Tsunade sat in her office in the Hokage Building.
The sky outside the window had darkened, and the streetlights were turning on one by one.
There were files piled on the table in front of her, but she wasn't looking at them.
She leaned back in her chair, a pen in her hand, the tip tapping lightly on the table.
Shizune pushed open the door and came in, holding a cup of tea, which she placed in front of her.
" Lady Tsunade, is there any news from the slug Katsuyu Sage in Shikkotsu Forest?"
Tsunade shook her head.
"No, that bastard disappeared and we haven't heard from him since."
Shizune frowned.
It's been a year.
"I know." Tsunade picked up her teacup and took a sip. "I've been holding Konoha up for him this past year. But the village's patience has its limits. The Hokage Position can't be vacant for too long."
Shizune paused for a moment, knowing that Tsunade was right.
Shinsei has been gone for a year, and the Konoha Jonin Commander has already held three meetings.
Although no one openly questioned Shinsei, the doubts in those eyes grew stronger.
The Hokage is gone, who will take care of the village? Is the threat of the Ōtsutsuki still there?
Is Shinsei still alive?
If it weren't for Tsunade leading Konoha as the former Hokage...
The ninjas below would probably have already caused an uproar.
The various clans in Konoha have been subtly hinting at their intentions to Tsunade, hoping to elect a new First Hokage.
Even the Konoha clan, the largest and most powerful family Hyuga Clan Konoha, has made overt and covert gestures to Tsunade.
I hope to support Hinata Hyuga as the new Hokage.
Therefore, Hinata, who is generally considered a good girl, publicly protested to her father.
After reporting the matter to Tsunade, he was subjected to Tsunade's iron fist.
These families, large and small, finally admitted they had behaved themselves.
The head of the Hyuga Clan has not made a public appearance for many days.
According to unreliable sources, it was because the bruises on his face hadn't faded.
Naruto has changed a lot in the past year.
He no longer talks about eating ramen all the time like he used to.
He goes out to cultivate Tenten and doesn't return until evening. He has lost weight and the lines on his chin have become more defined.
The 16-year-old boy had shed his childish appearance and now possessed the vigor and spirit of a young man.
He would occasionally stand on the Hokage Rock and look at Shinsei's portrait.
He once said something to Sakura.
"That Shinsei guy, I'm going to beat him up when he gets back."
Sakura knew Naruto was telling the truth.
Sasuke is often not in the village.
As the captain of the Anbu, he always takes on some strange and unusual missions.
Only his close companions knew that he was doing this to track down Shinsei's whereabouts.
Sakura spent almost the entire year at Konoha Hospital.
She learned Medical Ninjutsu from Tsunade, and her progress was frighteningly fast.
But every time she came out of the operating room, she would go to the Hokage Building and ask a question.
"Any news about Shinsei?"
After being asked so many questions, Shizune couldn't bear to look at her anymore.
Hinata rarely comes to the Hokage Building; she spends most of her time at home or at the Hyuga Clan's training grounds.
Her Byakugan looked strange, unlike the ordinary Byakugan of the Hyuga Clan.
Instead, there was a touch of brilliant sky blue in her eyes.
Outsiders don't understand what this means. Those unfamiliar with her only feel that her eyes are filled with oppressive force.
Only those familiar with Hinata know that those eyes are the source of the Hyuga Clan's confidence in aiming for the Hokage position.
However, Hinata never thought about becoming Hokage.
She didn't want to be the Hokage, nor did she want anyone else to be the Hokage.
Besides Shinsei.
It's as if he's protecting something for Shinsei.
She was simply waiting for Shinsei to come back, waiting for an answer that she herself couldn't explain.
Ino runs a flower shop in the village. Business is pretty good.
Every morning, she places a bunch of white camellias at the entrance of her shop.
Those were flowers that Shinsei had mentioned were pretty when she passed by before, but she hadn't told anyone about them.
Temari happened to pass by and saw it once, but she didn't ask anything; she just sighed inwardly.
Kakashi was still the same; he reported to the Hokage Building every day and then went to the Anbu to handle affairs.
But in private, he had been researching Dragon Vein and Space-Time Ninjutsu.
Orochimaru was approached by him three times, and each time he returned empty-handed.
This was the last time Orochimaru spoke to him.
"Don't look for him. If Shinsei is still alive, he'll come back on his own. If he's gone, you won't find him."
Kakashi didn't answer. He simply put away the research data on the Dragon Vein and returned it to the drawer.
Tsunade put down her pen, stood up, and walked to the window.
The nights in Konoha are very quiet.
The streetlights shone on the street, and pedestrians Earth Flow twos and threes; everything was as usual.
But she felt something was missing. She glanced down at the teacup on the table.
There's a layer of tea stains at the bottom of the cup; it was brewed this morning.
She suddenly remembered the first time Shinsei walked into this office.
The 12-year-old boy stood in the doorway, smiling, and said, "Teacher, I'm here."
"Shizune whispered behind me."
" Lady Tsunade, it's time to rest."
Tsunade did not turn around.
I'll sit a little longer.
Shizune didn't try to persuade her any further, turned around and left. Tsunade in the office.
She looked out the window, motionless for a long time. The moon hung in the sky, round and bright.
But Tsunade felt that the moon seemed a little brighter than usual tonight.
Then she sensed something; having become an immortal, he also possessed extremely powerful perception.
A familiar Chakra surge!
She turned around abruptly. Outside the window, a white light streaked across the night sky, like a falling star.
The white light landed on the Hokage Rock and disappeared. Tsunade did not hesitate.
She kicked the chair away and jumped out of the window.
Konoha, beneath the Hokage Rock.
Shinsei has always been very bold, but at this moment he seemed a little sneaky.
He took out a mask and put it on his face.
This was the mask he chose when he was working in the Anbu service.
He then retrieved it from his storage scroll.
Kaguya held a child in each arm. She followed behind Shinsei, looking around with great curiosity.
Shinsei walked ahead, wishing he could distance himself from Kaguya behind him.
It wasn't that he disliked Kaguya and her two children.
However, explaining Kaguya's identity is quite complicated.
He didn't want to be surrounded by onlookers at that moment.
No, he wanted to walk with Kaguya on the streets of Konoha.
It's because both the Hokage's office building and his home were covered by a special barrier.
The Flying Thunder God Mark that he used to keep at home has now lost contact with him.
Left with no other choice, he had to lead Kaguya through the streets.
A body dressed in a green robe descended from the sky.
Shinsei's face lit up with joy.
Tsunade landed with a heavy thud, and the stone slab cracked around her feet.
Shinsei's face froze for a moment beneath the mask, his steps halted, and his right hand Fudo swung behind him.
Kaguya followed behind him, carrying a child in each arm. She didn't understand the gesture, but still took a step forward.
Shinsei sighed inwardly.
Tsunade stood at the street corner, her arms crossed in front of her chest.
She was wearing a casual light gray coat, her hair loose and draped over her shoulders. The streetlight illuminated half of her face, making it impossible to tell whether she was angry or happy.
She stared at Shinsei for a full three seconds.
"The mask is off."
Shinsei removed the Anbu mask from her face, revealing the face she hadn't seen for a year.
He was thinner than before, and his chin had become more angular.
He smiled at Tsunade.
"It's been a long time, teacher."
Tsunade didn't laugh. She took a step closer and slapped him across the face.
Shinsei didn't dodge. The palm landed on his shoulder with such force that he took a step back.
He steadied himself, rubbed his shoulders, and knew that Tsunade had stopped exerting force.
If we really fought, this slap would have slammed him into the ground.
"A year," Tsunade said in a low voice, "Not even a letter."
"The situation is rather unique," Shinsei said.
How special is it?
Shinsei opened his mouth.
He originally planned to go home first, settle Kaguya and the two children in, and then explain things slowly.
But Tsunade had already looked over his shoulder and seen the woman behind him holding two children.
Tsunade's gaze lingered on Kaguya.
She scanned him from head to toe, then stopped at the two small babies wrapped in cloth in Kaguya's arms.
Both babies had white hair that shimmered under the streetlights.
Hagoromo was awake, her pale blue eyes looking around.
Hamura lay asleep in Kaguya's arms on the other side, his little mouth slightly open.
Tsunade is Konoha's most famous medical-nin, and her eyes are sharper than anyone else's.
She glanced at it only once, then took a step forward and reached out to part the edge of the Hagoromo clothes in Kaguya's arms.
The baby's face was revealed, the features still soft, but the shape of the brow bone and bridge of the nose had a familiar curve.
Tsunade glanced at Shinsei's profile again, then at the baby.
Her expression shifted from scrutiny to understanding, and then from understanding to an extremely complex silence.
She turned her head and looked at Shinsei. Her eyes held shock, an urge to curse, and something only someone who truly cared about him would have.
She opened her mouth, but no sound came out. Then she raised her hand, pointed to the two children in Kaguya's arms, and then pointed to Shinsei.
"Your?"
Shinsei knew he couldn't hide it anymore, so he nodded.
Tsunade took a deep breath, her fists clenched so tightly her knuckles turned white.
But after clenching her fist for two seconds, she let go and glanced down at her two children.
They were tiny, wrapped in cloth like two sleeping kittens.
Hagoromo was staring at her, her pale blue eyes calm.
As Shinsei's teacher, I should be happy.
"Let's go inside," Tsunade said, her voice much lower than before. "This isn't the place to talk."
She turned around and walked towards the Hokage Building.
She took two steps, then stopped, without turning back.
"That woman, together."
Kaguya followed behind Shinsei and asked in a voice only he could hear.
Is she angry?
"I don't know," Shinsei said, "But at least they didn't hit me, which is good."
The four people entered the Hokage Building.
The gatekeeper saw Tsunade but did not stop her.
Upon seeing a masked man with half his face covered by a strange mask following behind Tsunade, and then a white-haired woman holding two babies behind the man, the gatekeeper opened his mouth, but was silenced by a look from Tsunade.
The door closed, and only the sound of their three footsteps remained in the corridor.
Tsunade walked at the front, her steps quick.
Shinsei followed behind, his mind already racing, trying to figure out how to explain the events of the past year, how to explain Kaguya's identity, how to explain the two children, and how to explain the non-existent wedding.
He suddenly realized that he had never felt this troubled when facing Kinshiki Otsutsuki or Urashiki.
Tsunade pushed open the door to the Hokage's office.
She didn't return to her seat. She leaned against the window, arms crossed, watching Shinsei.
Shinsei stood in front of his desk, Kaguya stood beside him, and the two children were quietly in her arms.
Shizune ran over from next door and saw Shinsei, scattering the documents in her hands all over the floor.
She covered her mouth, her eyes reddening.
But seeing Tsunade's expression, she swallowed back her tears and silently left.
"Speak," Tsunade waved her hand.
Shinsei spoke, starting from the beginning.
How did he travel to the ancient past and encounter the gods of Takamagahara?
How he was chased by the Ōtsutsuki, how he encountered Kinshiki and Urashiki, how he joined forces with Madara in Takamagahara, how Amaterasu used black flames to severely injure Kinshiki and Urashiki, how he obtained information from Kushinadahime, how he returned to Shikkotsu Forest, and how he used the Dragon Vein to bring Kaguya and the two children back.
He didn't hide anything.
This includes Kaguya's identity, whose descendants she is, and the origins of those two children.
After he finished speaking, the office remained quiet for a long time.
Tsunade leaned against the window, her expression unchanged.
She looked at Kaguya, then at the two children.
Then she spoke.
She is Otsutsuki Kaguya.
"Yes."
"The two children are hers, and they are yours too."
"Yes."
Tsunade was silent for a moment. Then she spoke.
How do you plan to explain this to the village?
Shinsei has thought about this problem, but he hasn't come up with a complete solution yet.
Should he explain to the villagers that his Hokage had gone out and fooled around, bringing back two children and a woman?
This kind of thing is a headache just thinking about it. What about the Hokage's reputation?
But what else can we do if we don't say it this way?
Should Kaguya be forced to live under an assumed name, and should her two children also suffer from discrimination?
Shinsei asked himself honestly, and he couldn't do it.
Now that he had brought Hagoromo and Hamura back to Konoha, Shinsei naturally intended to give them a complete childhood.
Shinsei took a deep breath, his gaze towards Tsunade hardening.
"Teacher, I've made up my mind. I don't intend to hide anything. I'll reveal the information truthfully."
After saying that, Shinsei felt as if a thousand-pound burden had been lifted from his heart.
Then I suddenly felt that I had grown up and become a real man.
This was a feeling he had never experienced in all his years in his previous life.
Tsunade's gaze faltered for a moment, then a faint smile appeared on her face.
"Very good, you're finally acting like a man. However, you'll have to bear the consequences yourself."
Shinsei, of course, understood what Tsunade meant by the consequences.
He is the Hokage of Konoha and currently the strongest Shinobi World.
Logically speaking, no one can threaten him or make him suffer any consequences.
However, everyone has their weaknesses.
Shinsei's weakness lies in how to explain Kaguya's existence to Hinata and Ino.
She also had to explain the origins of her two children.
More importantly, what if those two girls don't forgive him?
Then I would be at a huge loss.
Also, don't be fooled by Kaguya's seemingly gentle and delicate appearance standing to the side.
But she is the origin of the legends of the Shinobi World.
The Progenitor of Chakra, the Rabbit Goddess.
Would a woman like that be willing to share a husband with someone else?