After observing Hayama Shirakumo for a month and confirming that he had no rejection reaction to the Sage Seal, Kakashi finally breathed a sigh of relief.
As of now, Hayama Shirakumo was the only person who had been officially branded with the Sage Seal.
The numbers were admittedly a bit low.
However, he could also consider placing a Sage Seal on Itachi Uchiha.
Although Itachi's way of thinking could be somewhat extreme, his tactical mind was exceptionally sharp. Moreover, with Kakashi around, any of the boy's more radical ideas could be immediately corrected.
Thinking of this, Kakashi sighed softly to himself.
Even if he counted Itachi Uchiha and Might Guy—who was currently practicing chakra control techniques—that only made three people. This was still quite a far cry from his expected goal.
But Kakashi wasn't in a hurry.
Time was still on his side; Naruto was only seven years old, and there was still plenty of time for everything to fall into place.
With those thoughts in mind, Kakashi stood up, preparing to leave.
Currently, Kurenai was five months pregnant, and Hikari was three months along. Although they had a maid to look after them, Kakashi still needed to set aside time every day to accompany both of them.
As the days passed, Kurenai and Hikari's bellies grew larger, and the due date drew closer.
Kakashi put his official duties on hold, spending every day by his two wives' sides.
"I want to eat that!"
On the streets of Konoha, a heavily pregnant Hikari clung to Kakashi's arm, pointing at a cold drink shop along the road.
"No. Shizune said you can't have cold things right now."
Without hesitation, Kakashi firmly rejected Hikari's craving.
"Why is it that I can't eat anything..."
Hikari felt like she was going crazy. Since becoming pregnant, all her favorite snacks and treats had been packed up by Kakashi and sent over to Naruto's house.
That little brat Naruto had been so happy he nearly jumped through the roof.
Leaving her behind, grinding her teeth in frustration.
But for the sake of the little one in her belly, she endured!
"Since you can't eat anything anyway, let's go home. Watching all this is just making you crave it more."
Kakashi smiled and gently brushed back a few stray hairs from Hikari's forehead that had been ruffled by the wind.
"I guess so..."
Hikari hung her head in defeat.
Seeing that his wife had agreed to go home, Kakashi carefully took Hikari's hand, intending to head back the way they came.
At that moment, a figure rushed toward Kakashi from a street corner.
The newcomer had dark green short hair, wore a black-and-white maid outfit, and had a cute, delicate face. This was the maid Kakashi had hired to look after Hikari and Kurenai: Natsu Hyūga.
Although it was somewhat surprising that this maid—who was supposed to be looking after Hanabi Hyūga—had applied for the position, Kakashi had hired her after a thorough investigation.
In addition to Natsu Hyūga, Kakashi had also hired a professional nanny. Together, they were responsible for the daily lives of Hikari and Kurenai.
"Natsu, what's wrong?"
Looking at the hurried Natsu Hyūga, Kakashi felt a sense of confusion.
"Ka... Lord Kakashi!"
"Lady Kurenai... her water broke! She's at the hospital now. You need to get there quickly!"
Natsu Hyūga spoke while struggling to catch her breath.
Kakashi was startled. He immediately looked at Hikari by his side, trying to suppress his inner instability to speak, but Hikari took the initiative to release his arm.
"Go ahead," she said. "I'll just go home with Natsu."
Kakashi didn't say much; he simply nodded and looked at Natsu.
"Then I'll leave Hikari in your hands, Natsu."
"Please rest assured, Lord Kakashi," Natsu replied with a quick nod.
Kakashi didn't waste another word, disappearing instantly with a Body Flicker.
When Kakashi arrived at the hospital, a nurse specially arranged by Shizune was already waiting at the entrance.
"Lord Hokage, please follow me."
"Lady Kurenai is on the third floor."
Kakashi didn't speak, simply signaling for her to lead the way.
Reaching the deepest part of the third floor, the area was currently deserted. Aside from the ANBU members guarding from the shadows, not a soul was there.
Both Kakashi and Kurenai were orphans, so even with Kurenai giving birth, there were no relatives to notify.
"Lady Kurenai is inside. Lady Tsunade and Lady Shizune are both assisting with the delivery. Please do not worry, Lord Hokage."
After giving the update, the nurse hurried away.
Looking at the operating room with its lights on and hearing the faint sounds of pain coming from within, Kakashi sat alone on the cold bench in the hallway.
Kakashi didn't know exactly what he was thinking; for the first time, he felt as though time was dragging on agonizingly slow.
About two hours later, the doors to the operating room were pushed open. Kakashi instinctively stood up to face whoever came out.
Tsunade emerged in surgical scrubs, holding a swaddled bundle in her arms. She looked at Kakashi in the empty hallway and spoke:
"Everything went smoothly. It's a girl."
A girl?
It doesn't matter.
Boy or girl, it's all the same to me.
Kakashi truly didn't mind either way.
As Kakashi approached, Tsunade intended to show him his newborn daughter, but to her surprise, Kakashi bypassed her entirely and walked straight into the operating room.
Looking at the man, Tsunade smiled knowingly, gently cradling the infant as she followed him in.
Entering the operating room, Kakashi first saw Shizune finishing up the post-delivery procedures. Then, his eyes locked onto Kurenai, who was lying on the bed, her hair damp with sweat.
"Are you okay?"
Kakashi carefully took Kurenai's sweaty hand, leaning down to ask softly.
"I'm fine... where's the baby?"
Kurenai tried to sit up with some difficulty, but she was immediately stopped by Tsunade, who had followed them in. Tsunade then gently placed the baby beside Kurenai.
"The baby..."
Looking at the tiny new life she had just brought into the world, Kurenai reached out and touched the child's cheek as if she were a piece of fragile porcelain.
Kakashi also looked at his daughter.
She had fine, white hair. Other than that, it was hard to tell if her features resembled Kakashi or Kurenai yet. Furthermore, newborns were always a bit red and wrinkled.
"Kakashi, give this child a name."
Looking at her daughter with pure affection, Kurenai turned her gaze with effort back to Kakashi.
"Let's call her Mirai."
"Mirai Hatake."
Kakashi spoke warmly, carefully brushing a stray lock of hair from his wife's forehead.
"Mirai?"
"That's a beautiful name."
Kurenai smiled, her eyes returning to her daughter.
"Kurenai just gave birth and needs to rest. You can head out now."
Kakashi wanted to take another look at his "wrinkled" daughter, but he was ushered out by Tsunade.
Though he felt a bit reluctant, Kakashi didn't protest. After all, Tsunade was the world's best medical ninja.
After leaving the hospital, Kakashi returned home to find Hikari already waiting for him.
"You're back?"
"How is Kurenai?"
"Boy or girl?"
The moment he entered the room, Hikari, who was sitting on the living room sofa, immediately dropped her manga and fired off a barrage of questions.
"Everything went well. Both mother and daughter are safe."
"Where's Naruto?"
Kakashi sat down next to Hikari and took her hand.
"Naruto said his classmates were having a gathering tonight; he probably won't be back until late."
Hearing Kakashi's words, Hikari chuckled and popped a grape from the fruit bowl into her mouth.
So it's a girl...
Then the one in her belly must be a boy!
"Lord Kakashi, please wait a moment, dinner will be ready soon!" Natsu's voice drifted in from the kitchen.
Kakashi acknowledged her. Looking around the house, he thought about using the time while Hikari hadn't given birth and Kurenai was still in the hospital to expand the home.
In the past, there was no need for such a thing.
But Mirai was born, and soon his and Hikari's child would be born too. They would need a nursery, and with Naruto's room and the need to care for two infants, they would also need a room for Natsu the maid.
As it stood, the house was becoming a bit too small.
Kakashi shared his thoughts with Hikari.
"I'll leave it all up to you," she said.
"If it comes down to it, I can just stay over at Tsunade's place for a while during the construction."
Hikari didn't mind at all, simply popping another grape into her mouth.
Kakashi nodded and said nothing more, only instructing Natsu to prepare a nutritious meal for Kurenai, which he would bring to the hospital later to check on her.
The next day.
Kakashi had always been a man of great efficiency. Having decided on the home renovations yesterday, he immediately called for the Captain of the Konoha ANBU.
Tenzō.
"While it is indeed convenient in a certain sense, Senior Kakashi, taking this for granted is a bit much, don't you think?"
Tenzō looked at the Hatake residence with a helpless, wry smile.
He was the Captain of the ANBU, yet here he was, called away from his duties by the Hokage himself to do a private job.
And a private job with no pay, at that.
"Well, I'm counting on you. I'll treat you to a drink later."
Kakashi looked at the man beside him, pressing his hands together in a sincere, apologetic gesture.
"Forget the drink. I guess I can't say no since it's you, Senior."
Tenzō was merely teasing Kakashi.
He followed Kakashi to the backyard of the Hatake house. Looking at the brick and stone walls, Kakashi used an Earth Style jutsu to forcibly stretch the ground. The backyard pond and the sunflowers Hikari had planted all moved toward the empty lot behind them as the ground shifted.
Tenzō then began forming hand signs.
"Wood Style: Four-Pillar House Technique!"
As Tenzō initiated the Wood Style jutsu, countless wooden planks surged from the ground, rapidly assembling themselves. In just a few moments, a job that would have taken ordinary workers several days was completed by Tenzō in an instant!
Looking at the wooden courtyard—which was slightly mismatched with the original architecture—Kakashi was very satisfied.
The remaining work only required a professional crew to handle the interior decor; they could move in within three days at most.
"As expected of you, Tenzō. This Wood Style of yours really is convenient."
"I've suddenly realized that making you the ANBU Captain is a waste of talent."
"You really ought to be the Captain of the Construction Brigade instead."
Kakashi patted Tenzō on the shoulder, joking with a satisfied grin.
"Please stop joking, Senior Kakashi," Tenzō replied, shrugging helplessly.
"It's just a joke, don't take it seriously."
How could it be just a joke?
Nowadays, the wealth of the entire Land of Fire was pouring into Konoha. Along with the funds, more and more people were relocating to the village.
Even with the strict screening by the ninja, the village was starting to become overcrowded.
The expansion of Konoha was inevitable.
With someone as useful as Tenzō around, how could Kakashi possibly bear to leave him idle?
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