Hoshiyomi stared at Minato, black lines filling his forehead, once again sighing in his heart at Minato's… naming "talent."
There was absolutely no way he would let his children have names like that.
Fortunately, during Tsunade's pregnancy, he had already thought about many possibilities.
After pondering for a long moment, he finally made up his mind and turned to Tsunade:
"What do you think of naming our son Gekko Ryūshin and our daughter Gekko Rinne?"
Tsunade tilted her head and murmured:
"Ryūshin and Rinne… They sound pretty nice, actually."
She lowered her head, looking at the two infants with all the tenderness in the world.
"Ryūshin, Rinne… do you like your names?"
As if truly understanding her words, the two babies who had been wailing moments ago actually quieted down for a brief instant.
Seeing this, everyone present couldn't help smiling.
Tsunade nodded contentedly:
"Then that's settled."
She gazed lovingly at the babies in her arms:
"Ryūshin was born first, so he's the older brother.
You must take good care of your little sister, okay?"
...
The people of Konoha weren't aware of the twins' birth, but for the village's high-ranking members, it was a major event.
Many clan heads immediately sent visiting cards, wishing to congratulate Hoshiyomi and Tsunade in person.
Naturally, Hoshiyomi refused them all, saying he would host everyone at the twins' hundred-day celebration instead.
Being a new father was far from easy.
Before the children were born, Hoshiyomi thought, They're just babies. How hard can it be?
But after the twins arrived, he realized what terrifying creatures infants truly were.
Because Moka and Rie were already quite old, Hoshiyomi and Tsunade had no intention of making them babysit.
The couple took care of the twins entirely on their own.
And that's when Hoshiyomi was truly humbled.
The moment their parents stepped away, they would cry at the top of their lungs.
Feeding time, diaper changes—every single day turned the entire Gekko household upside down.
Sometimes Hoshiyomi honestly felt he would rather fight the Kimimaro from that other world all day long than babysit these two little monsters for even another hour.
But whenever he saw them sleeping peacefully, all the exhaustion melted away instantly.
Kimimaro didn't dare get too close to the babies—he was afraid of accidentally hurting them with his strength.
Haku, however, was a tremendous help.
Despite his age, Haku's gentle, angelic nature made him surprisingly skilled at caring for others.
Whenever Hoshiyomi and Tsunade were completely worn out, it was thanks to Haku caring for the babies that the couple got even a little bit of rest.
Over time, Haku became the person the twins trusted most after their parents.
As long as Haku was around, they behaved unusually well.
Days passed quickly, and soon the day of the twins' hundred-day celebration arrived.
Babies grow astonishingly fast.
When they were born, they were just tiny wrinkled bundles who could barely open their eyes.
But in only three months, they changed dramatically—
their hair, though still soft, had taken shape,
and their tiny, sculpted faces paired with big round black eyes made them unbelievably adorable.
On the day of the celebration, the entire Gekko household was bustling.
Konoha's friends, clan heads, and their children all came together, turning the normally quiet Gekko home into a lively gathering.
Hoshiyomi, as the man of the house, naturally had to stay in the courtyard, greeting and sending off guests.
Tsunade, meanwhile, held the twins in her arms as she received close friends and family inside.
Once the various clan heads were finally dealt with, the hundred-day celebration truly began.
When Hoshiyomi returned to the inner residence with Kimimaro and Haku, he saw Sakumo, Minato, and the others gathered around Ryūshin and Rinne, chatting while their own children hovered nearby.
Though only three months old, the twins were far more well-behaved than most babies.
Even surrounded by so many adults, they didn't cry or fuss—just lay quietly in their cradle, wide eyes taking in every unfamiliar face.
When Hoshiyomi walked in, he immediately saw Naruto sitting on Kushina's lap, desperately making silly faces at baby Rinne.
Perhaps influenced by Naruto's naturally sunny personality, little Rinne didn't cry.
Instead, she grinned brightly, making Naruto cheer in delight:
"Mom! Look! Rinne-chan is smiling at me!"
Kushina, seeing Rinne's smile, was overjoyed as well. She gently stroked Rinne's cheek and told Naruto:
"Ryūshin and Rinne are both your little siblings, Naruto.
You have to protect them from now on, okay?"
Naruto instantly puffed up with pride, thumping his chest:
"Leave it to me! I'm gonna be Hokage, just like Dad!"
His loud proclamation made everyone laugh.
But just then, a small voice suddenly cut in:
"You can't be Hokage. My brother should be Hokage."
The speaker was none other than Sasuke—the smallest among the Uchiha kids who had come with Kuugetsu.
In Sasuke's heart, his big brother Itachi was the strongest, and the Hokage was the strongest person.
Therefore, Itachi should be Hokage—obviously.
So when he heard Naruto boasting, he muttered the words without hesitation.
Naruto froze, annoyed, turning his head to see who dared dump cold water on his dream.
He found a black-haired boy around his age clinging to the hand of someone who looked like his older brother—making faces right back at him.
That older boy—Itachi—was smiling apologetically in Naruto's direction.
Naruto, who inherited his mother's complete lack of shame, leapt off Kushina's lap, stomped across the floor, and confronted Sasuke:
"I'm the one who's gonna be Hokage!"
With Itachi beside him, Sasuke was full of confidence and shouted right back:
"My brother will!"
"I will!"
"My brother will!"
The two little brats leaned closer and closer until their foreheads were literally pressed together.
Everyone watching burst into warm laughter.
Hoshiyomi couldn't help laughing as well.
Even though their lives had changed dramatically because of him, the destined love-hate magnetism between Asura and Indra was already in motion.
Still smiling, Hoshiyomi instinctively turned to look at his own children—and suddenly froze.
Rinne was fine, still calmly observing everyone.
But his son Ryūshin…
It was as if the boy understood something.
He had tilted his head ever so slightly, as though listening to Naruto and Sasuke's argument—yet the expression in those big dark eyes seemed to say…
"…Boring."