"Brrrrrrrrrrrrrrp."

In the kitchen and at the circular dining table, Tsunade covered her face when the baby spewed a mouthful of mushy sweet potatoes at her, painting her face with freckles. The wooden floor around them was speckled with it too and if one didn't know any better, they'd have thought that the current owners of the house was undergoing a painting crisis.

Sitting at a much safer distance away from the two, Orochimaru couldn't help but smirk as he sipped on his spicy fish ramen that he had made for them. To see the Senju princess struggle so hard against a small baby was definitely amusing. He had to admit, it was also oddly endearing that she was being so motherly as well. He froze briefly when she shot daggers at him, her amber eyes narrowed dangerously. "If you don't want me to shove this spoon," she held up the mushy covered spoon. "Up your hot ass, you'll help me feed this kid."

"Now Tsunade," he said with an lazy smile, lounging back in his chair and holding the ramen bowl to his chest. "Is that any way to talk in front of a baby? Besides, I cooked the entire meal and mashed those potatoes for him. It's only fair you feed him." When she growled, he chuckled. "Fine, I'll feed him dessert? Happy?"

"I hope he sneezes pudding all over you Orochi. Maybe then you won't think this is so funny." Tsunade glared at the baby giving her puppy eyes. "No you're not getting out of this high chair til you finish your dinner kiddo. I know Orochimar never made baby food before so it probably sucks but-" She paused briefly when her boyfriend quirked an eyebrow. "But if I cook then I'd be charged with child abuse. So eat up!"

"Hmph." Slurping on his noodles, he commented, "You'd best start eating. Ramen doesn't taste good when it's cold."

Tsunade shovelled in a mouthful of noodles before turning back to the babbling baby boy who was spreading his dinner all over his face. "You really think you can beat a nineteen year old kunoichi of Konoha? Aha!" She sneaked in a spoonful of mashed potatoes and grinned triumphantly. It was short lived however, when he just spewed it into her face.

After fifteen minutes passed, Orochimaru put down his bowl and sighed in content, perfectly full and happy. "You know, you fed him about a quarter of his dinner, and wore the rest on yourself, hime."

Tsunade threw her hands up in exasperation. "I feel disgusting!" She then pointed to the kid. "You have to eat! You're so skinny and small!" She turned over to him with a pout. "If he could call me mom, that means he has to be at least 10-12 months old. But he's so tiny I thought he was only half of that."

"Malnutrition perhaps?"

Tsunade sighed and warily pinched the giggling kid's cheek. "Maybe. If his mother died in childbirth, I suspect it might also be the lack of breast milk. That's very helpful for a baby." She scuttled over when Orochimaru sat himself down in her spot with a small bowl of pudding. "What do you think, Orochi?"

"He could have been born premature. He could be lacking certain nutrients like you say. Who knows unless you give him a medical examination," Orochimaru commented, feeding the baby who was sucking on the spoon like a lollipop.

"Yea..." Tsunade nodded, watching him. After a few minutes she piped up, "Hey! Why isn't he decorating your face with pudding?"

Orochimaru immediately grinned. "I'm feeding him dessert. Would you spit that out, Tsunade-hime?"

She slowly gaped at him. "You sneaky snake!"

"Thank you," he replied, still smiling as he finished feeding the child in record time. Gathering up the dirty dishes, he walked over to the sink to begin washing. It was already quite late. The fake starry night sky from the auditory genjutsu was evidence enough and he really could use the rest to begin planning their escape. "Go clean yourself and the kid up, hime. I'll take care of things down here."

Tsunade looked at the messy baby and replied, "You're giving me the hard job?"

"He didn't spit just on you. It's all over the floor and walls," Orochimaru commented, not taking his eyes off the dishes as he began soaping them.

"Fineeeeeeee." Tsunade grunted as she picked up the baby from his high chair and began heading upstairs to draw them both a bath. She had helped taken care of babies before and knew how to do things like wash them at the hospital, but she still dreaded the task immensely. They were so small and fragile... and she was sometimes like a bull in a china shop. "Be good ok?" she said, letting the kid burrow his face into her neck while calling her mum mum.

"Aaaaaaaaah." Tsunade leaned her head back in the hot wooden tub, relishing in the hot water lapping against her skin. The baby was in his floating bath seat and floated around aimlessly, sometimes kicking his feet to steer in certain directions. Judging by his dexterity, Tsunade was quite certain that he had to be older than six months. But still, he was so small... Adjusting her hair that was tied up into a tight bun, she reached over and pinched his cheeks as he splashed over to her. "Oh you, what am I going to do with you?"

"Mum mum," he babbled.

Tsunade smiled and splashed some water onto his shoulder. "Well first thing first, gotta pick a name for you. Weird that we can't find anything in the house to tell us what's your real name in the first place though." She tapped on her chin thoughtfully, wondering what a good baby boy name would be. There was some baby naming books she had spotted earlier. She should take a look tomorrow.

"Tsunade." Orochimaru knocked on the door. "Are you done in there?"

"Just come in, it's not like you haven't seen me naked." She smiled at him as he came in while keeping his eyes straight on the ground, walking past the dressing screen that hid the wooden tub from view.

"Really? You're still shy?" she asked, baffled.

He coughed and tugged at the collar of his shirt, trying not to look at her. He was slightly worried that catching a glimpse of her naked in the wooden tub might make him lose control, especially since they had just recently made love and the first time experience was still very fresh in his head. It simply wasn't appropriate at the moment with the situation they were in. To emphasize this, the baby squeezed his quacking bath duck. Also, if she was in a bad mood, she might punch him for intruding on her bath time. "Just because we've been intimate, doesn't mean I will disregard your privacy," Orochimaru said, coming up quickly with am excuse.

She sighed at the sweetness. "You're such a great boyfriend..."

"I'm also afraid of getting pummelled by you if you take offence at me seeing you naked," he admitted. "After all, you nearly killed Jiraiya for peeking."

At that, she immediately grouched. "Don't remind me." The incident was still mentally scarring to her. No words can described how mortified and violated she had felt when he had peeked in on her at the hot spring. He was lucky that he was her teammate and that they had grown up together, otherwise, she would have done much worse. Like pull out all of his teeth along with breaking his arms and internal organs.

"See what I mean?" Orochimaru said, gesturing to the face she was making. "Just reminding you of it puts me in the danger zone."

"What's wrong with my face?" fumed the Senju heiress. When Orochimaru deftly pointed to the baby trying to paddle away from her, she stuck her tongue out at him, her arms crossed over her chest. "What did you come in here for anyways?"

"I wanted to put the kid in his diaper before I go to bed. Rather than have you wake me up while I'm sleeping, I figured I'd better do it now."

Tsunade was slightly miffed at his implication that she couldn't even change diaper. "Hey, I took it off to bathe him."

"Putting it on is the hard part."

"You've never changed diapers. What makes you think you can do it?" she shot back.

Orochimaru immediately rolled his eyes at her. "Remember that one time you ditched me, Jiraiya and your baby brother at home to go buy us bento boxes for lunch? You got sidetracked gambling and took four hours to get back. During that time, there was no one else home and Nawaki needed a diaper change. I had to change him because Jiraiya ran away like his pants was on fire."

Tsunade's jaw dropped. "But... we were only ten. Oh and I bought you two desserts too as an apology!"

"How does being ten matter? Plenty of kids do it for their younger siblings if their parents are busy," he scoffed.

She dolefully blinked a few times before saying, "But you've only done it once."

"Once is enough for me, just like how I can perform most of the techniques Sensei taught us just from seeing it once." He picked the baby up and out of the bath. Laying him down on the counter, he easily changed him into a washable cloth diaper, before putting him into a bear onesie to get ready for bed. While he did this, Tsunade rested her chin on her arms and watched him, her heart melting at the sight. It was probably the most endearing sight of her life and she couldn't help but think that he'd make a fantastic father. He was simply superb in regards to domestic skills. The baby, just like Nawaki when he was a baby, seemed taken with his calmness and quiet. It sucked on its thumb amicably while Orochimaru buttoned up the last few buttons and Tsunade thought her ovaries might have just exploded from the adorable sight. The sight oozed parenthood, family and a warmth that she suddenly wanted immensely for herself. It was strange... even though their situation was dire, it was something she had often dreamed about. Her and Orochimaru far away from the Shinobi world and all of its troubles, and just taking care of a simple family and enjoying the simple happiness of love and a child.

"Done." He turned around and was confused by the look she was giving him. It was coquettish and coy, and for some reason, it kind of scared him. "What?"

Tsunade sighed and said dreamily, "Let me bear your child." Orochimaru stared at her for a whole thirty seconds before turning tail to run for it. Staring at him with wide eyes, she cried, "Are you kidding! We already slept with each other!"

"Becoming a lover is one thing, but I'm not ready to be a father!"

Twenty minutes later...

Tsunade stared at the hug pillow divider he had set up between them just as she got into the midnight blue four poster bed with him. "Do you want me to beat you up?"

"I'd take getting beat up than having you jump me and get pregnant," he said as he turned over on his side and met her eyes.

She swiftly whacked him with the pillow before throwing it aside and snuggling right into his chest. "Not right now but in the future, yes?"

He smiled and stroked her head absentmindedly, his fingers twining through some of the soft locks. "How beautiful do you think our child will be?"

Tsunade beamed and closed her eyes. "Truthfully, as long as the child is healthy then I'm happy. Now, do you want a girl or boy?"

"Probably a boy. Because even if you bear me a girl, she'd be a tomboy like yourself and it would be just like having a son anyways," he laughed.

"Oh stuff it you." She leaned up to kiss him on the lips, her arm wrapping tightly around him. His scent of green tea, lavender and wind wrapped around her like a warm blanket and she could feel her body relaxing, softening against contact and moulding itself to the contours of his own body, fitting against him so perfectly. "Orochimaru, I have a question," she said quietly.

"What is it?"

Hiding a slightly sad look on her face, she murmured, "Your mother knows how to summon demons. I know you said she couldn't do it because it would only cause Konoha to discriminate against your family even more, but in a life and death situation, wouldn't she have done so? Like... surely she had demons sealed away in scrolls like what you used in Uzushiogakure."

Orochimaru replied, "The three demons I used before was kept locked in the scroll because they're actually a gift from a friend of hers in the clan when she left. Just like how Manda is my personal summon, despite the fact that I can summon any snakes. She preferred to keep them in the scroll and locked away at home, like a precious gem. The same with Kusanagi for my father."

Tsunade asked, "If... if they were faced with a life and death situation, wouldn't your mother have gone all out? Use her curses and demons?"

"I'm sure she would have. But even people like your grandfather with his legendary wood release died during the war." He shifted his body and yawned, his mouth opening wide and showing his fanged teeth. "Why do you ask anyways? You wish to know more about the clan that's kidnapped us?"

"Yea," she lied, keeping still against him. As he reached over and blew on the candle, draping the room in silent darkness, she hugged him closer. "Stay with me... always?" She could feel him gently stroking her head and from the tone of his voice, she could envision him smiling at her.

"The wind cannot always be with the windmill. But no matter the distance, our bond remains strong."

"Orochimaru," she said solemnly. "Could you... or would you ever hate me?"

He was surprised by the question. "Why do you ask?"

"Just answer me."

He twirled a lock of her hair around his finger in contemplation. Finally, he said, "You may want to reword your question into would I ever stop caring about you."

"Eh?"

"I could get mad at you. So mad that I may even want to harm you. But if so, that still means I care... I'm still affected by you. It's only when I don't care whether you live or die, when I feel absolutely nothing when I hear your name, that would be the most heartbreaking to you. Don't you think?" He pressed his lips against her forehead. "After all, the flip side of love is hate. Perhaps I hate to love you."

She smiled in bemusement. "Sweet talker." She tilted her head up to kiss at his neck, her hand moving down his back and one of her leg moved to rub against his invitingly.

"I knew I should have kept that pillow between us," he said, his voice growing husky as he pulled down her shirt to bare a shoulder.

"It's not like you can resist," she purred as she let him move his hand up her stomach, teasing the skin.

"You make me feel alive, Tsunade Senju. How can I resist that?" Pulling himself over her, he kissed her hungrily and they lost themselves in that beautiful warm darkness.

"WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"

Tsunade sighed as she bounced the baby in one hand and with the other hand, she continued working on her scroll on the dining table. Thank god Orochimaru knows that weird technique to store so much stuff in himself. It was sometimes abit weird when he would regurgitate stuff out but hey, it was handy. Like right now, it was thanks to that that she had the material necessary for research. Just because she was stuck taking care of a really cute baby, she wasn't going to be lazy and not try to help with escaping. What they needed was more power and she had been dwelling upon an idea of chakra storage for awhile now. If one could store chakra and use it during a big fight, they wouldn't be susceptible to chakra exhaustion, can prolong the fight and would have their survivability boosted up to almost unrealistic measures. The problem though, was this required massive chakra control and the place of focus for chakra storage had to be somewhere that was in tune with the rest of the body, and not be near any vital organs in case control was lost. She had picked out a few spots and was now reviewing her notes to go over the final chakra flow before she attempted it. Another scroll laid nearby in which she planned to create a regeneration technique, inspired by him and his focus on survivability but that one was still in its early stages and would take awhile to complete.

"WAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!"

Tsunade pecked the baby on the head and stood up, groaning as her feet tingled from blood flowing to the soles. "Ok ok, what's up kiddo?" She cooed and tried to rock him back and forth but that did little to stop his crying. Holding him upright, she began patting his back. "Need to burp? Feeling gassy?" She then lifted him and cautiously sniffed. "Diaper isn't dirty. What's wrong?" When she got an answer of more teary eyes, she groaned. "I'm not ready to be a mom..."

Trying hard to wrack her brain about the pediatricians at her hospital, she tried to recall anything they may have mentioned to her in the lunchroom when making small chat. She could sort of remember one of them saying that almost all babies cry when they have their needles. But what the fuck did they do after to make them not cry? The kid's face was turning red by now and she could nearly bang her head against the wooden walls in helplessness. "Ummm... ummm... damn, why can't I remember any baby songs my mother sang to Nawaki," she cursed. "Wait, are you hungry?" She went over to the counter and got the milk bottle and held it up. "Want some milk?"

The baby just pushed it away and Tsunade asked, "Want some fresh air maybe?" Maybe he was an outside kind of kid and being cooped up was making him moody. She had nothing to lose at this point.

After dressing him up and making sure he was warm, with a cute little red hat to wear as well, she put him into a stroller and proceeded to head outside to explore abit of the underground village. It looked like a small countryside kind of village and under the illusionary afternoon sky, it really looked like she was out in the countryside. Adjusting her knitted green scarf that was made by her boyfriend, she pushed the kid around and watched as he stopped crying. Instead, he reached out to the illusionary falling leaves of the Autumn tree around them.

Everything would have been nice if it wasn't for all the people that continued to keep bowing to her and saying 'Lady Consort'. She never thought she'd be annoyed about getting married to Orochimaru, but here was a case that definitely takes it.

Most of the people seemed relatively normal, with a few strange colored eyes here and there. A few stood out with the ears of cats, scaled skin, tails, and one even looked like a fish with gills and blue skin! She sucked as a sensor but even she could tell that the air of chakra around them seemed heavy and dark. They were not normal and she made an effort to keep her eyes averted and tried to stay away from them. Even the children here didn't seem normal. She'd say they were like Orochimaru was when he was a kid, silent and brooding, but at least with her boyfriend she knew he wasn't tainted or touched by demons.

"Mum mum." Her baby waved a red leaf at her from the stroller.

"Oh you," she gushed as she leaned over and smiled at him. "Don't grow up to be like these people, ok? Anyways, let's try to pick out a name for you." She pulled out a small book from the underside of the stroller and began flipping through to read out loud the names for the baby, hoping he'd like one.

"What do you see when you look upon my land?" asked The Mother, standing up high on a temple and looking down at the village below.

Orochimaru crossed his arms, and gazed downward, the music of the place swirling around him like the air. "I'm sure your time is precious, mother," he said sarcastically. "What do you want to say?"

"We are unwanted," she said softly, a cool underground draft pulling at her black robe and hair. "But it is home. This cold, dark, and gentle place have sheltered these outcasts. They say gods listen when people pray, but if so... wouldn't the world above be an ideal one? Are the people not praying hard enough? Or is it just because gods do no listen." She touched her heart. "But I listen and I'm here with them in the flesh. Their devotion in their hearts shows."

Orochimaru replied coldly, "Bodies warped by devotion. Lovely."

"They are stronger, faster, and will not fall as easily as the humans who walk above our heads." The Mother laughed. "You should know that, child. Your scent is more acute than a human, and you have many benefits granted to you from those snake-like traits. Yet you have further to go still. Tell me, what do you seek?"

There was no harm in telling her so he said curtly, "Knowledge of every technique in the world."

"That would require a very long time to acquire. One that would exceed a human's normal lifespan," she commented with a crooked smile. "Not only that, but many techniques cannot be performed without the correct bloodline. Kekei-genkai..."

"It will all be mine, one way or another."

Her laugh grew louder. "If that is your wish, then I am pleased. We serpents are known for our gluttony in the devouring of things much bigger than us. Hunger drives us, and it feeds us so that we continually grow. What doesn't grow will rot after all."

She turned on her heel and began to lead him towards another giant snake head that led down to another level, one even lower than this one. The stairs downward was stone cold and only lit by the torches on the wall as they headed for the darkness below. As they walked, she said, "I will teach you all that I know. But for the rest of the knowledge that lies waiting out there, they must be discovered by yourself. That includes the extension of your life." She snickered. "But know this, humans are meant to die. To prolong a human's life is to defy the natural order. The longer they live, the more they take. This world cannot support it and sooner or later, it will all come crashing down. The bloodbath and deaths as they kill each other, would be delicious."

"Hmph, if humans all die, what would you do?" Orochimaru asked snidely.

"The feast from their own foolishness would help me grow and attain the power of true godhood, child." The Mother looked over her shoulder with a wide smile, her black eyes shimmering with delight. "Then, I shall feast on a different race. One that is much much more powerful than the humans of this world. Your consort, Tsunade Senju... in her veins runs the blood of that alien race. The smell alone is maddening my hunger." When Orochimaru's face darkened, she said, "I will not touch her, dear boy, and I will explain it all in due time." Turning to the front once more, she said solemnly, "This world stands in ignorance and mirred in its pathetic little problems, not knowing a greater one looks at it from above, hungering for everything it holds dear. The danger threads at the fringes, but sooner or later they will strike."

Orochimaru's golden eyes gleamed. "I have an inkling of what you're talking about. I've dwelled upon it when you mentioned it yesterday. Kaguya... she ate the fruit of the God Tree and that freed you. But the Sage of Six Paths is the one fabled to be the progenitor of chakra. There is conflicting information. But whatever this Kaguya is, and the Sage, they're not human are they?"

"Hmmmmm." Her lip curled. "Dear boy, you are more informative than I thought."

"I am a scholar, and one who takes the title seriously. I stumbled upon an ancient tomb with my team when we were young and found two bodies that have peaked my curiosity on their origin. They did not seem entirely human and at first, I thought they were just from a unique clan, the same way I am. But I visited Uzushiogakure later in my life and encountered another one of them. I erased my memories but I've jotted it all down before I did. Everything she's said hinted at her being a foreigner of this world." His eyes shone. "She also mentioned the name, Kaguya." He then shrugged nonchalantly. "An alien threat or a threat of demonic forces, it seems the world has much to fear. Much more than their petty little arguments amongst the nobles and Shinobi nations."

The Mother laughed darkly. "Once you become immortal, you have little for amusement save for the working of the human minds. Your lives are so fraught with emotions and chaos, it entertains me. I have no desire to harm this world, I only wish to observe and take advantage of the winds of change. If this world destroys itself, I will gladly feast on its corpse with my children here and move on to those alien beings that are out there. If not, then I shall remain in the shadows and continue to observe and learn mankind, a much more delicious treat than the souls of fools. For true knowledge exists in knowing that you know nothing, correct?"

Orochimaru crossed his arms over his chest at the saying his father had told him when he was a child. "True knowledge exists in knowing that you know nothing," he agreed. He opened his eyes and said forlornly, "That is why my goal is a never ending one. You knew."

"Of course I knew. I am your lord mother."

Evening...

"Mum mum!" The baby held up the snake stuffie in his playpen.

Looking up from her work at the big kotatsu table, from which the blanket was draped over her legs and her back was resting comfortably against the chocolate seating around it, she smiled. He had been good ever since they came back from their walk and she had actually gotten alot done. Perhaps even tomorrow, she might even be able to try out her technique. "That's a snake kiddo."

He waved the snake at her and continued to absentmindedly play with it. The both of them looked over to see Orochimaru opening the door and she quickly got up and ran over to him, hurriedly checking him over. "Everything went well? What did you do with that woman?"

"We talked and she taught me a new technique. I can stay home tomorrow and practice it," he replied with a tired smile.

"What did you two talk about?" Tsunade asked nervously, thinking about the secret she was keeping from him.

He studied her silently, deliberating on what to say. Finally, he said, "We talked about my goal of obtaining every technique that is out there, and about the nature of man." He then looked over the babbling baby and asked, "How did your day go with the boy?"

She frowned slightly at his term of words for the little baby but nonetheless answered him. "Great. Did you know he said cookie today? He's a really smart baby. I just pointed to it and repeated the word a few times and he got it!" When Orochimaru nodded, not really caring, she asked, "Going all philosophical with world talk by the way?"

"I've always been philosophical. After all, studying the world and mankind is what will lead to the truth."

"And what is this truth?"

"I will know when I discover it. After all, in the past, people didn't even know what an atom was." He walked over and settled himself down in the rocking chair, sighing at the warmth from the fireplace. This cottage-like home was definitely much warmer than he thought. He looked down when Tsunade seated herself at his feet, resting her arms and head on his lap. "What's the matter, hime?"

"I feel like you're not telling me something," she said quietly.

He laced his fingers together contemplatively. "I feel that the world at the moment is very divided. We are wasting time with pointless fighting, when it can be put to much better use like recovering lost relics and history. One who doesn't know their past, cannot hope to progress their future."

A sad expression crossed her face. "Peace is being threatened."

"Peace is fragile and undependable," Orochimaru commented. "It is human nature to be greedy and desire growth. To wish for eternal peace is only bring disappointment upon yourself. It will never last."

"You really are being philosophical," she commented.

Orochimaru laughed, low and silky. "I am merely contemplating on my future, and the thoughts I've dwelled upon but never had time to focus on." He stood up and headed to the kitchen to cook. "I've said it before, haven't I? We've had three generations of Hokages. Has anything truly changed?" His serpent eyes glinted as he looked at her. "To call upon the winds of change, we must change ourselves first. This way isn't working, so we must seek a new way."

Tsunade couldn't help but feel slightly wary with his cryptic words and attitude. He was a man with big ambition, she always knew that. It was something attractive and she loved how hard working he was, and how motivated he could be. Still, there would always be a fear that the higher you climb, the harder you fall. Somehow, she had always knew that he wanted more than just being Hokage.

"Mum mum!"

Tsunade turned to see the baby holding up his arms, wanting to be picked up. She walked over and picked him up in her arms and felt lighter to see him so carefree and happy. Striding into the kitchen where Orochimaru was slicing away at strips of beef, she nudged him with her hip. "I have a favor to ask."

"Oh?" He smirked, continuing to slice away. "And what's in it for me?"

"A sexy lap dance?"

Orochimaru immediately burst out laughing, his rich throaty tone echoing through the house. She was sexy, he will not deny that. But a lap dance from her would be the funniest thing in the world in his opinion. She simply never had a dancer's graceful movements. Even when she walked, she stomped like a man. "What could be so dire that you would pay such a price, hmmm?"

"I want your help in coming up with a name for the baby." She bounced the baby boy and he giggled. "I tried almost every single boy name in the book while you're away but he didn't seem to like any. I'm desperate enough that I'm tempted to call him baby Maru."

Orochimaru sighed, looking over at the child who was blinking his big white gold eyes back at him, while innocently sucking on a thumb. To hear her call the thing baby Maru, was really going to push his buttons. "I have no intention of being attached to something that is fleeting. Remember, he's not ours."

"I'll add in a massage along with the lap dance."

Sighing, Orochimaru dropped the knife and wiped his hands on a towel. Crossing his arms, he leaned back against the counter and eyed the child silently. After a whole minute, he said curtly, "Mitsuki."

The child giggled and clapped his hands together happily and Tsunade gushed. "He likes it! Oh my god, you're so good at this." She leaned over to peck him on the cheek. "Why that name? And how do you write it in kanji?"

He smiled as he dipped a finger into the bloody beef and began writing on the chopping board. When he finished, he said, "Mi is with the character snake. Tsuki is written as sake cup. It can be his temporary name while he's under our care if you wish it so much."

"Snake in a sake cup..." Tsunade blushed madly at the realization.

"Once I set my heart on being with you, I meant it," he said lovingly.

"Oh you." She plopped the baby into his arms and said, "I'll be right back, I want to show you something. Give me a bit, ok?"

As she ran off into the living room, he trailed after her while still keeping a short distance. The baby sniffed and reached in her direction. "Mum mum."

Orochimaru couldn't help it when a sudden idea popped into his head, thinking back on what Tsunade had said about the baby learning the word cookie. Tapping the kid on the nose, he shook his head and pointed at Tsunade who was still shuffling through her papers. "Dad."

"Da?"

He then pointed to himself. "Mum mum."

"Mum mum?" The baby sucked on his finger, now suddenly confused. Reaching over, he gently tugged on the long silky hair as if he was confirming it was real.

Orochimaru nodded as he carried him back into the kitchen with one arm, and with the other picked up the empty pan on the stove to mimic cooking. "Mum cooks. Dad doesn't."

"Da..."

He proceeded to open the fridge and he took out a can of beer. "Dad drinks beer." Walking out and over to her, he handed her the beer. "Have one, hime."

"Oh. Oh thanks Orochi, you're being so sweet right now you know?" She popped it open and took a deep swig from the pirated beer before continuing to rummage through the papers spread out on the table.

"Da da!"

Tsunade's heart leaped up to her throat and she turned around, her mouth wide open. "Oh my god, he called you dad, Orochimaru!"

But she was confused when the baby slapped Orochimaru on the face a few times and said, "Mum mum."

Orochimaru looked at the baby and grinned when the baby then reached out for her. "Da da!"

Her jaw dropped in realization. "HE CALLED ME DAD!"

Darkwings13:

-Kaguya was so fearful of the army of her people coming to the world, she built up an army of white Zetsu to prepare for the invasion.

-In episode 485 of Naruto Shippuden, Orochimaru hints at himself, Kabuto and Sasuke being insurances against future threat, and that they with the darker/more ruthless measures was necessary. He then stated that it's something Naruto would never think up, which makes me believe even more that it was Tsunade who petitioned for Oro to continue with his experiments and just be kept a close eye on so that it'd be ethical. Kakashi to me, would be very unwiling to trust and give Oro that chance and it seems that for the moment, Orochi has Konoha's best interest at heart, especially with sending his son there.

-Mitsuki originally did mean snake in a sake cup i.e vessel. He then changed the kanji to moon so now, it's snake moon or snake full moon.

(＾▽＾) Hi again Alexa! Hehe yea, I had this weird urge to have them parent and kinda bring them even closer with the experience of a make-ready family. Deep down, I feel like Tsunade and Orochimaru are very family oriented so it'd be cute.

(≧▽≦) You're welcome Lissette Paola655! Oh and I just saw your pm! I'll reply right away today my friend.

（＾ω＾）Or crack a few teeth right, Berserkeroo? XD Though Oro is unhappy, he'd definitely try to take advantage of any situation however he could, you're right. He's flexible like that. He's also probably also very intrigued by the whole thing too. Going with cannon, they'll be created. Like lab babies lol. One, his real form is that of a monstrous snake now, and Tsunade is way past the age of being able to bear children. Creating them is the only way to have kids now. And glad you love the chapter!

(ㆁᴗㆁ✿) It's slightly similar to how Kaguya has black Zetsu be her eyes for her, lumichan. But I'll definitely explain how The Mother knows so much later ;D And yes, the baby thing was inspired by Oro's future kiddies hahaha. And that letter of elopement is probably gonna sound really handy now that they're kidnapped *wink*.

(ﾉ≧ڡ≦) Ahhh how nice that you caught that JigokuShoujosRevenge. To me, Tsunade has always been super biased in anime/manga. She cares more about the people close to her, than an overall good most of the time.

(人◕ω◕) Yea I still wanted this vacation for the to still be romantic and fluffy for the most, xxhebi-himexx. So even though they got kidnapped, I added in the baby lol. You're right on point with them feeling horribly constricted to be under someone's thumb, with how proud they are. But they're strong and they know the most important thing as a Shinobi is to endure and survive. And at least they got each other :) Not going to spoil anything, but the mother and the sound clan is alot deeper on the surface ;D And personally I hope the future Boruto will show Oro using more sound based and cursed stuff. His son knows cursed techniques so that's a step in the right direction. Maybe he didn't show much because his arms were sealed for 90% of the anime, at least I hope that's the case xD It's his Sound village afterall.

y（^ヮ^）y Haha Tsuna would definitely be a great mother, KHB123. She's just as strict as Orochimaru it seems, when it comes to training and teaching as Sakura and Sasuke got very strict training. But she's also a very fun and outgoing person so she'd definintely help with making the kid be sociable. Still, her blunt mannerism would probably affect the kid hahah. To me, she'd more likely play a fatherly kind of role for some reason. I can imagine her going all threatening and cracking her fingers if she heard some girl was interested in her son, or vice versa lmao. And yea, I can picture most babies clinging to the more calm and quiet Oro than her, despite the fact that she tries xD She'd be like that loud dad parading the kid around in joy and Orochi would just sigh and take the baby back to rock it to sleep or something. I'm also delighted you caught that adoptive mother syndrome being similar to Mitsuki's tragic heroine syndrome! :D :D :D I did think of that when I typed it hahaha. I know who you're talking about lol, that was a really cute episode. But the baby currently would be much older if he met Naruto :) And yes, that news. She's very unsure at the moment on it. What do you think she should do, KHB? I'm eager to hear your thoughts on it.

（*´▽`*) Good eyes as always, BlackLady777. So many demonic and abnormal things are related to Oro, and in the end he becomes that weird giant white snake with hair, made up of countless other snakes. He is definitely no longer human in my opinion. And the Senju clan really needs to get revived. We only have the Hyuga, Uzumaki, and Uchiha clan left that has that alien blood in them. LOL to persuade Oro to get drunk again is going to be a challenge of a lifetime. He's probably traumatized with the memory. She has a short temper but yea, she has a really big heart and puts alot of faith in the younger generation. Sometimes I think it's a tad misguided, but it's still sincere. I definitely can't wait to show the struggle of parenthood for the next chapter or chapters lol. Like romantic interruptions hehehehhe. Funny enough, all Sannin seemed to failed parenthood in my opinion. Tsunade dragged Shizune through so much debt and gambling antics, Jiraiya abandoned his god son and only randomly stumbled into him after yearsssss, and Oro yea... manipulated every kid he took under his wing pretty much and just used them. He was relatively good to Kabuto though, and Karin seemed happy enough under him and Oro did show genuine care about Sasuke when he was revived, though that was probably more due to curiosity of seeing himself in the child. Haha I laughed at your wording my friend. It's true, he loves in very strange ways xDDD He'll do what's good for you, even if it hurts. Tough love lmao.