"Who do you think is better suited, Grandma?"
Kawaki had gradually calmed down by now, and in his mind, he already had his preferred candidate.
Yes, he had foreseen this moment half a year ago.
He had prepared himself mentally, yet when the moment came to confront reality directly, he still found it hard to accept.
Though the world of Hokage was filled with wonders and secret jutsu,
true immortality remained impossible—death was almost inevitable for everyone.
Looking through all of Hokage history, there were only two known methods to bring someone back from the dead.
One was the forbidden technique, the Rinnegan's [Reincarnation of the Pure Land].
Leaving aside whether Nagato was even capable of using that jutsu anymore,
Kawaki knew he couldn't bear to ask Nagato to sacrifice himself just to revive Mito.
Besides, he believed Mito herself would never wish for that either.
As for the other forbidden jutsu—the [Edo Tensei]—its creator, Grandma Chiyo, must have been buried under several meters of grass by now.
Where could they even find instructions to use it at this point?
Now, all he could do was accept things as they were.
"There isn't really a preference. Either one works."
"I just wanted to hear your opinions today."
Mito replied quickly, passing the decision back to them.
In truth, she hadn't made up her mind either.
Both were equally dear to her. Making such a choice was incredibly difficult.
"I'd suggest choosing Misaki."
At this point, Tsunade had wiped away her tears, though she still seemed emotionally drained.
Upon hearing this, Kawaki and Mito both turned their attention toward her.
"In terms of personality, Misaki is gentler and calmer."
"Her sealing techniques are no less skilled than Kushina's."
"And as for tailed beast research, Misaki has a much deeper understanding."
Tsunade gave three solid and logical reasons, each one reasonable.
She wasn't favoring anyone, nor was she letting personal feelings interfere.
Just pure logic and fact.
Now that she had regained her composure, she was once again the decisive Fourth Hokage.
"Hmm…there's some truth to what you said."
Kawaki originally wanted to counter-argue a bit, but found himself unable to find any flaws in Tsunade's reasoning.
Maybe because he already knew how things were supposed to go, he still thought Kushina was slightly more suitable.
Of course, there was also a bit of personal attachment on his part.
"If things were really as you say, I wouldn't be struggling this much."
"Though Misaki may outwardly seem less prone to the Nine-Tails' influence..."
"But none of you understand the Nine-Tails the way Kushina does."
Mito shook her head. Those three reasons weren't enough to convince her completely.
No one understood the Nine-Tails better than she did. The advantage Misaki had wasn't nearly as big as Tsunade thought.
"Well…how about we ask their own opinions then?"
Kawaki asked cautiously, watching Tsunade's reaction closely.
"That actually sounds like a good idea."
"Instead of deciding their fates for them, we should let them choose for themselves."
Tsunade thought for a moment, then nodded in agreement with Kawaki's suggestion.
As for Mito's perspective, she raised no objections.
"Sigh..."
"Alright then."
"I'll talk to them both tomorrow."
Letting out a long sigh, Mito admitted she couldn't come up with a better solution either.
If not for the Nine-Tailed Fox being too trivial to Kawaki, he would've actually been the most suitable candidate.
Under the enhancement of Wood Release, the Nine-Tails wouldn't even have a chance to resist.
"Grandma, how much longer?"
Tsunade struggled to calm herself, but her voice still shook despite her efforts.
Since she couldn't change the outcome, she wanted to cherish every last moment with Grandma.
"Not that soon yet. Grandma still wants to watch the two of you a bit longer."
Mito smiled calmly, as if death truly didn't matter to her at all.
"Then... okay."
Without getting a clear answer, Tsunade seemed almost relieved.
Kawaki opened his mouth but for a moment didn't know what else to say.
None of the three spoke again, leaving only the steady rhythm of their breathing filled the room.
Nobody could say how much time had passed before Mito finally spoke up again.
"You two should go back first."
"I'll let you know when there's news."
She worried Nawaki and others might get suspicious if they stayed too long—better to keep it hidden for now.
"Alright, I'll come again tomorrow."
Understanding Mito's concern, Tsunade obediently stood up.
"Does my face still show any trace?"
Turning around completely toward Kawaki, she tilted her face up slightly.
"Nope, perfectly normal."
Kawaki smiled gently, then used his thumbs to brush across Tsunade's cheeks.
"Grandma, we're off."
Tsunade offered a forced smile, forcing cheer into her voice.
"Mm."
Nodding slightly, Mito said no more.
Under Mito's gaze, Kawaki and Tsunade exited the room together.
"It's not bad to be able to choose your own day."
Once the pair had disappeared from sight, Mito muttered with a touch of self-deprecation.
When Kawaki and Tsunade reached the courtyard, they already seemed like their usual selves again.
"Ginji, come here. We're heading home."
Tsunade called out while waving to Ginji, who walked over accompanied by Nawaki.
"Sis, what did Grandma want with you?"
Standing beside Kawaki, Nawaki casually asked.
"Not much. Just some light conversation."
Tsunade brushed it off, and Nawaki raised no suspicion.
"Well then, it's getting late."
"We can talk about anything tomorrow. Bye!"
Taking Ginji's hand, Kawaki gently tugged Tsunade along as the three stepped toward the gate.
"Bye!"
They waved goodbye to Nawaki and the others.
"Do you feel like something's off with Sister today?"
It was Misao who picked up on it first. Once the trio were far away, she voiced her concern.
"Oh right?!"
Tsunade immediately chimed in, clueless as ever.
"Me neither."
Just like Nawaki, Kushina was just as clueless.
"Maybe I'm imagining things."
Still unaware of the real situation, Misao simply thought she must've been too sensitive.
"Whatever. Let's just go sleep."
Rubbing his hands together eagerly, Nawaki's eyes gleamed with anticipation.
"Come on, I'm waiting to hold my nephew."
Grinning playfully, Kushina teased with her usual tone, then ran off like she was escaping.
"That brat..."
Watching Kushina flee, Misao silently noted every "wrongdoing" she could remember.
And she vowed that on Kushina's wedding day, she'd get her back good.
"Let's head back to the bedroom… you know, to make a baby."
Nawaki had no desire to dwell on it anymore.
With no one around, he scooped Misaki into his arms and hurried toward the bedroom.
Fugaku had married not too long before him, and Mikoto was already showing signs of pregnancy.
It would be a lie to say Nawaki wasn't envious at all.
"Put me down, put me down."
Misaki struggled in Nawaki's arms, her face blushing with embarrassment.
"It's fine. Everyone's gone."
After all, he was Misaki's rightful husband.
Even if someone did see them, so what?
"You're jealous, aren't you?"
As they neared the bedroom, Misaki stopped resisting.
She saw through Nawaki's little game completely.
"I'm not."
Nawaki stubbornly refused to admit it.
"Really now?"
Misaki looked at Nawaki with amusement; his childishness was adorable.
"Well, maybe just a little bit."
Under her gaze, Nawaki felt nervous and tried to act casual.
Bang~
The door was kicked open, then closed immediately behind them.
"From today on, you won't have to envy anyone anymore."
"Because~ I am too."
Hardly had those two sentences left Misaki's mouth when Nawaki froze in place.
The idea of tossing Misaki onto the bed vanished completely.
"What?"
"You're pregnant?"
The expression on Nawaki's face shifted from shock to pure joy.
"Mm-hmm."
"I thought it was just indigestion."
"But I detected a very faint life signal."
Gazing deeply into Nawaki's eyes, Misaki radiated pure love.
"Haha~ This is wonderful news."
"I should go let Grandma know!"
Nawaki kissed Misaki repeatedly on the lips, unable to contain his excitement.
"Not tonight. Grandma might already be asleep."
Misaki tightened her arms around him and drew even closer.
They gazed into each other's eyes, and the mood inside the room became increasingly romantic.
"So… can we still… do it?"
After half a minute of hesitation, Nawaki finally spoke up.
Misaki blinked her big eyes without saying a word, simply nodding slightly.
Then once again, the room was bathed in a warm, romantic glow.
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