"How is it? When will the babies be born?"
"What are you so worked up about? Minato isn't nearly as nervous as you are. And if you insist on panicking, at least sit down and stop pacing—you're making everyone dizzy."
Kyoichi had no energy left to complain.
"How can I not be nervous? It's suddenly time! Weren't we told there were still two days left?!"
Jiraiya was pacing circles into the floor, looking far more agitated than the actual father-to-be.
Anyone watching from afar would think Jiraiya was the one about to become a parent. Look at Minato…
Kyoichi glanced at him and paused.
Minato was definitely nervous too—just better at pretending. His palms were soaked with sweat. Kushina had already been taken into the delivery room. The twist was that, almost at the exact same moment, Uchiha Mikoto went into labor as well and was taken into the second operating room.
The real issue:
There was only one Tsunade. Even with her shadow clone, she didn't handle childbirth often. In the end, they'd invited Sarutobi Biwako of the older generation to oversee everything.
As for Kyoichi…
He was even less suited for this.
He wasn't an obstetrician. His medical ninjutsu was almost entirely for combat support and post-battle treatment. Why in the world would he have studied this field?
Still—
He was confident. With this many medical ninja in the hospital, no matter what, it was just childbirth. Nothing was going to happen to these mothers.
That was what he was thinking when the indicator lights above the doors flashed.
A moment later, Yūhi Kurenai arrived in a blur of motion. Kyoichi stood up immediately and looked toward her.
"Kurenai? What's wrong? Why so frantic?"
"A–another one—the Hyūga clan head! Hiashi-sama—his wife—"
Kurenai was completely out of breath.
Kyoichi frowned.
The Hyūga were notoriously private. Even with a pregnancy, they trusted their own clan's care more than the hospital, so they hadn't moved her here earlier. If he remembered correctly, Hinata wasn't due for a while yet.
But…
Now that Naruto and Sasuke's timings had shifted, the original timeline wasn't much use as a reference.
He thought for a moment.
"No need to panic. She's probably not delivering yet. I'm pretty sure she wasn't due this soon. I'll check on them."
"Right!"
Kyoichi vanished in a flicker.
Moments later, he spotted Hiashi and his wife. Hinata clearly wasn't ready to be born—the size of the bump suggested at least two more months to go.
But her complexion was definitely bad.
"Kyoichi, where is Tsunade-hime?"
"She's delivering Kushina's baby. She can't leave right now. I'll handle this."
"I'll have to trouble you, then."
Hiashi didn't hesitate at all.
Even if Kyoichi wasn't Tsunade's equal in pure medical prowess, he was still among the best in Konoha. Hiashi had absolute faith in him.
As they guided her toward a quiet room, Kyoichi asked:
"Do you know what triggered this?"
"Well…"
"If it's inconvenient, wait until we're in the room."
"In a situation like this… fine. I suspect it's connected to the Byakugan," Hiashi whispered.
Kyoichi's brows rose.
Connected to the Byakugan?
If so, that meant it might be tied to the ōtsutsuki clan.
Could it be… Ōtsutsuki Toneri?
Except Toneri was just a newborn at this point. He couldn't possibly have that kind of influence. That left only one possibility—
Something had happened among Hamura's descendants on the moon due to the "Chibaku Sphere" he and Nagato created.
Something significant enough to affect the Hyūga.
He fell silent for a moment.
"Is it just your household, or is the branch family affected too?"
"That… I'm not sure."
Hiashi looked embarrassed.
"It's fine. You're worried—it happens."
Once they were in the room, Kyoichi entered Sage Mode, sharpening his senses to the extreme, and examined both mother and unborn child through chakra perception.
Then—
"They're completely healthy. No issues at all. The baby is stable. Hyūga-hime was likely startled and affected by the Byakugan's sensitivity, so her body reacted."
He gave his diagnosis.
Hiashi exhaled in relief.
But the moment he remembered Kyoichi's earlier question, he straightened.
"I'll go ask Hizashi immediately."
"Mm."
Kyoichi nodded. He had no intention of interfering.
But inwardly…
He was already calculating what might be unfolding on the moon.
Could it be that—
Hamura's clan had entered civil unrest early?
That would be interesting.
Kyoichi narrowed his eyes.
Kurenai arrived then—not out of curiosity, but to see whether she could help. At the door she saw Hiashi leaving, so she relaxed.
It looked like everything was fine.
She entered the room and saw Kyoichi deep in thought.
"Sensei… is she alright?"
"She'll be fine. She was just frightened. Stay here and watch over her. If anything changes, call someone immediately."
"Yes!"
Kurenai nodded.
She was fourteen now. Her medical ninjutsu and genjutsu had improved significantly, though her taijutsu was still her weakest area.
Kyoichi looked her up and down.
Still too frail.
"How's your training coming along?"
"Lately I haven't had much time…"
"Your medical ninjutsu is already solid. It's time to decide whether you want to focus on combat or go down the path of a medical ninja."
Kyoichi said.
Among Asuma, Shisui, and Kurenai, she seemed to get the fewest techniques from him, but in truth—Kyoichi worried the least about her.
Because Kurenai was too responsible. Anything he taught, she would practice diligently. Unlike Asuma, she didn't need constant prodding.
"Combat or medical, huh…"
She thought for a few seconds.
"I like medical ninjutsu, but… I think I prefer fighting."
"Then there's no need for you to train in the hospital anymore. Start thinking about how to integrate medical techniques into your own style. Your genjutsu is your advantage—use it as support. Your taijutsu is weak, but you still need to train it. At least don't become a liability."
Kyoichi said patiently.
Kurenai hesitated, then suddenly mustered her courage.
"Sensei… I… c-can I go with you?"
"…Huh?"
Kyoichi froze.
That—
"W-What I mean is—I'd like to follow you and Tsunade-hime on your journey. To train!"
Kurenai said in a panic, realizing she was rambling, and regretting every syllable. She didn't know what possessed her to blurt it out. Now she desperately wished she could crawl into the floorboards.
Kyoichi scratched his head.
He hadn't expected this.
To say he didn't understand her feelings would be a lie.
But that she would say it so directly… that he had not anticipated.
"Let me think about it. Besides—I'm not leaving just yet."
"Y-Yes!"
Kurenai wanted to disappear. But she had been assigned to care for Hyūga-hime—she couldn't run away.
This was mortifying.
Sensei won't hate me for this… right?
A hint of panic flickered in her expression.