As the days passed, Tsunade's belly gradually grew rounder.
The entire Gekko family treated this unborn child with extreme importance.
Tsunade had stopped all routine training, and even reduced how often she went outside. She devoted herself entirely to resting at home for the pregnancy.
Worried she might get bored being stuck at home, Hoshiyomi spent most of his time accompanying her. Behind the scenes, he even asked Orochimaru to design a large, gachapon-style machine and brought it back home.
Whenever Hoshiyomi wasn't around, or whenever Tsunade felt bored, she could go play with the gachapon machine.
Tsunade was instantly hooked. This gambling-like game was completely tailored to her tastes.
And due to her terrible luck, she often spent the whole day cranking the machine and still couldn't pull the hidden grand prize Hoshiyomi had put in.
The boredom problem during her pregnancy was solved perfectly.
One day, after spending the entire afternoon clinging to Tsunade at home, Hoshiyomi went out in the evening to buy ingredients for dinner—and unexpectedly ran into Jiraiya and his wife, Nonō, whom he hadn't seen for a long time.
Seeing how travel-worn the two looked, Hoshiyomi pulled them aside, briefly told them about Tsunade's pregnancy, and was about to drag them home for a meal.
But Jiraiya didn't immediately go with him. Instead, he explained:
"Hoshiyomi, you go on ahead. Nonō and I need to stop by the Hokage's office first. After we report what we encountered in Kirigakure to Minato, we'll head over to visit you and Tsunade."
Hearing that, Hoshiyomi raised a brow:
"Kirigakure? You ran into trouble there?"
"It wasn't exactly trouble. With me around, who'd be stupid enough to cause trouble?
It's just that while we were traveling around Kiri, we noticed tensions rising once again.
The militant faction and the conservative faction have been clashing recently. Many kekkei genkai clans have been dragged into drawn-out battles, and some are on the brink of extinction.
Nonō can't stand things like that, so we planned to report it to Minato—maybe send someone to restrain their internal conflict. After all, Kirigakure is our ally now.
It took a lot of effort for the shinobi world to stabilize. If Kiri's internal fighting causes instability again, that would be bad."
Hearing this, a certain figure instantly surfaced in Hoshiyomi's mind.
The boy he had practically lived with day and night over those three years—
One of the only two people who had transmigrated like himself—
Kaguya Kimimaro.
Even though the Kimimaro of this world and the one from the original world weren't truly the same person, they still shared the same body.
Hoshiyomi absolutely could not stand the idea of watching this world's Kimimaro wilt away before blooming, just like in the original story.
He had to save him—if only to keep a memory.
So that when he grew old someday, seeing that face would remind him that in another world, there was another transmigrator just like him.
With that thought, Hoshiyomi made up his mind.
He had already bought the groceries, so he directly said to Jiraiya:
"Let's go. I'll go with you to see Minato. This matter interests me. I'd like to take a trip to Kirigakure myself."
Hearing that, Jiraiya naturally had no objections, and the three headed straight to the Hokage's office.
Inside, after listening to Jiraiya's report, Minato nodded:
"Jiraiya-senpai, you're right. Kirigakure's situation really is deteriorating. Under normal circumstances, as allies, we should definitely intervene.
And that's not even counting the mysterious organization that Sensei mentioned before—
The one lurking behind the scenes, plotting something."
"It's better to avoid trouble whenever possible. If we leave them alone, and that mysterious organization uses the current internal conflict in Kirigakure as an opportunity to expand their power, things could get dangerous."
At this point, Minato hesitated for a moment and glanced at Hoshiyomi:
"Sensei, are you sure you want to go to Kirigakure at a time like this? Your wife is still in her pregnancy period… And didn't you say before that you planned to hide your existence?"
Thinking of Tsunade, Hoshiyomi also felt this wasn't ideal.
But he really wanted to bring Kimimaro back. And besides him, there was also that foolish kid, Haku.
If the Yuki clan was going to be wiped out like in the original timeline, that child would most likely be taken by Zabuza or someone similar to be used as a tool. Instead of letting him become a future enemy, it would be better to take him back and raise him properly.
After hesitating for a while, Hoshiyomi finally spoke:
"I'll make it quick. Go early, come back early.
As for exposing myself… that's not much of a problem. This time, I'm not going alone. I'll only observe in secret, and unless absolutely necessary, I won't make a move.
If I do end up having to act, then I'll just kill everyone who discovers me. That way, I won't be exposed.
For me, that's hardly a challenge.
And even if I'm super unlucky and really do somehow get exposed, and I run into that guy again, it's fine. He's already shown all his trump cards last time. I'm not going to fall for the same trick twice."
Jiraiya and Minato both felt three bold black lines appear on their foreheads.
"Just kill everyone who discovers me. That way, I won't be exposed."…
Was that something a human being should say?
As absurd as it sounded, both Minato and Jiraiya knew Hoshiyomi genuinely had the power to do exactly that.
Since his teacher insisted, Minato couldn't continue trying to dissuade him. After thinking for a moment, Minato said:
"If Sensei insists on going, then we'll do it your way. I'll organize an elite squad for this mission—we'll aim to finish everything within seven days, so your wife won't worry too much at home.
Also, I'll send the Flying Thunder God squad I've been training the last two years. They can shorten travel time, and if danger does arise, they can bring you all back immediately."
...
That evening, after having dinner with Jiraiya and Nonō, Hoshiyomi briefly told Tsunade about his intention to go to Kirigakure.
At first, Tsunade was clearly unhappy. Hoshiyomi had promised before that after returning from Rōran, he would stay properly in Konoha and go nowhere.
Helpless, Hoshiyomi told her about Kimimaro. Tsunade remembered the name from the "modified" version of his three-year experience in the other shinobi world; she knew that Kimimaro had once helped Hoshiyomi there.
Tsunade wasn't an unreasonable woman. Hearing that her husband's benefactor's child-form might be in danger at Kirigakure, she reluctantly agreed to let Hoshiyomi go.
But she still warned him fiercely: seven days means seven days. If he wasn't back by then, she would go to Kirigakure herself to find him.
There was no way Hoshiyomi would allow his pregnant wife to travel all the way to Kirigakure, so he immediately swore he would definitely return within seven days.