Shizune noticed Tsunade behind her and turned around to look. Seeing Tsunade's pale complexion, she asked with concern, "Lady Tsunade, are you overworked?"
Lady Tsunade had always lived a carefree life outside the village, drinking, keeping irregular hours, and indulging her love for gambling. Now that she had returned to the village, she was faced with continuous, high-intensity work, especially since she lacked prior experience in this specific role. On top of that, she had to serve Uchiha Ryōsuke; it was only natural for her energy to be flagging.
Tsunade rolled her eyes at Shizune. Of course, that wasn't the reason. Looking at Shizune's carefree expression, she felt a flicker of envy. Was she overthinking things? She truly didn't know what to do in this situation. However, she had to move forward; there was no turning back now.
"I'm fine," Tsunade replied.
Hearing this, Shizune figured Tsunade could still push through. As long as they made it through this initial period, things would get easier. Lady Tsunade's constitution was remarkably strong, after all. She turned her attention back to the jar of sour dates and asked, "Lady Tsunade, what are these sour dates for?"
'Could Ryōsuke have prepared these for me to help with pregnancy preparation?' Shizune wondered. Just looking at the fruit made her mouth water. They looked incredibly tart. Were they even edible?
Tsunade composed herself and looked at the jar. How could she not know the purpose of sour dates? Just because Shizune was ignorant didn't mean she was, especially given the age gap between them. Tsunade had seen this before. These were essential for pregnant women, helping to alleviate the symptoms of morning sickness.
'That guy Ryōsuke really did prepare everything,' she thought. Just as she was about to explain to Shizune, she suddenly felt a wave of discomfort in her stomach. A bout of nausea hit her so hard it was difficult to bear. She was forced to double over.
Shizune panicked at the sight. "Lady Tsunade, what's wrong?"
'Is it a stomach ache?' Shizune wondered. In the past, Tsunade only looked like this after drinking too much while in a bad mood. But since returning to the Leaf Village, Shizune hadn't seen her touch a drop of alcohol, and she hadn't even visited a gambling den.
Tsunade retched, feeling miserable. She had no choice but to use the remedy. "Shizune, open the jar... give me a sour date."
Shizune immediately complied, popping the lid and handing a date to Tsunade. Tsunade stuffed it into her mouth instantly. The tartness flooded her senses, and the nauseating discomfort vanished by more than half. She finally felt a sense of relief.
It was a good thing he had sent these over; otherwise, she would have been suffering. She would have had to send Shizune out to buy some, as the Senju Clan compound certainly didn't have any in stock. Though she felt better physically, her mind was in a whirl. The fact that the sour date worked so instantly—could she really be pregnant?
'Am I truly carrying that guy's bloodline?' She couldn't help but touch her stomach. Was there a tiny life inside her? A sense of panic gripped her heart.
Seeing Tsunade recover so quickly after eating the date, Shizune was amazed. "Lady Tsunade, these sour dates actually have such a miraculous effect!"
Tsunade looked at Shizune with a complicated expression. Shizune had shared the "burden" of Uchiha Ryōsuke with her. Shizune had also spent a great deal of time with that man. It was very likely that Shizune was also carrying his bloodline. That man was simply too powerful.
Shizune was confused. "Lady Tsunade, why are you looking at me like that?"
Tsunade replied, "It's nothing. In the future, if you ever feel like vomiting, just eat one of these."
One jar for Shizune, one for herself—that guy had been remarkably thoughtful. Seeing Tsunade's serious expression, Shizune stopped asking questions. Lady Tsunade's medical ninjutsu was superior to her own, so she couldn't be wrong. She just couldn't understand why Lady Tsunade thought she would start vomiting too.
---
Meanwhile, within the Uchiha Clan compound.
After delivering the goods to the Senju Clan, the female shopkeeper had returned to her shop and then made her way to the Uchiha compound with two more bags. She explained her purpose to the guards. The guards naturally let her through and even gave her directions to Ryōsuke's home. They could tell she was just an ordinary civilian shopkeeper from the Leaf Village. They didn't even bother to have anyone follow her; after all, this was the heart of the Uchiha Clan.
The shopkeeper quickly found Ryōsuke's residence and handed the items over to Yugito Nii and Mabui. These items were specifically meant for pregnant women. The shopkeeper was a bit surprised; these two women clearly weren't from the village. She hadn't expected that Uchiha man to have conquered women from other nations as well. Both women looked very "mature," clearly having been "plucked" many times.
Yugito Nii took the two bags and went inside. This place was effectively her home now. Unlike Mabui, she didn't harbor unrealistic ambitions of revenge. She didn't even want to. She felt that staying here was much better than life in her old village. She was curious about what kind of gift he would send. This was likely the first time in her life she had received a gift. She couldn't help but value it. In her home village, she was lucky if people didn't mock her; she would never have dared to expect a gift.
Mabui, however, spoke with indifference. "What would that bad guy even send?"
Regardless of her words, she already carried his bloodline. Her grand plan for revenge was ahead of schedule. Yugito was speechless at Mabui's attitude. In reality, Mabui also seemed to enjoy her time with Ryōsuke. It would be better to just stay here; there wasn't a man this incredible anywhere else.
Setting aside her dislike for the Cloud Village, even looking at it objectively, the Cloud Village didn't have a man this strong—not even close. But Mabui was stubborn and wouldn't be easily convinced. Yugito hoped she would wake up soon. Even if Mabui intended to use Ryōsuke's bloodline to start a new clan, those descendants wouldn't necessarily be stronger than Ryōsuke himself. Even if she successfully created an Uchiha branch in the Cloud Village, so what? Wouldn't those descendants still be of the Uchiha bloodline? It might just end up being Mabui providing free labor to expand the Uchiha Clan.
More importantly, Ryōsuke was willing to give them such an important bloodline. He couldn't have failed to consider the consequences. Therefore, even after they gave birth, it was uncertain if they would even be allowed to take the children back to the Cloud Village. For some reason, Yugito felt that Ryōsuke didn't care about their plans at all. All he seemed to desire was their bodies.