Time Skip, One year later….
Kakashi stepped out onto his second‑floor balcony, gazing over the sprawling estate that he and Tsunade had built together over the last year.
The sun was bright, the air crisp, and everywhere he looked, the results of his work shone back at him.
Below, his pharmaceutical company, Shinrin Elixirs, stood tall, sleek, modern, and humming with activity. He watched as employees and delivery caravans bustled in and out, carrying vials of healing pills and life‑prolonging elixirs to clients across the Five Great Nations.
A proud smile broke across his face.
Sitting beside him with her legs curled up was Tsunade. She leaned against him, her amber eyes calm.
"It's been quite the year," she said softly.
Kakashi nodded. "More successful than I could have imagined. Shinrin Elixirs, healing pills, and age‑slowing medicines, are gorgeous hits. The nobles can't get enough."
"And the kajōki training?" Tsunade asked.
"Still progressing. The clones are loyal. Even some Kages tried to sabotage us, sand, cloud, but failed. My spores… they're everywhere." He brushed a hand over Tsunade's shoulder. "Everything's secure."
They sat in silence for a moment, watching the estate, the refurbished mansion, the labs below, the manicured grounds where village children played.
Anko came up onto the balcony with her arms folded.
"You're in a mood," she observed.
"I'm thinking about tomorrow," Kakashi answered.
"Always something," she sighed arching an eyebrow.
Kakashi turned serious. "We have another milestone coming up, opening a new branch in the Land of Rivers. I'll need your help with political introductions and the ceremony."
"Hand me the paperwork anytime."Anko grinned.
"You'll get it tonight."Kakashi chuckled.
As they returned inside, Tsunade caught his arm.
"Promise me you'll go easy in the labs today. You've been gone since dawn."
"I promise. Today I'm all yours."He smiled.
He separated from Anko and headed downstairs and out the back, using Thunder‑God to teleport directly into an underground lab.
Inside, white‑coated researchers bustled, each body marked with a subtle sealing tag on their wrist.
A tall, slender woman with black hair, Mio spotted him and practically ran forward.
"Kakashi‑sama!" she greeted, pulling him into a quick hug.
Mio was one of his best researchers, brilliant, loyal, and enthusiastic. Her embrace lingered, and Kakashi gently extricated himself.
"Easy there," he teased. "Early in the morning."
"I just love what you've built. Working here is a dream."She pouted, stepping back.
Kakashi smiled. "I'm glad you feel that way." He watched as she cleared her throat and returned to professional mode. "Let's get to the updates."
They walked to a glass‑walled office. Mori, Mio's assistant, and several technicians followed.
Mio sat at a sleek conference table. "Kakashi‑sama, sales are up 300 percent this year. Healing pills sell to every village's medics, and our 'Eternal Leaf' pills, slightly life‑prolonging, are top sellers among nobles."
She glanced at Mori. He activated a holo‑chart that showed a rising graph. "Here, you can see the export numbers to Sand, Cloud, Mist, and Stone, each about 80% of Fire country's own."
Tsunade had arranged deals with the Fire daimyo, so citizens and shinobi alike benefited.
"Excellent."Kakashi nodded.
Mio continued, "We developed stamina pills and chakra‑recovery vials; nearly every shinobi in Konoha uses them in missions. We saw average mission success rise 20%."
He glanced at her. "Because of the Hashirama cell and Katsuyu enzyme tech?"
She nodded. "Exactly. The clones you provided helped stabilize the formula. We learned quickly from failures."
Mio tapped a console, and a display showed petri dishes with early embryos.
"Take a look," she said. The dishes contained cloned embryo samples using the same genetic ingredients.
"These are perfect. This'll help with future cell regeneration meds."Kakashi studied them.
"Coming along shortly."Mio smiled.
He stood. "Keep this progress going. We'll need versions that deal with poison, toxins, and even partial bloodline damage treatments."
"I'll draft protocols."Mio nodded.
Kakashi left the lab and walked up tunnels lined with seal‑warded doors. He passed storage vaults containing bloodline samples, sealed jutsu scrolls, and experimental prototypes.
At the central core, he paused. The Genesis Seal pulsed on his right palm, reflecting red light from the crystal core built into the ceiling.
He closed his eyes. A small jolt of chakra awareness: everything stable. Good.
He stepped outside into a small green‑roofed manor built on top of the labs—a retreat for himself and Tsunade.
That evening, Kakashi found Tsunade early, preparing dinner.
"Home already?" she asked, waving a spoon.
"Yes," he said, stepping behind her and wrapping an arm around her waist.
"What's the news?"
He kissed her shoulder. "Great. Shinrin Elixirs just funded the River Branch expansion. Mio's team is working on cell‑regeneration protocols today."
"You've done amazing."She squeezed his arms.
"Konoha's living better. Nobles are talking about me, not her." He grinned.
"Don't start."Tsunade laughed.
They installed the glue‑on sigil of Takejiro's clan across the company letterheads, as a sign of political influence.
Later that night, Akimichi Choza stopped by with bento and sake under the pretense of helping with late paperwork.
He collapsed on the couch, sighed, and announced, "Nobu and Yasuo from Team 7 say they got chakra boosts thanks to your pills."
"Good or bad?"Kakashi arched an eyebrow. He knew
"Only good. They actually ran farther. Another round for us?"Choza laughed.
Kakashi nodded to Tsunade and poured glasses. "Sure. But promise me you'll take the stamina ones tomorrow."
In bed later, Tsunade rested her head on his chest.
"I'm proud of you," she whispered.
He kissed her hair. "We're doing it together."
They fell asleep, the muted hum of the labs below absorbing into calm silence.