For a fleeting second, Tsunade had the illusion that they had returned to the battlefields of their twenties. Only now, the weapons had been replaced by teeth and fingernails, and the scars would be left in places invisible to the eye.
When the thunder roared once more, Hiruko "breached her forward armor" with a bite. Tsunade's fingers, gripped tightly against his back, suddenly spasmed, leaving ten vivid crimson crescents upon his pale skin.
By the time the sun was high in the sky the following day, Hiruko was huddled against the "great white expanse," sound asleep and utterly drained. He had to admit, Tsunade's physical conditioning was top-tier; even his own body, tempered by numerous experimental serums, had nearly buckled under the pressure.
Up and down. Down and up.
He was truly running on empty. The two of them had gone at it for a full day and a night.
The next morning, Hiruko arrived at the laboratory looking like a withered husk of his former self.
"Good morning, Lord Hiruko!"
A bright, energetic voice rang out. The high-spirited Anko Mitarashi suddenly appeared in his line of sight, startling the zoning-out Hiruko.
"Ah... Anko," Hiruko replied, his voice thin and listless.
Anko's nose twitched. She wrinkled her brow and sniffed the air. "Lord Hiruko, why do you smell like someone else?" She took a few more whiffs but couldn't quite place the scent.
Hiruko gave her a flat look but offered no explanation. There was a reason Anko could remain so perpetually cheerful—only the simple-minded can maintain such pure thoughts.
He led Anko straight toward the inner lab. Upon entering, they found Orochimaru focused intently on dissecting a live specimen. Sensing their arrival, Orochimaru paused his research and walked toward them with his usual measured, swaying gait.
Suddenly, Orochimaru's body stiffened slightly. He seemed to catch a peculiar scent in the air, and a cryptic, knowing smile spread across his face.
"Hiruko, you're quite late today," Orochimaru noted meaningfully.
Snakes possess an incredibly keen sense of smell, one that doesn't rely on the nose but on their long, flickering tongues. As the tongue darts out, it collects chemical molecules from the air, which are then processed by the Jacobson's organ (vomeronasal organ) to produce an advanced olfactory map.
Having modified his body into something no longer entirely human, Orochimaru had naturally inherited these traits. He detected a strange scent in the air—and a very familiar one at that. Even though Hiruko had bathed, traces remained.
"Just a minor delay," Hiruko replied expressionlessly.
"About last night..." Hiruko began tiredly, his mind still reeling from the lingering afterglow of that "flavor."
Orochimaru's eyes gleamed with amusement. "To leave you this distracted, it must involve Tsunade. We grew up together; none of us are blind. Your feelings for her haven't been a secret for a long time."
Hiruko looked at him and smirked. "Of course. You could call it fulfilling a childhood obsession."
"When do you plan to marry?" Orochimaru asked.
"I'll leave that to Tsunade," Hiruko answered. "It makes no difference to me."
Orochimaru shrugged. "Heh. I'll be sure to attend the wedding when the time comes." It was a rare, genuine promise from the snake.
Since experiencing the intimacy with Tsunade, Hiruko found it increasingly difficult to endure loneliness. Without those 'Grand Peaks,' I'm going to wither away!
He wanted to be glued to her side every day, but after a few days, Tsunade grew "bored" of his persistence. She kicked him out and slammed the door, forbidding him from pestering her further.
Left with no choice, Hiruko could only wait a few days before shamelessly knocking on her door again. Fortunately, he still had Nonoyu and Pakura to keep him company—though they lacked the specific "scale" that Tsunade provided.
And so, time blurred as Hiruko rotated between pursuing Tsunade and enjoying the company of Pakura and Nonoyu at home.
Days turned into weeks, until finally, it was October 10th.
In the world of shinobi, this date held monumental significance. The "Savior of the World," the contractor of the Sage of the Six Paths, the reincarnation of Asura, and the fated Child of Prophecy was about to be born.
The child of Minato Namikaze, the Fourth Hokage, and Kushina Uzumaki, the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, was coming into the world.
Inside Konoha, the Fourth Hokage's residence—a blend of tranquil classical architecture and modern convenience—was brilliantly lit. By order of the Hokage, the Hyuga and Uchiha clans had gathered their elites. They stood like loyal sentinels outside the estate, forming a formidable first line of defense.
The Inuzuka clan patrolled the interior with their ninken, alert for any intruders. The Aburame clan had saturated the surrounding space with insects, creating a 360-degree surveillance zone.
The Anbu, led by Kakashi, lurked in the shadows behind the residence, ready to strike at a moment's notice. Meanwhile, the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, and the village elders sat in a monitoring room adjacent to the delivery room, coordinating the defense to ensure absolute security.
Inside the delivery room, Tsunade was working with tense precision, with the Third Hokage's wife, Biwako Sarutobi, acting as her skilled assistant.
As for Hiruko? Tsunade had unceremoniously shoved him out. As an "outside male," his presence during the birth was deemed entirely inappropriate.
Minato remained inside, acting as the final line of defense for his wife. However...
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