Shizune looked at the baby girl in her arms, still feeling quite reluctant. If it were a boy, being named Hachiki wouldn't be such a big deal.
But this was a girl. She knew Ryōsuke was extremely assertive.
Nevertheless, she tried to speak up.
"Ryōsuke, why don't you think about it a bit more?"
"If she's called Hachiki, what will her friends think of her in the future?"
In her heart, she wanted her daughter to have a prettier name.
Hearing this, Ryōsuke changed his tune.
"How about Hachika then?"
Shizune was utterly speechless.
"That's even worse than Hachiki."
Ryōsuke also felt the name Hachika was a bit strange. He never had much interest in naming things to begin with.
"Fine. Keep the 'Hachi' part, and you can come up with the rest yourself."
Shizune had no choice.
She had to think of something herself.
So, what would be a good name?
Suddenly, a pleasant-sounding name came to mind.
"How about Uchiha Hachiyuki?"
At least it sounded like a girl's name.
And the child's skin was as white as snow.
Ryōsuke naturally agreed.
Tsunade, on the other hand, had no objections to naming her child Nanaki.
Whether it was Uchiha Nanaki or Senju Nanaki, both sounded decent enough.
"Ryōsuke, my child will be called Nanaki then."
"There's an important matter I want to discuss with you. You know the state of the Senju Clan; there are no direct male heirs left. Could we let my child inherit the Senju name to revitalize the clan?"
After saying this, she carefully observed Ryōsuke's expression, unsure if he would agree.
Letting a child take the mother's surname.
For a man, it could be seen as a blow to his pride.
Ryōsuke frowned upon hearing Tsunade's words.
Letting his child take the Senju name to restore their prestige? That was out of the question.
It would only cause future generations to grow distant and even start fighting among themselves.
It would reignite the conflict between the Senju and Uchiha, leaving behind endless trouble.
He said with a serious expression.
"Tsunade, that is impossible."
Tsunade immediately became unhappy.
"Why not? You already have so many children, what's wrong with letting one take my name?"
"Besides, I'll have more children with you in the future and satisfy all your preferences."
Her child was Nanaki and Shizune's was Hachiyuki, which meant Ryōsuke had at least six other children, making at least eight in total.
And since she was willing to have more for him, why couldn't one take her name?
Was it really too much to ask?
Ryōsuke patiently explained.
"While your offer is tempting, no means no."
"I know you want to restore the Senju name, but this will only lead to infighting among our descendants. Perhaps the next generation will be fine."
"But what about the generation after that? The familial bonds will have weakened, and the Senju and Uchiha branches will see each other as rivals."
"It could restart the war between our two clans."
"I cannot allow that. I'm sure you wouldn't want to see that happen either."
Tsunade felt a bit dejected hearing this. She knew he was probably right.
After a few generations, things might truly turn out as Ryōsuke described, with the relationship fading and conflict resuming.
But if that was the case, wouldn't the legendary name of the Senju Clan completely vanish into the annals of history?
Ryōsuke looked at Tsunade. It seemed she had thought it through and wasn't going to be unreasonable.
He comforted her.
"In reality, our bloodline can still be considered part of the Senju. Having him inherit our legacy is the same thing."
Tsunade was a bit speechless at his words. Letting someone with the Uchiha name inherit the Senju legacy?
Although he carried her blood, if her grand-uncle ever found out that an Uchiha was carrying on the Senju legacy, he'd be absolutely livid.
Fortunately, he would never know.
This seemed to be the only way for now.
Even with the Uchiha surname, the child carried her blood and was a legitimate successor of the Senju.
"Fine, Ryōsuke. We'll do it your way."
She couldn't leave a source of future conflict for her descendants.
Ryōsuke was glad she understood.
"Once you both have recovered, how about going to see my grandfather?"
"He's my only remaining relative in the clan. Now, you are my family too."
"Family members should naturally get to know one another."
Tsunade hesitated.
"I'm not sure if that's a good idea."
"If Shizune and I go there carrying babies..."
"The entire Uchiha Clan will see us, won't they?"
"Then everyone will know about the relationship between the three of us."
She still found it hard to accept that level of public exposure.
Shizune, however, was open to it.
She wasn't a Senju, and being younger, she didn't have as many burdens as Tsunade.
Now that she had Ryōsuke's child, she felt she was part of the Uchiha Clan.
Ryōsuke realized he hadn't fully considered their perspective.
He also didn't want his private life to become the village's gossip.
"Then I'll have my grandfather come here."
"After all, the Senju compound is basically my home now anyway."
Tsunade's face froze at that last comment, and she felt a spark of anger.
But Ryōsuke was her man now, so this really was his home.
"Alright then."
The next day, Ryōsuke brought his grandfather over.
His grandfather was initially confused about why Ryōsuke was bringing him to the Senju compound.
But when he saw Shizune and Tsunade both holding babies, he understood immediately.
He had been happy when Ryōsuke brought Yūhi Kurenai home before. Having a child meant he had a great-grandson and a growing family.
Then those two captives had children as well. He no longer saw them as prisoners.
Instead, he viewed them as granddaughters-in-law. After all, their status had risen after giving birth.
What he hadn't expected was that not long after, this brat Ryōsuke brought back another woman named Yakushi Nono—the head of the orphanage the clan sponsored.
He was completely stunned.
Ryōsuke already had four women at his age.
And he had already reached the point of having children with all of them.
This was really on another level. What was he doing at sixteen or seventeen?
He was still desperately trying to increase his combat power.
He didn't have children until he was thirty. He didn't expect a brat like Ryōsuke to move so quickly, reaching the milestone of fatherhood in half the time.
He even had more children than I do; I have to hand it to him.