"Haha~"
"You're the dead mouse to my blind cat—what a perfect match we are."
The container for drawing blood was full, so Kawakaze pulled out the needle. Before he could press the wound with a cotton swab, it had already healed on its own.
"Who'd ever be a perfect match with you?" Tsunade shot back, snatching the blood container from his hand.
"It's too late to argue, Mother~" Kawakaze drawled, his cheeky tone making Tsunade itch to knock him flat.
"What kind of ridiculous way of addressing me is that? It's so obnoxious," Tsunade grumbled, holding back her irritation as she strode toward a room with the blood container in hand. Analyzing blood samples was second nature to her.
"Wait for me," Kawakaze shamelessly called out, chasing after her.
"Finally gone," Orochimaru sighed, shaking his head. "Those two are really annoying."
"Hee hee~ Sister Tsunade and Brother-in-law have a very good relationship," Misaki remarked with a secretive smile, a hint of envy in her voice.
"What's the big deal? In the future, you and Nawaki will definitely be even better," Orochimaru teased the young girl.
"Sensei~" Misaki hadn't expected to become the target and stomped her foot, blushing furiously.
"Okay, okay, I'll stop," Orochimaru said with a rare smile, his usual gloom seeming to lift slightly in her presence.
The two returned to their work, and Orochimaru was nearly finished.
"That's it?" Kawakaze asked in surprise, watching Tsunade finish so quickly. He had never had a medical examination go that fast before.
"Don't look so shocked." Tsunade gave him a disdainful glance, the kind that seemed to mock the "country bumpkin" in him. "And just who do you think you're underestimating?"
"I-I just don't want to be careless."
Kawakaze stammered out a weak excuse, but even a fool could see that Tsunade would never joke about something as serious as her own life.
"Just go away."
Tsunade dismissed him without another glance, choosing instead to wait quietly for the test results. If it weren't for the rigor required by the experiment, she wouldn't have bothered with the test in the first place.
No one understood her body better than she did. It wasn't an exaggeration to say she was in perfect health. The only odd thing was that since giving birth, she had felt as though her breasts were growing again.
Is it just my imagination?
"How long do we have to wait?" Kawakaze asked casually, dragging a stool over and sitting down with his legs crossed.
"It won't take long, so don't make a fuss," Tsunade replied, amused by his laid-back demeanor.
"Yes, ma'am," Kawakaze said cheerfully, raising an eyebrow in mock obedience.
It wasn't long before the blood test results were printed. Tsunade walked over, picked them up, and scanned the key figures. Letting out a small sigh of relief, she confirmed everything was normal.
"Let's go." Without sparing Kawakaze a glance, she walked out of the room.
"I'm done here. Do you want to wait a little longer or what?" Orochimaru asked when he saw her exit, not even bothering to inquire about the results.
"Just get started."
Tsunade had no intention of wasting time. She casually set the blood report aside and headed straight to the operating room.
It was the same operating room Kawakaze had used last time, and now she was the second person to use it.
"Okay."
Orochimaru nodded, unsurprised. This was the Tsunade he remembered.
Giving Misaki a quick wink, he gestured for the little assistant to follow him into the operating room. It wasn't exactly proper for him to go in and start changing clothes while Tsunade was already inside—Kawakaze might just kill him for it.
Kawakaze waited until Tsunade was out of sight before approaching Orochimaru.
"Are you sure?"
His earlier smile had faded, replaced by an expression that teetered between nervousness and seriousness. It was clear he was searching for a shred of reassurance, even if his heart was far from calm. His stoic act in front of Tsunade had been just that—an act.
"Strictly speaking, there's no such thing as 100% certainty," Orochimaru replied, meeting Kawakaze's gaze. "But as a friend and a husband, you need to trust me—and trust Tsunade."
Orochimaru gave Kawakaze's shoulder a reassuring pat. He understood all too well what Kawakaze was feeling. If it were Pakura lying in that operating room, he doubted he'd be any more composed than Kawakaze was now.
"I understand," Kawakaze said, taking a deep breath and forcing a smile back onto his face.
"That's too fake. Try again," Orochimaru commented after a quick glance.
"How about this?" Kawakaze rubbed his face, stretching it to loosen the tension before letting the corners of his mouth rise again.
"Hmm, this one's more natural."
Before Orochimaru could say more, the operating room door creaked open. Misaki poked her head out, her voice low as she called, "Sensei, you can come in and inject."
"Yes, I'm coming."
Orochimaru stepped forward with the tray carrying the syringe. Kawakaze followed closely behind, still trying to keep his composure.
"Don't worry," Orochimaru whispered as they walked. "I'm confident in the success of this fusion."
This was the furthest Orochimaru's assurance could go—the rest depended on Tsunade herself.
"Well, I have confidence in you both," Kawakaze replied. At this point, there was no turning back.
With Orochimaru's successful prior case and careful in live experiments, the odds were in their favor. As long as nothing went wrong, the result would be a good one. With that thought, Kawakaze's heart began to steady.
"You're taking forever; I'm falling asleep," Tsunade said, lying on the operating table in her surgical gown. Her face was unreadable—neither joy nor sorrow betrayed her true feelings. Only she knew what was really going on inside.
"Here you are."
Kawakaze approached from Orochimaru's side. Tsunade was already hooked up to the monitoring instruments, wires attached to her body.
"Why don't you wait outside for a while?" she whispered to Kawakaze, hesitating as she avoided meeting his eyes.
Tsunade didn't want him to see her in a vulnerable state. If something went wrong, maybe it would be better if he wasn't there to witness it. The thought had crossed her mind more than once.
"That won't do at all!" Kawakaze's voice rose sharply, his refusal immediate and resolute. "If I'm going to stay outside, then why am I even here?"
"I was just speaking casually; don't worry about it," Tsunade said softly, guilt creeping into her tone. Seeing Kawakaze's resolve, she decided to let it go.
"That's more like it," Kawakaze said, his voice gentler now. "You just focus on the fusion. I'll be right here with you."
He reached for her hand, giving it a tender squeeze, his face full of warmth.
"Yes," Tsunade murmured, nodding slightly.
"You two can start now," Kawakaze said, stepping back but staying close.
"I'm ready." Orochimaru's excitement was barely concealed. For him, this moment was thrilling, more exciting than nerve-wracking. If Tsunade succeeded, it would reinforce his confidence in the fusion process.
Of course, he didn't see Tsunade as a mere test subject. Her naturally fast cell integration due to her shared bloodline was an advantage he couldn't replicate or envy.
"Go ahead," Tsunade said, rolling up her sleeves to reveal pale arms.
"Misaki, monitor the data closely," Orochimaru instructed, glancing at his assistant.
"Yes, Sensei." Misaki nodded quickly, trotting over to her position near the instruments.
"Ready?" Orochimaru tied a pressure band around Tsunade's arm, patting her veins to prepare the injection site.
"Cut the crap and hurry up," Tsunade snapped, glaring at him. She was convinced he was stalling for no reason.
Orochimaru didn't take offense. Smiling faintly, he smoothly inserted the needle into her vein.
As his thumb pressed the plunger, injecting the solution, Kawakaze felt as though his heart had been gripped in a vise.