Chapter 97: I, Your Father, am Befuddled

As Wu was waiting for Temari and Kuro to finish their morning routine, someone he had been anticipating darted over from the cocoon-like residence she had constructed for herself in the forest.

Thanks to her insectoid wings allowing her to flitter about and change directions rapidly, Fu could fly at high speeds and arrest her momentum in an instant. This placed a tremendous strain on her core, but, as a result, her abdominal and ass muscles were the most developed among all the girls Wu associated with.

Stopping a few meters away from Wu, Fu touched down gently before practically skipping the remaining distance between them, surprising him with a big hug as she said, “You came back~” in an unrepentantly chipper tone.

Reciprocating the mint-haired girl’s embrace, Wu replied, “Of course…I told you before, didn’t I? Even if my duties require me to travel abroad, I will ‘always’ return to you…”

“Nn~!”

Though she was quickly reaching her ‘limit,’ Fu nuzzled against Wu for a few seconds longer before wiggling out of his embrace and putting a bit of distance between them. She was a bit like a cat in the way she ‘really’ wanted his affection, but the moment she felt even mildly overstimulated, she immediately pulled away from him.

Combing aside her bangs, Fu gave Tayuya a quick glance before returning her gaze to Wu and asking, “Can we fly over to Taki later? It doesn’t have to be today, but I’m starting to miss everyone…”

As she hadn’t left the Senju Clan Compound since Wu’s departure, Fu was beginning to feel her usual guilt. Fortunately, Wu didn’t hesitate to nod his head, replying, “Of course. I want to greet everyone first, but we can even go today if you’d like.”

Shaking her head, Fu replied, “No, you should relax for a bit. I don’t know how busy you were in Kiri, but I know everyone will be happy to see you. I know I am.”

Though her own words caused her to feel bashful, Fu held Wu’s gaze as she linked her hands behind her back and leaned forward slightly, staring at his face as if she were trying to burn his features into her memory. She dodged his hand when Wu tried to pat her, but he still found her behavior uniquely endearing…

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After wrapping up their training around 11 AM, Temari, Kuro, and Kankuro went to wash up while Wu, accompanied by Tayuya, Fu, and Gaara, made their way over to the main house. He was planning to prepare lunch for everyone, but before that, he needed to inform Tsunade of his arrival and greet whoever was home.

As she still had a few days left of Summer vacation, Wu found Hanabi in the living room, lazily sucking on a blue popsicle as she watched TV. The young Hyuga startled when she saw him but managed to avoid choking despite biting and swallowing half of the popsicle in one go.

“Ugh…”

Holding her throat, Hanabi delayed her greeting until Wu walked over to cup the area and gently apply his Mystical Monkey’s Palm. The flush on her face became increasingly prominent as he did so, but the pain in her throat faded just as quickly.

Earning an amused chuckle, Hanabi turned her pearl-like eyes up at Wu, shamelessly asserting, “My stomach hurts as well…”

Gesturing for the increasingly perverse girl to lie on her back, Wu didn’t bat an eye before partly rolling up Hanabi’s t-shirt and placing his palm above the location of her stomach. Her face went even redder, but that didn’t prevent the wide-eyed Hyuga from placing her popsicle back into her mouth and suckling it.

Seizing the popsicle for himself, Wu remarked, “It defeats the purpose of asking for treatment if you’re just going to exacerbate your condition…”

Punctuating his words, Wu placed Hanabi’s popsicle into his mouth while he finished administering her ‘treatment.’ When he was done, the girl was redder than a tomato, her Byakugan activating on its own as she covered her face with her hands.

Patting the slender girl’s stomach, Wu said, “Lunch will be ready in a half hour. Go do some stretches or something.”

Taking one of the sofa’s cushions with her, Hanabi ran off as fast as her feet could carry her indoors. In her wake, Tayuya flatly remarked, “You

don’t hold back, do you?”

Shrugging his shoulders, Wu replied, “Better me than anyone else. And don’t worry, I’ll be sure to give you tummy rubs later.”

Rolling her eyes, Tayuya offered her usual, “Whatever…” while Fu’s eyes glistened with excitement as she asked, “Will you rub my belly as well?”

Looking down at the girl’s flat and incredibly toned abdomen, Wu replied, “Gladly.” with a ‘serious’ expression on his face. Fu giggled in response but hid behind Tayuya when Tsunade, followed closely by Shizune and Sakura, showed up, the busty blonde remarking, “I thought it was a bit noisy out here. So, you’re finally back?”

Shaking his head, Wu replied, “Unfortunately, this is just a very realistic dream. I’m afraid you’ve finally succumbed to your longing…”

Turning her eyes up, Tsunade playfully retorted, “More like a nightmare…” before getting a little more serious and adding, “News regarding the coup in Kiri has already begun to circulate. What surprised me was that there was hardly any mention of your involvement. Did you finally develop some common sense?”

Without missing a beat, Wu’s expression saddened as he replied, “Not yet, I’m afraid. I was just fortunate that the woman I chose as the Mizukage’s successor was highly competent. You girls have your work cut out for you if you want to compete. And by you girls, I mean you, Sakura. Let’s come up with a training regimen to ensure you won’t lose out to any of the other Kages, okay?”

Though she felt as though the pressure on her had suddenly doubled, Sakura raised her right fist and replied, “Just leave it to me.” with a firm, resolute expression on her face. Ever since Wu had convinced her that she was the ‘most suitable’ candidate for the position of Hokage, she had been working hard to meet both his and Tsunade’s expectations.

Nodding his head in approval, Wu spread his arms and asked, “Now, where are my ‘welcome back’ hugs? If you want your souvenirs, you’ll have to earn them…”

Since Wu was looking directly at her, Sakura’s resolution was replaced by sheepishness as she took a few tentative steps forward and allowed him to embrace her. Fortunately, he didn’t squeeze her butt as he usually did. Instead, he just held her for a few seconds before causing the faint blush on her face to shift crimson as he whispered, “I missed you…”

Suppressing her inhibitions about acting intimately in front of Tsunade, a faint smile developed across Sakura’s face as she squeezed Wu with a bit more strength and replied, “I missed you too, Wu. Welcome home…”

Nodding his head, Wu held Sakura for a while longer before releasing her from his embrace and pulling out a bouquet of bright yellow daffodils, her favorite flower. The smile on her face practically blossomed in response, her eyes narrowing in delight as she accepted the bouquet and replied, “You remembered…” in a smiling tone.

Ruffling the girl’s pale pink hair, Wu answered, “Of course.” before leaning forward to whisper, “Your other gifts will come later…”

Though Wu was actually just planning to give her a pair of earrings that resembled cherry blossoms in bloom, complete with tiny pink gemstones, Sakura swallowed nervously at the ‘implication’ contained in his words. It had been more than a month since they last slept together, so she had no doubt things were going to get ‘intense.’

Using her bouquet to hide her blush, Sakura stammered, “I…I need to go put these into water…!” before running off. In her wake, Tsunade gave Wu a pointed look, asserting, “You little pervert…”

Shaking his head, Wu gave a playful wink as he teased, “You and I both know I’m a very ‘big’ pervert.”

Rolling her eyes, Tsunade walked over and gave Wu a brief but firm hug before releasing him to question, “How long will you be home this time? The old man said he needed your input concerning the negotiations with Kumo.”

Unsurprised by the revelation, Wu gave a curt nod and said, “I’ll be sure to stop by tomorrow. For now, I intend to kick back and spend time with my family. As for how long I’ll be staying…I promised Mei, the Mizukage, that I would drop in once or twice a month. I’ll also need to head over to Taki every now and again, but, other than those two exceptions, I plan to remain in the compound and focus on everyone’s training.”

Nodding her head in approval, Tsunade asserted, “That’s good. A lot has been happening in the Elemental Nations as of late, so having you ‘home’ is preferred.”

“Oh…?”

As Kiri was out of the loop with the rest of the world, Wu wasn’t sure what Tsunade was referring to. Unfortunately, she didn’t immediately reveal the answer, asking, “Don’t you need to prepare lunch…?” before attempting to turn and walk away. Before she could, Wu grabbed her wrist, a wry smile on his face as he said, “You’re forgetting something…”

Furrowing her brows, Tsunade turned around to ask what he was talking about only to blink in realization when Wu shoved a bouquet of expensive golden Alstroemeria flowers into her face. Her annoyance at him grabbing her wrist promptly waned, replaced by a ‘helpless’ expression as she said, “Always the charmer…” before accepting the flowers with a smile.

Nodding his head in affirmation, Wu teased, “If I wasn’t, keeping such an incredibly capable beauty at my side would be inconceivable…”

Rolling her eyes, Tsunade just took her bouquet and walked away without responding to Wu’s flattery. He pretended to pout in response but shifted his gaze to Shizune the moment Tsunade fled the living room, spreading his arms in silence. The raven-haired woman smiled awkwardly, but she eventually stepped forward to embrace him, whispering, “Welcome back, Lord Senju…” gently patting his back a few times before pulling away and attempting to follow after her Lady. At least, that was her intention before Wu pulled out yet another bouquet…

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With the day eventually drawing to its end, Wu found himself lounging in Tsunade’s room in a green yukata. Tsunade was seated across from him in the same outfit but somehow managed to give off a completely different vibe due to her incredible beauty and extraordinary physique.

Though they would ordinarily be at each other like rabbits in Spring, the atmosphere within the room was uncharacteristically ‘sober’ despite the busty Senju pouring herself a drink.

Just as Wu was beginning to think something disastrous had transpired in the brief period he was away, Tsunade’s expression became grim as she revealed, “I’m not sure how it happened, but I’m around six to ten weeks pregnant…”

“Oh…?”

Instead of reacting with the solemnity that Tsunade was expecting, Wu smiled as he teased, “Seems someone stopped using the Contraception Jutsu while I wasn’t looking…”

Furrowing her brows, Tsunade balled her right hand into a fist as she said, “This is serious, Wu! I’m not ready to be a mother yet…!”

Realizing why Tsunade was so upset, an understanding, “Ah…” emanated from Wu’s throat. They ‘had’ agreed to wait until he was at least twenty before having children, so this was more than a little ahead of schedule.

Just as Wu was thinking Tsunade was going to propose an abortion, the busty Senju truly surprised him by saying, “I want you to use your Natural Energy to delay the development of the fetus for as long as possible…”

Blinking in surprise, a genuinely incredulous look developed on Wu’s face as he asked, “You what now…?”

Adopting a ‘very’ severe expression, Tsunade explained, “I don’t want to abort my first child, and we need to see what effects your Natural Energy has on the development of a fetus. If the effects are the same as they are on a person, we should be able to stretch the gestation from 28 weeks to five and a half years…”

Though he generally knew what to expect from people, Tsunade’s words left Wu completely speechless. He even smacked his forehead near the end, asking, “Are you serious…?” with the most exasperation he had ever shown.

Hanging her head in a mixture of shame and anxiety, Tsunade responded with a faint, “Please…I just…I need more time…”

Inhaling a deep breath, Wu made Tsunade think he was going to raise his voice or shut her down. Instead, he exhaled the breath all at once before adopting a wry smile and answering, “It’s a terrible idea, but it’s ultimately your decision to make. I will support you, just as I always have…”

Feeling as though a tremendous burden had been removed from her shoulders, Tsunade exhaled a sigh of relief before offering an apologetic smile and saying, “Thank you, Wu…I honestly don’t know what I would’ve done if you refused…”

Shrugging his shoulders, Wu hypothesized, “Carry the child to term and then become a great mother?”

“…”

Instead of pointing out that she probably wouldn’t make a great mother, Tsunade set aside the extremely watered-down bottle of sake and said, “I really mean it, Wu…thank you for being so understanding…”

Punctuating her words, Tsunade pulled the belt that was barely keeping the contents of her yukata contained. She knew this ‘mistake’ was almost entirely her own, so she wasn’t going to penalize Wu by denying him what they both wanted. Fortunately for Tsunade, Wu was more than willing to ‘play along’…

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(A/N: O_O…)