of their prestige.
Who would dare call me, Tsunade, a spendthrift now?
"You just..." Kawakaze's words were interrupted by the sound of voices outside the door.
"Is this the ward?" a man's voice asked.
The man had red eyes, sunken cheeks, and slightly curly hair. His wife, heavily pregnant and radiant, was a rare beauty.