Morning.
Snow was falling outside the window.
Konoha Village looked dim and somber.
However, today was the New Year Festival, so the atmosphere felt especially vibrant.
The weather hadn't dampened the celebration at all.
Tsunade was sound asleep.
Because of her pregnancy, she no longer clung to him like an octopus as she used to.
She lay in bed under the dim light, which couldn't hide her beauty.
Natsume leaned in and kissed her cheek, saying, "Time to wake up."
Tsunade's eyelashes fluttered slightly, though she didn't open her eyes. She asked, "What are you doing here?"
She remembered Natsume had gone to Shizune's room last night.
"Did you oversleep?"
Natsume played with her small hand; the soft touch gave off a warmth that was hard to describe.
"Huh."
Tsunade became slightly more alert.
Natsume always sneaked back in the middle of the night.
Even though she had told him multiple times not to do that, nothing ever changed.
That made Shizune seem kind of pitiful.
Natsume just preferred sleeping with Tsunade.
After all, she was a voluptuous beauty.
"What present do you want for the New Year?"
Natsume crawled out from under the covers and asked.
"Nothing special."
Tsunade looked at him with half-closed eyes and said, "I've already gotten everything I wanted. Just come back tonight and watch the fireworks with me."
"Alright."
Natsume put on his outfit and nodded, then asked, "What do you want for breakfast?"
"How about ramen?"
Tsunade closed her eyes again and replied, "Come wake me up later."
Natsume shook his head helplessly.
That's such a laid-back lifestyle.
But upon thinking carefully, in the original timeline, she'd always been like this.
When she was Hokage, she was slightly more hardworking.
Natsume opened the door and went to the bathroom.
"This early?"
He noticed Shizune was already preparing breakfast in the kitchen.
"It's my habit."
Shizune glanced at him, her face slightly blushing.
Unless exhausted, she always kept early hours.
"The sister says she wants ramen."
Natsume smiled and walked into the bathroom.
The toothpaste was already squeezed onto the brush, and the cup was filled with hot water.
He paused, instantly realizing it was something Shizune had done.
Her personality was the opposite of Tsunade's, closer to Ena Uzumaki's—calm and gentle.
Before, Natsume had never received such treatment.
But recently, his status had definitely risen.
Maybe this was the shift from being a younger brother to becoming a husband.
After finishing his morning routine, the ramen would almost be ready.
After all, it didn't take much time to prepare.
Natsume then went to wake Tsunade up.
About ten minutes later, breakfast was ready.
"Go early and come back early."
Tsunade cupped his face, brushed a kiss beside his lips, then let go and said, "Shizune."
"Huh?"
Shizune was startled at first, but quickly understood Tsunade's meaning. Her cheeks flushed red as she said, "N-No… there's no need."
Natsume stepped forward, pulling her into his arms.
Their lips pressed together.
Shizune's body stiffened noticeably.
She still wasn't used to being so intimate with Natsume.
Even though she knew him inside out, she still felt awkward with Tsunade around.
"I'm heading out now."
Natsume didn't do anything inappropriate.
Otherwise, he wouldn't have had enough time today.
After all, time management really was an art.
[Flying Thunder God Technique] activated.
Natsume appeared at the Daimyo's Mansion in the Land of Waves.
Since it was the New Year Festival, the surroundings were clearly decorated differently.
Ena Uzumaki stood in the courtyard, barking out orders.
Natsume hesitated for a moment before deciding not to disturb her.
He turned and headed toward his own backyard.
"Where's the cat?"
Natsume pushed open the door but couldn't find the black cat he raised.
He arched an eyebrow. Using his heightened hearing, he picked up the sound of water splashing from the bathroom.
Bathing in the middle of the day?
Confused, Natsume approached the bathroom door.
"Meow… meow meow… meow…"
Amidst the sound of running water came a series of continuous meows.
The meowing sounded muffled yet oddly pleased.
Natsume opened the door.
The black cat instinctively tensed and curled into a tight ball.
"Did I scare you?"
Natsume squatted behind her, gently running his hand down her smooth back.
Then he picked up the bath towel and began scrubbing her clean.
He wasn't new to giving baths.
He washed her thoroughly from head to toe.
The black cat had gone bright red.
Finally, she stumbled out of the bathroom, her paws still shaking.
Worth mentioning is that Natsume didn't do anything wrong.
As for the glare she shot him—with eyes that looked like they could devour him whole.
Natsume appeared inside Ena Uzumaki's room.
He lay down on the bed with his eyes closed, waiting.
This was how things usually went in previous years.
Not long later, Ena walked through the door.
Seeing him, she broke into a smile.
She slipped under the covers, peeked her head out, rested herself over Natsume's chest, and asked, "How long have you been here?"
A sweet fragrance filled his nostrils.
Natsume perked up.
"I just finished giving that cat a bath."
"No wonder your outfit got wet."
Ena's face lit up in realization as she said, "You'll catch a chill if you don't dry off properly."
She disappeared beneath the blankets again.
Natsume closed his eyes.
No wonder she was such a caring wife and mother.
Soon, his entire body—top to bottom—became perfectly dry.
And left behind the same lovely scent.
"Feels much better now, right?"
Ena asked rather tiredly.
"Mm-hmm."
Natsume ruffled her hair and asked, "Any gift you want this year?"
"This chapter hasn't ended yet!"
"I don't need anything."
Looking at him, Ena's eyes sparkled.
"I've already received everything I wanted."
That answer was almost word-for-word what Tsunade would say.
Suddenly, Natsume smiled and said, "Thank you. I'm really satisfied with the gift you gave me."
A soft blush spread across Ena's delicate features as she asked, "Want another gift?"
"You're really asking for it."
Natsume smacked her shapely butt and said, "One gift is enough. We'll talk about another next time."
Moments later, he reappeared in the Land of Snow.
"What are you looking at?"
Natsume found Kaguya Otsutsuki inside the study.
"Demons," Kaguya replied bluntly.
"Demons? Since when are you interested?"
Natsume leaned in to take a look. The title read "Tengu and the Child."
"Not interested."
Kaguya Otsutsuki shook her head.
"Not interested, yet you still looked?"
Natsume took the book from her hand, flipped two pages forward, and his eyes immediately lit up.
Yotsuba-sama and the Child.
Hmm, again, it's about children.
According to legends, Tengus would abduct lost children.
Yotsuba-sama was even crueler—cursing them horribly before swallowing them whole.
Since you're here, I suppose you're not interested anymore.
Kaguya Otsutsuki stood up, smirking as she looked down at him.
Just like Yotsuba-sama in the legend, baring her fangs before pouncing on top of him.
"I... still have things to do."
Smothered, Natsume still struggled to speak.
Kaguya Otsutsuki nodded.
She activated Amenominaka.
Natsume began another round of suffering.
But Kaguya Otsutsuki was clearly easy to dismiss.
Her thoughts were unusually pure and straightforward.
To her, nothing beyond chakra and Natsume held any significance.
With trembling legs, Natsume pushed open Mikoto Uchiha's room door.
There was no one inside.
He didn't care much and closed his eyes for a nap.
A moment later,
Mikoto Uchiha lifted the blanket, lying sideways watching him.
There was a faint odd smell.
She gritted her teeth, inexplicably feeling jealousy.
He only showed up this late in the afternoon.
That meant she wasn't the first, not even the second one today.
Mikoto reached out, wrapping her arms around him, leaning against his body, finding unexpected comfort in his scent.
Rationally, she knew what she was doing was wrong.
But humans were like that—maintaining rationality was a luxury.
Natsume curled into this mature, soft body like a living cushion, asking, "Regarding Sasuke awakening his Sharingan, what are your thoughts?"
"Thoughts?"
Mikoto looked at him confused.
"Although Satori is sealed within Sasuke, emotional stimulation is still crucial for its activation."
Natsume curled deeper into her warm embrace, speaking softly.
"Won't Satori work?"
Mikoto hesitated slightly before asking.
"Most likely not at this stage."
Natsume shook his head. "Also, you know Sasuke—he won't wait that long."
"But how do we create emotional stimulation?"
Frowning slightly, Mikoto had already stopped minding his wandering hands.
Emotions could be either positive or negative.
Based on her own experience, negative emotions were far stronger.
Like losing someone dearest.
Yet, Mikoto naturally wouldn't become as heartless as Itachi Uchiha.
Besides, the person most important to Sasuke was her, followed perhaps by his friend Naruto Uzumaki.
No matter how she thought about it, murder was out of the question.
Positive emotions were even harder to generate.
Promotions, raises, confessions, marriage—none of it meant anything to Sasuke.
What he truly desired was power enhancement.
Specifically, awakening the Mangekyo Sharingan.
Achieving that alone would naturally trigger immense emotional excitement.
But it was a vicious cycle—a paradox.
You'd definitely refuse anything too extreme.
Natsume pretended to think and asked, "What kind of situation do you think could truly shock Sasuke?"
Mikoto Uchiha remained silent.
She had no idea.
But soon she noticed Natsume's expression.
After all these years, she had come to understand him.
"Do you have something in mind?" Mikoto couldn't help but ask.
"New Year brings good luck," Natsume said, his gaze dropping toward her tense abdomen.
Mikoto stiffened.
She caught on instantly.
It was actually genius.
No one needed to die, and it would strengthen the Uchiha clan at the same time.
With a helpless sigh, Mikoto reached up, wrapping her arms around Natsume's neck and pulling herself closer.
In an instant, passion flared.
Letting out a soft snort, Mikoto activated her Mangekyo Sharingan.
[Ame no Koyane no Mikoto!]
Two hours later.
Mikoto lay sprawled against the ceiling, flushed-faced and dazed, staring blankly upward.
Her hands rested gently over her belly, unmoving for a long time.
How to put this?
If she'd truly wanted to refuse, she wouldn't have given in so easily.
It seemed she had already fallen too deep to turn back.
Sasuke had just been an excuse all along.
After taking a shower, Natsume returned home.
Truthfully, he should probably go visit Hinata Hyuga and Ino Yamanaka.
But today had honestly been too exhausting.
Besides, they were probably spending New Year Festival with their families. His presence would just spoil the mood.
This chapter isn't over yet—more excitement ahead!
After all, he was Hokage now. The title alone spoke volumes.
"Sister."
Natsume took off his shoes and entered the hall.
"I brought you some takoyaki."
Tsunade sat on the sofa watching TV, dressed in a yukata.
The New Year Festival was often called the Fireworks Festival.
Wearing a yukata is traditional.
Of course, technically, a yukata is a type of kimono—quite different from the casual cotton robes most people associate with the term.
"It smells amazing," Tsunade took a bite and said, "though not quite as tasty as when you make it yourself."
"Just make do with it," Natsume replied, sitting beside her.
"Has Miss Shizune come back yet?"
"Not… yet," Tsunade chewed slowly, speaking in between bites.
"Was the hospital busy today?"
As he spoke, Natsume gently took her hand. Soft, smooth, and plump—like a fluffy cake.
For someone into hand fetishes, she could end up getting touched so much she'd break a bone.
Of course, Natsume wasn't such a pervert.
He was perfectly behaved—just gently stroking her hand.
"She didn't go to the hospital," Tsunade glanced at him. "Said she went out on a mission."
"Missions?"
Natsume paused briefly, then understood Shizune's intentions.
True enough, there were missions during the New Year Festival.
With so many requests pouring in, someone inevitably ended up working overtime.
Still, if Shizune wanted to avoid it, she certainly could have.
So her goal became clear—to give Natsume and Tsunade some quality time together.
"When will she be back?"
Natsume thought he should get her a gift as a gesture of thanks.
"Tomorrow," she replied.
Tsunade finished eating the takoyaki, finding it a bit too salty, so she remarked, "Go get me a glass of water."
"Perfect, I wanted a drink too."
Natsume smiled and stood up.
"There's fresh milk in the fridge if you want something to drink."
Tsunade's cheeks flushed slightly as she said, "I left you two servings."
Natsume was momentarily confused.
But quickly figured out what she meant.
Cough cough.
Real grape milk.
He used to drink it all the time.
Though usually prepared by Ena Uzumaki before.
Natsume opened the fridge and sure enough, found two cups inside.
He grabbed one for himself and poured another for Tsunade.
"Don't drink it in front of me!"
Tsunade shot him a glare and said.
"What's so awkward about that?"
Natsume took a sip and complimented, "It's sweet."
"..."
Tsunade refused to respond.
Even though she'd seen this before, mentally, she still couldn't get used to it.
"Wanna try some?"
Natsume asked casually.
"Pervert!"
Tsunade shot him a furious glare.
"No way! I'm not drinking it!"
"Calm down."
Seeing her reaction, Natsume quickly set his cup down and wrapped an arm around her waist.
"Behave yourself!"
Tsunade immediately burst into giggles. "That tickles, stop poking me!"
"Then stop being mad."
Natsume stopped, mostly because she was laughing like crazy and he knew that could get them into trouble.
Under normal circumstances, he wouldn't have minded appreciating the sway of her figure.
Not now, though.
"I'm not angry."
Tsunade returned to her normal self. "I've long gotten used to your messy and unserious habits."
"Good then."
Natsume leaned into her and changed the subject. "The baby's almost here. Any ideas for a name yet?"
"Speaking of which, should she take the Senju name?"
Tsunade looked at him, her gaze quite serious.
"Whatever you prefer."
Natsume didn't really care.
"Never mind then."
Tsunade thought for a moment. "What about Senka instead?"
"Yeah, sounds pretty good."
Natsume rubbed his chin. "Let's stick with that for now."
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