When Hoshiyomi brought the two little ones home, Tsunade was sitting in the courtyard drinking tea.
She sipped her fragrant tea quietly, Garuru lying lazily at her feet — the picture of a peaceful afternoon.
Seeing Hoshiyomi return with two children, Tsunade wasn't surprised.
She set down her cup and walked over to hug him.
But Hoshiyomi suddenly tensed, placing a hand on her belly nervously:
"Careful — the baby."
As he spoke, he gently felt the small life moving within.
Tsunade was now over five months pregnant, and with Hoshiyomi's exceptional sensory abilities, he could easily detect their child's heartbeat.
Feeling that tiny rhythm, Hoshiyomi couldn't help but smile — a sight that made Haku and Kimimaro quietly envious.
It had been a long time since either of them had felt something like family.
Tsunade noticed their expressions and lightly tapped Hoshiyomi on the forehead.
"You… shouldn't you introduce the kids first?"
She waved the two children over.
"Come on, introduce yourselves."
Seeing the loving interaction between Hoshiyomi and Tsunade, the two naturally understood they were husband and wife.
To them, someone as kind as Lord Hoshiyomi would definitely have a kind wife — so they weren't scared, just nervous.
"My name is Kimimaro."
"I'm Haku. Please take care of me."
Tsunade walked around Kimimaro once, then looked at Haku closely before kneeling and gently patting their cheeks.
"Don't be so formal. From now on, treat this place as your home."
Hoshiyomi kept one hand on Tsunade's belly as he said:
"This is my wife, Tsunade. Think of her as your elder from now on.
Alright, don't just stand there — find a seat.
Oh, right — Garuru, come here and meet Haku and Kimimaro.
When we head back later, bring pieces of their clothing. They'll be signing contracts with White Wolf Ridge from now on."
Hearing this, Garuru — who had been excited ever since Hoshiyomi returned — wagged his tail and trotted over.
He nodded at Hoshiyomi, then circled the two children before speaking:
"I am Garuru, Lord Hoshiyomi's summoned beast.
If you run into any trouble in the future, just tell me."
Haku and Kimimaro were startled at first, seeing such a huge ninja wolf approach.
But the moment Garuru spoke human language, fear instantly turned into wide-eyed curiosity.
Kimimaro looked especially excited.
Lord Hoshiyomi was right — only by escaping that dungeon can I experience the vastness of this world and find my purpose.
But…
Looking at Hoshiyomi, Tsunade, Garuru, and Haku beside him, the corner of Kimimaro's mouth lifted almost imperceptibly.
It seems I've already found my first purpose.
He had never felt this happy before.
He would protect everything he was seeing now — no matter what.
...
Time passed quickly.
It had already been three or four months since Haku and Kimimaro moved into Konoha.
During this period, Hoshiyomi spent most of his days accompanying Tsunade, and in his spare time he trained the two children.
They gradually adapted to life in Konoha, and their attitudes changed dramatically.
Haku remained as gentle as ever — becoming more and more like a little angel.
Kimimaro still didn't talk much, but he was clearly far more open than when he first arrived.
One thing was certain — he definitely wouldn't grow up into the deranged version of himself from the original story.
Hoshiyomi planned to send the two kids to the Konoha Ninja Academy for formal training once his own child was born, and afterward have Orochimaru teach them.
Either way, Orochimaru was teaching already—teaching two instead of one made no difference.
This way they could train together with Shin, build bonds, and grow alongside each other.
As Tsunade's due date approached, the entire Gekko household became tense.
Half a month before the expected delivery, Tsunade moved into the special-care ward on the top floor of Konoha Hospital, receiving round-the-clock care from Rie, Moka, and Hoshiyomi.
Although Tsunade herself was a master of medical ninjutsu and the baby, strengthened by tonics and medicines, was even healthier than most fetuses, she couldn't help feeling nervous.
After all, this was her first time — the pressure was normal.
As the due date crept closer, people from all over Konoha came to visit one after another.
Minato and Kushina, Jiraiya and Nonō, Sakumo and Mayu, Kakashi, Hoshiyomi's friends and students — all of them brought their own kids and shared their experiences with childbirth and parenting.
After everyone had taken their turn comforting her, the day finally arrived.
...
Outside the delivery room, Hoshiyomi paced restlessly, listening anxiously to the muffled sounds of Tsunade's pain.
He almost couldn't stop himself from barging in to see what was happening.
Seeing this, Haku and Kimimaro couldn't help but find it a little amusing — the fearless Lord Hoshiyomi was actually this nervous.
Around him, Konoha's "Dad Squad," including Jiraiya and Sakumo, tried to joke or comfort him to relieve the tension.
But honestly, Hoshiyomi couldn't hear a word they were saying—his mind was entirely focused on Tsunade's cries from inside.
Because of that agonizing wait, time felt unbearably slow.
Just when Hoshiyomi's patience was about to break, two loud newborn cries echoed from the delivery room.
Hearing those cries, everyone present broke into smiles and congratulated him.
A moment later, Rie pushed open the door, beaming:
"After all these years of waiting, I suddenly get promoted to grandmother of two. The wait was worth it."
Moka also smiled as she added:
"A boy and a girl, a pair of twins. You'll have your hands full from now on."
Hoshiyomi rushed in immediately. He saw a weakened Tsunade lying on the hospital bed, her golden hair damp with sweat and strands clinging to her forehead. But Tsunade didn't care about that; she struggled to prop herself up to look at her two children.
Hoshiyomi went over and held Tsunade's hand, tenderly smoothing her wet bangs:
"You've worked so hard."
Tsunade took the baby Moka handed her and smiled:
"Just look at them. Any hardship was worth it."
Then she lifted her head to look at Hoshiyomi.
"Have you thought of names yet? We need good ones for both of them."
Hoshiyomi stared at the two tiny faces, eyes still tightly shut, and thought long and hard — but still couldn't decide.
At that moment, Minato slipped in from who knows where and said:
"Sensei, I came up with great names!
For the boy: Gekko Muteki (Invincible).
For the girl: Gekko Zettai (Peerless).
What do you think?"
Three identical black lines appeared on everyone's foreheads.
"Rejected!!"
...
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