"I understand, Sensei's wife," Nagato said, picking up his chopsticks again with a touch of emotion. So many people cared about him, and he couldn't let them down.
"Okay, let's not talk about it anymore. Nagato will be fine," Kawakaze said, ending the matter. He trusted Nagato completely and felt confident this was something he could handle.
"Didn't you say you had good news for me?" Kawakaze asked suddenly, as if he had just remembered. He turned to Tsunade with curiosity.
"Oh, you just remembered now?" Tsunade replied with a mysterious smile, piquing everyone's interest.
"Sensei's wife, what's the good news? Tell us, so we can all share the joy," Minato said enthusiastically, urging her on.
"Yes, tell us, Sensei's wife," the younger ones chimed in eagerly.
"It's really not a big deal," Tsunade said casually. "I'm just pregnant."
She delivered the news with an air of calmness, as though it were a trivial matter.
The announcement swept away the lingering heaviness in the room in an instant.
Tsunade, pretending to be nonchalant, secretly observed everyone's reactions.
"Are you serious?! When did this happen?! I'm going to be a father?!" Kawakaze blurted out, his surprise making him forget the food in his mouth.
His barrage of questions made Tsunade laugh openly, unable to maintain her calm facade.
"I just found out this morning. It's only been a few days," Tsunade said, covering her mouth as she laughed. She had long hoped for this surprise. Being attuned to her own body, she had noticed something most people wouldn't detect so early.
"Long live my dear wife!" Kawakaze exclaimed, not even bothering to wipe the oil stains off his mouth. In front of everyone, he leaned in and kissed Tsunade on the cheek.
One kiss wasn't enough to express his excitement. He moved in for more, but Tsunade pushed him away, a look of mock disgust on her face.
"You're disgusting," she said, wiping her cheek with the back of her hand. However, there was no resentment in her tone.
"Big Brother, I'm going to be a father too!" Kawakaze declared, practically shouting as he rushed to tell Sakumo.
"I heard you," Sakumo said, his face lighting up with a smile. "This is wonderful news. Someone, bring some sake!" he called to a servant.
"Tsunade, you shouldn't drink. Your health is more important," Nayuki said, leaving Kakashi to approach Tsunade with concern.
"Actually, a little is fine—I haven't had any for a few days," Tsunade said, though she made no move to take the sake cup.
"Auntie, am I going to have a little brother?" Kakashi asked, walking over to Tsunade with the air of a little lord. His small hand reached curiously toward her stomach.
"Why not a sister?" Tsunade replied, stroking Kakashi's silver hair with a warm smile.
"A sister is fine too—I'm not picky," Kakashi said, his innocent remark making everyone present burst into laughter.
"Sensei, Sensei's wife, congratulations to you both," Minato said, the first to offer his congratulations to Kawakaze and Tsunade.
Following his lead, Nagato and the others also expressed their congratulations.
"I'm so happy today, I don't have anything fancy to give you," Kawakaze said, his excitement making him look every bit the nouveau riche. "I'll just give you a little money."
He pulled out a stack of large bills from his pocket and handed each of them a share.
"Thank you, Sensei," they said with smiles, accepting the money without hesitation. Under normal circumstances, they might have said no, but today was special—they couldn't let Kawakaze look bad.
"Uncle, uncle! Me too!" Kakashi chimed in eagerly. He already understood the value of money and was excited at the prospect of using it to buy something sweet for Kurenai.
"Little money lover, take it all," Kawakaze said, stuffing the rest of the money into Kakashi's hands.
"Thank you, uncle!" Kakashi exclaimed, hopping up and down with joy. He glanced at Nayuki before carefully tucking the money into his bosom.
"No one's after your little stash," Nayuki said, snapping at him lightly.
Though young, Kakashi's cautious attitude stood out. It wasn't clear who he took after—He hadn't been this way as a child.
"I'm just afraid of losing it," Kakashi replied weakly, though without much conviction.
"Okay, don't spend it all recklessly," Sakumo said sternly. "It's not easy to earn money."
"I know, Dad," Kakashi said with a sigh of relief. "I'll just buy some snacks at most."
Satisfied, he walked over to Nayuki and sat down next to her.
"Oh yeah, you haven't told Grandma yet, have you?" Kawakaze suddenly remembered. Mito had been waiting eagerly to hold her first grandchild.
If she heard the news, she might even gift them a few more land deeds. Of course, Kawakaze wasn't after Mito's money—he was simply thinking aloud.
"No, I'll go after dinner," Tsunade replied casually, her eyes glistening with a hint of envy as she poured Kawakaze a full cup of sake.
"We'll go together," Kawakaze said.
"Let's drink less, as a sign of respect," Sakumo suggested, raising his sake cup toward Kawakaze with a smile.
"Okay, let's drink less, then," Kawakaze agreed cheerfully, lifting his cup and draining it in one go.
After that cup of sake, Kawakaze felt invigorated. After two lifetimes, he was finally going to become a father.
"Why don't you have some too?" Kawakaze asked, noticing Tsunade's reluctance. He waved the sake cup at her.
"I don't want any today," Tsunade said after hesitating for a long moment before shaking her head.
As Kawakaze set down the sake cup, Tsunade refilled it. She sniffed the aroma of the sake greedily, feeling her stomach stir with cravings.
With her constitution, a few cups of sake wouldn't harm her, but Tsunade had resolved to give it up entirely for the baby's sake.
"Okay, I won't insist," Kawakaze said, suppressing a laugh. Then, for good measure, he deliberately made two exaggerated "slurp" sounds as he finished the drink, clearly teasing her.
"Sensei, don't overdo it. It's not good for your health," Minato said, glancing at Tsunade before giving Kawakaze a pointed warning.
As the first disciple, he always had his Sensei's well-being in mind.
"Ahem~ I think you're right," Kawakaze said, coughing twice and instinctively glancing at Tsunade before putting his cup down.
"Haha~" Konan and the others couldn't hold back their laughter, even if it might hurt their Sensei's pride.
"What are you laughing at? We're eating—what a sight," Kawakaze said, pretending to scold them with a stern expression.
Fortunately, he was so shameless that everyone could tell when he wasn't actually bothered.
After that, he and Sakumo resumed drinking as though nothing had happened. Though they had agreed to drink less, they ended up going for quite some time.
By the end, they were the only ones left drinking in the dining room, as everyone else had dispersed.
Tsunade didn't rush them. She understood there was no urgency in telling her grandmother.
However, the stronger the aroma of sake became, the harder it was for her to resist.
Once they finished drinking and left the dining room, she and Kawakaze set off for the Senju residence.
Kawakaze claimed he wanted to let the smell of sake fade, so he held Tsunade's hand as they strolled leisurely toward their destination.
Whenever they met someone they knew, they stopped to say hello. After a bit of small talk, Kawakaze would proudly announce Tsunade's pregnancy.
Tsunade could see the pride and excitement on his face.
This wasn't about letting the sake smell fade—it was simply an excuse for him to show off!
Tsunade didn't say anything and even went along with it, which made Kawakaze all the happier.