The laboratory was filled with dust from the trees that had dispersed, creating a suffocating haze. Tsunade lost her footing and collapsed.
Kawakaze reacted swiftly, vanishing from his spot and reappearing with Tsunade cradled in his arms. Carefully, he reached out to check her breathing. Relief washed over him—she was still alive.
"Come quickly and take a look. What's the situation?" he called out, his gaze fixed on Tsunade's face. The once-distorted expression had softened into calmness. Her body temperature felt normal, though her complexion was slightly pale.
"I'm here." Orochimaru deactivated his Earth Release technique and approached with measured strides. Misaki followed silently, her expression unreadable. With the instruments destroyed, she could do little more than observe.
"From a preliminary investigation, the fusion should have been successful," Orochimaru stated, placing his hand on Tsunade's abdomen. His chakra flowed through her body, revealing a massive reserve of energy and intensely active cells. His tension eased slightly as he confirmed her condition.
"That's good, that's good," Kawakaze murmured, exhaling a long breath. The weight pressing on his heart lifted in an instant.
"Let's go out first. Let Tsunade rest for a while," Orochimaru suggested, surveying the wrecked laboratory. Dust coated the floor, and the walls were riddled with holes. Damaged equipment sparked intermittently, further emphasizing the destruction.
Repairing the place would be expensive, but Orochimaru didn't concern himself with that. After all, the bill wouldn't land in his hands.
"Okay," Kawakaze said before walking outside with Tsunade in his arms. For him, she was the most important thing right now.
"Sensei, is Sister Tsunade really okay?" Misaki asked cautiously once Kawakaze had gone a little way. If something happened to Tsunade, she wouldn't be able to face Nawaki, let alone deal with anything else.
"Don't worry, I'm not just trying to comfort Kawakaze," Orochimaru replied with a small smile. "Let's not stand around in the dust. Let's go." Girls, he thought, always seemed to have more on their minds.
Misaki patted her chest, relieved, though her worry hadn't completely faded. She followed Orochimaru out.
When they stepped outside, Kawakaze had already settled Tsunade on a sofa in the outer room. He'd covered her with a small blanket and now crouched beside her, silently keeping her company.
"Why did you put her there? She still needs further examinations," Orochimaru said, caught between amusement and exasperation. Tsunade's situation required more attention than Kawakaze seemed to realize.
"Huh?" Kawakaze turned, his expression tightening. "What do you think?"
"I'm not going to bother explaining it. Just bring her over," Orochimaru said flatly. Explaining to someone without medical expertise seemed pointless.
Kawakaze didn't argue. Without a word, he picked Tsunade up again and followed Orochimaru's instructions to another room.
"Put her down here," Orochimaru instructed, pointing to the operating table. "Misaki is going to draw some blood."
Following Orochimaru's direction, Kawakaze placed Tsunade on the table. After a short while, Misaki returned with the blood extraction tools. Kawakaze stood close, refusing to leave the table even for a moment.
"It's just a blood draw, not like I'm going to murder her," Orochimaru joked, gently pushing Kawakaze aside in an effort to ease the tension.
"No, I just want to stay close to her," Kawakaze admitted, scratching his head. He trusted Orochimaru; the idea of him harming Tsunade never crossed his mind.
If Orochimaru ever aimed to become Hokage, Kawakaze believed Tsunade would willingly give up the position. After all, the endless paperwork brought her nothing but misery. It was a far cry from the enthusiasm Kawakaze had once felt for such responsibilities. The novelty had long since faded.
"Brother-in-law, don't worry. Sister Tsunade will be fine," Misaki said reassuringly as she carefully drew blood from Tsunade.
Kawakaze gave a forced smile but remained silent. He couldn't completely relax until the results were definitive. At the moment, sending a message to Sakumo was the furthest thing from his mind.
"I'll go do the test. You two stay here," Orochimaru said, taking the blood sample Misaki handed him before turning to leave the room.
Now, only Kawakaze and Misaki remained.
"Brother-in-law," Misaki called softly.
"Hm?" Kawakaze glanced at her briefly.
"You know this is a very dangerous thing. Why didn't you stop Sister Tsunade?" Misaki asked, her tone tinged with confusion. Kawakaze's deep concern for Tsunade was obvious, so why had he allowed her to take such a huge risk? If it were Nawaki, she wasn't sure she could accept it.
"Your sister Tsunade is a person with her own ideas, not my subordinate. It's that simple," Kawakaze replied firmly. His words reflected his clear stance—if Tsunade chose to act, he wouldn't stand in her way. But if she refused, even the Sage of Six Paths himself would have to go through him.
Misaki fell silent, pondering Kawakaze's response. This perspective was something she hadn't considered before.
"You'll understand sooner or later. Nawaki is a good boy," Kawakaze said with a slight smile. Misaki's interruption had unexpectedly lightened his mood.
"Tsunade is very healthy. Let's wait until she wakes up," Orochimaru said as he reentered the room. His expression carried good news, and he held a blood analysis report in his hand.
"Let me see." Kawakaze snatched the report and glanced over it, his face quickly filling with confusion.
"Ahem... Misaki, help your brother-in-law interpret this," he said, feeling awkward about asking Orochimaru for clarification after taking the report so abruptly.
"Haha, okay." Misaki chuckled at his antics and took the report from him. After scanning some key indicators, she smiled. As Orochimaru had said, Tsunade's body was incredibly robust.
"What do you think?" Kawakaze asked, looking expectantly at Misaki.
"It's normal. No, actually, it's healthier than average," Misaki corrected herself, her tone light.
"You still don't believe me." Orochimaru sighed, rolling his eyes—an unusual expression of exasperation for him.
"Sorry Let's go to my... your house for dinner some other time," Kawakaze replied casually, clearly unrepentant. He had no intention of admitting he was wrong, much less paying for his mistake with dinner.
His attitude was baffling—one moment he was worried, and the next, he was smiling. Kawakaze's ability to shift moods so quickly was remarkable.
"I don't want to deal with you," Orochimaru muttered, convinced he was speaking to a madman.
"No, I just thought I'd bring Ginji to see Satsuki," Kawakaze added, licking his lips, trying to inch closer.
"Please leave my sight in a graceful manner," Orochimaru said sharply, immediately seeing through Kawakaze's intentions. Trying to take my daughter away? Not a chance!
"How can you say such a thing? I've always considered you a close friend," Kawakaze replied, feigning a heartbroken expression as if performing in a play.
"Haha~" Misaki couldn't help but laugh, clapping her hands. The last traces of tension in the room vanished completely.