Main World.
Autumn, Konoha Year 21.
New Capital, British Continent.
The Empress's bedchamber, Imperial Palace.
It was late at night. Moonlight spilled through the thin window gauze, casting silvery patches on the floor. No lamps were lit inside; there was only moonlight and the faint bustle of New Capital's night drifting in from afar.
Toyotomi Liuli leaned against the headboard, her long black hair scattered across the pillow, a few stray strands clinging to her cheeks. A flush still lingered on her face, and her breathing had yet to settle completely, but her eyes-those eyes glimmering faintly scarlet in the moonlight-were unusually clear. Her Mangekyō Sharingan had faded, returning to ordinary black, yet something still turned slowly in their depths.
Toyotomi Yinglang lay beside her, one hand tucked behind his head, the other gently stroking her long hair. His gaze rested on the ceiling, as though he were looking at something, yet also as though he were looking at nothing.
"Yinglang."
Liuli spoke languidly, her voice carrying a trace of the huskiness peculiar to the aftermath.
"Hmm?"
"Our child... what will we name them?"
Toyotomi Yinglang's fingers paused.
"Ryukōshi."
Liuli frowned slightly.
"Ryukōshi... does that name work for either a boy or a girl?"
"It does."
A faint smile curled Toyotomi Yinglang's lips.
"For a boy, it's 'shi,' meaning succession. For a girl, it's 'kō,' meaning radiance. Ryukō-Liuli's light, my light. Shi means to inherit; kō means to illuminate. Boy or girl, the name fits."
Liuli fell silent for a moment.
"You do know how to choose a name."
"Of course."
Toyotomi Yinglang's voice was calm.
"He's my child. I can't choose his name carelessly."
He paused, turning his head to look into Liuli's eyes.
"If your child is a boy, he'll be the Crown Prince. The Empire's heir. I'll