The morning sunlight streamed in through the window, filling the room with a warm and cozy glow.
Hoshiyomi slowly opened his eyes, and as he glanced at the peacefully sleeping Tsunade beside him, memories of the night before immediately surfaced—making his heart beat faster. Still, today was the day after their wedding, and since they had stayed up very late last night, he decided against starting his usual morning training routine.
Carefully slipping his arm out from under Tsunade, he placed a light kiss on her cheek before quietly leaving the room.
Years of training had ingrained in Hoshiyomi a kind of natural body clock. Skipping his morning sword training made him feel oddly uncomfortable, so after completing a short session, he found Tsunade rushing out of their room already dressed.
Seeing her flustered appearance, Hoshiyomi chuckled:
"No need to hurry off to the Hokage's office. I already told Shikaku and Minato yesterday to handle things as acting Hokage for the day. With them and Sakumo around, nothing's going to go wrong."
Tsunade still looked hesitant, so Hoshiyomi went up and pulled her hand gently.
"Relax. For today, forget all about your duties. Just be the bride of the Gekko Clan."
That finally persuaded her. Instead of running to the office, Tsunade sat down for a rare, warm breakfast with her family.
Afterward, she suddenly remembered something. Tugging excitedly at Hoshiyomi's arm, she said:
"Right—we didn't even get a chance to look through all the gifts yesterday. Since we're free now, let's go see what everyone gave us!"
Hearing that, Hoshiyomi's curiosity was also piqued. After all, who doesn't like the thrill of opening gifts?
The two of them went to the storeroom, where a mountain of wedding presents awaited. It wasn't just Orochimaru and the others who had sent things—clan heads and village elders had also contributed. Who would dare not honor Tsunade and Hoshiyomi on such an occasion? Even the proud Uchiha clan had delivered a gift. It wasn't particularly extravagant, but at least it showed a gesture of goodwill.
Although most of the gifts weren't rare treasures for people as wealthy as Tsunade and Hoshiyomi, the joy of unwrapping them was its own reward. Tsunade especially seemed thrilled, almost childlike.
Perhaps it was the same rush of the unknown that she found in gambling. Watching her excitement whenever she guessed a gift right, Hoshiyomi suddenly thought he had found a way to keep this "prodigal woman" from sneaking out to gamble.
Blind boxes! In his previous life, those online mystery boxes had been incredibly popular. If he secretly introduced a blind box business here, Tsunade could indulge herself by opening them every day—and maybe she'd completely forget about gambling.
Not only would it keep her occupied, but it might even make some extra money for the household. Truly, I'm just an ordinary little genius at making money, Hoshiyomi thought smugly.
And it wasn't really gambling anyway. Even if she got something rare, it wouldn't trigger her notorious "gambling curse"… probably.
Just as he was planning out his "Stop-Tsunade-from-Gambling Plan," her voice cut in:
"Hoshiyomi, what do you think is inside this one? I can't hear anything when I shake it."
Startled, Hoshiyomi turned to see her holding up a gift box, shaking it playfully in front of him.
The sight of her acting like a child again stirred a memory in Hoshiyomi—the little girl Tsunade he'd first met, waving a pencil in front of his face in just the same way.
On impulse, he reached out and pinched her cheek, making her squirm in protest.
"Hey! What are you doing? We're way too old for that kind of stuff. Just guess what's in here already!"
Taking the box from her, Hoshiyomi studied it carefully. Then something clicked.
He remembered this particular box—it was the last gift given yesterday, the one from Orochimaru.
Flipping the box over, Hoshiyomi checked the little gift card attached. He wasn't mistaken—this was indeed Orochimaru's wedding present.
Recalling Orochimaru's cryptic words from the night before, Hoshiyomi couldn't help but grow curious.
"If you want to know what's inside, just open it and see."
As he spoke, he unwrapped Orochimaru's box. The moment it was opened, his eyes were immediately drawn to the contents—and he was more than satisfied.
Inside lay an elegant, ancient-looking sword.
Not a Japanese-style blade, but a true, traditional sword.
It wasn't as graceful as the Mikazuki Munechika, but it carried a unique aura of its own. If the Mikazuki Munechika's hallmark was luxury, then this blade's was timeless classic.
It was crafted in the shape of a traditional Chinese sword, its entire body gleaming with a cold light. Near the hilt, at the base of the blade, a pale blue magatama was embedded.
Hoshiyomi recognized it almost instantly.
This was none other than the Grass Long Sword, Kusanagi Blade—one of the three legendary Kusanagi swords he had once searched for tirelessly but never found.
Yes, the very sword that, in the original story, Orochimaru wielded as his unbreakable, freely extending Kusanagi sword.
Talk about finding something you had once hunted in vain, only for it to fall into your lap effortlessly. Who would've thought it would come to him as a wedding gift?
From the moment he saw it, Hoshiyomi was utterly entranced. Of course, one small concern crossed his mind: whether Orochimaru had ever… licked this sword. So when he picked it up, he carefully used a handkerchief.
The blade felt perfectly dry in his hands, carrying no unusual odor, which reassured him. Maybe, since it was a gift, Orochimaru had refrained from storing it inside his body.
Alongside the sword was a letter, detailing the sword's history. Apparently, the Grass Long Sword, Kusanagi Blade had been kept by the White Snake Sage of Ryūchi Cave, and Orochimaru had gone to great lengths to obtain it. The letter also explained several of its special properties.
As Hoshiyomi read, his eyes lit up at a discovery he hadn't known:
In addition to its extension ability, the Grass Long Sword, Kusanagi Blade was also a "sheathless blade." That is, it required no scabbard.
By channeling chakra into it, the sword would form a bond with its wielder's body, allowing them to freely draw it in or out of themselves—though the exit point wasn't limited to the mouth.
As for why Orochimaru preferred to spit it out from his mouth... well, that was probably his particular preference.
What Hoshiyomi didn't notice was that as he was admiring the sword, Tsunade was frowning slightly.
Men are all the same—heartless oafs!