Holy shit,' Takeshi thought, his baby brain struggling to process what he was seeing. 'That's actually Tsunade. The future Slug Princess, sitting right there in Mito's arms like any other baby.'
Mito approached with a warm smile, though Takeshi could sense her underlying strength. Even carrying a baby, she appeared to have highly trained senses and fluid movements, completely exuding an air of power.
"Miyuki, thank you for inviting me here. It's been far too long since we've got together and talked," Mito said, settling down beside them. "And is this Orochimaru?... my, what striking eyes he has."
Takeshi felt those keen black eyes studying him with an intensity that made him uncomfortable. It was like being examined by a microscope—he had the distinct feeling that Mito was seeing more than just a normal baby.
"You're completely right Mito, when we get the chance we should talk over some tea. Would you like to hold him?" Miyuki offered.
"Of course."
When Mito's arms encircled him, Takeshi immediately noticed two things. First, her chakra was absolutely massive—like sitting next to a barely contained ocean of power. Second, and more disturbing, was that he could swear she was analyzing him just as intently as he was analyzing her.
"Hello there, little one," Mito said softly, and Takeshi nearly jumped out of his skin. For some unknown reason he felt terrified of this lady yet she did nothing to him.
'Wait a second...Kurama has the ability to sense intense emotions right? And if he is sealed inside of her at this point in time and she's his jinchuriki, can she see I'm really a grown man's spirit inside of a baby!'
Anxiety instantly spread over him, and he began to make cooing baby noises and filled his mind with thoughts of breast milk and pooping in order to not compromise himself. Mito simply looked at him and laughed for a moment, making faces at him babies would find amusing.
'That strange feeling he gave me earlier must have just been a fluke on Kurama's part.'
'I don't have flukes, useless woman!'
'SHUT UP YOU OLD FOX!'
Takeshi, still doing his baby act, couldn't tell that the woman currently holding him was having an internal argument with the infamous nine-tailed fox: Kurama.
In her other arm, Tsunade began to fuss, making small grabbing motions towards Takeshi.
"Oh, I think Tsunade wants to meet her new friend," Mito laughed. "They're almost exactly the same age—she's only two weeks older."
'Two weeks older than the original Orochimaru,' Takeshi corrected mentally. 'I wonder if the timeline is exactly the same, or if my presence here has already started changing things.'
Mito carefully positioned them so they were facing each other. Tsunade immediately reached out with chubby baby hands, managing to grab a fistful of Takeshi's dark hair.
"Ah!" he yelped, from both surprise and pain. 'How is she already this strong as a baby!?' He thought as he tried to break free. But in a few seconds, he resigned himself to his fate.
Tsunade giggled and babbled happily, completely fascinated by his unusual golden eyes. She was acting exactly like any normal baby would—curious, grabby, and completely unaware of anything beyond her immediate sensory experiences.
"They seem to like each other," Kenji observed with amusement.
"Yes," Mito said thoughtfully, still watching them both with those piercing eyes. "I think they're going to be very important to each other as they grow up."
The adults continued their conversation while Takeshi found himself being pawed at by baby Tsunade, who seemed determined to explore every inch of his face with her tiny hands.
"Mito-sama," Miyuki said respectfully, "would you like some tea? We were just about to serve the birthday cake."
"That would be lovely, thank you."
As the party continued around them, Takeshi found himself in the strange position of being simultaneously the center of attention once again as he was placed at the front of the dining room table with a big birthday cake in front of him. Tsunade was in Mito's arms right beside him, still trying to tug on his hair.
Disharmonious singing rang out in his ear as everyone sang the classic 'Birthday Song' to him.
The cake sloppily read 'You're One!' with a singular candle on it that was rapidly melting
'Well I'd say they get points for trying.'
All the adults gathered around him and Miyuki gently stroked his head and said, "Make a wish Orochimaru. Just lean in and blow the candle out."
'What should my wish be? Hmmm...should I wish for world peace, or to become the strongest. Does anything even actually happen when you wish for things on your birthday? Back on Earth, wishes definitely didn't come true but here it might be different...'
The adults strangely looked down at Takeshi as the baby seemingly contemplated what to wish for. Miyuki and Kenji could only nervously laugh at this situation and explained he's always been a peculiar child.
Just as he was close to thinking of the perfect wish, he leaned forward to blow out his candle but was suddenly stopped by a force on his left.
'Oh no.'
Tsunade had broken free from Mito's grasp and started pulling on the top of his head. However, she soon saw the birthday cake in front of her and could not resist her instincts to blow out the candle on top.
'Hey! That's my cake, someone really needs to teach this girl some manners.' Takeshi irritatingly thought.
He struck her with a karate chop to the head - and said out loud with quite a struggle, "Don't...do...that."
At his actions, Tsunade grabbed her head and began to silently cry to herself as Mito placed her back in her arms.
Seeing this, all of the adults just began to laugh and began the final celebration of the event.
The party slowly wound down as evening approached, and guests began to make their leave after saying goodbyes. Mito was among the last to go, spending extra time talking quietly with Miyuki and Kenji.
"I'd like to arrange some playdates between Orochimaru and Tsunade," she said. "It's important for children to have friends their own age, its good for their development. I would also like to apologize for not being able to extend you guys an invitation to Tsunade's first birthday but Tobi and Hashi can get a little overprotective at times." She said with an apologetic expression.
Miyuki exchanged a quick glance with Kenji, then smiled reassuringly. "Oh, there's no need to apologize, Mito-sama. We understand completely. After all, the Senju household has been through a lot, and Tsunade's safety comes first."
Kenji nodded in agreement. "We're honored you'd consider a playdate with our son. Orochimaru's always been quiet and observant. A little friend would really do him some good."
As Mito prepared to leave with Tsunade, she paused beside Takeshi one more time.
"I believe you're going to be quite the interesting young man, aren't you, Orochimaru?" she said quietly, so only he could hear. "When you're a little older, I want you to start watching over Tsunade for me."
A chill ran down Takeshi's spine at her words, but she then leaned forward and gave him a kiss on the forehead.
'Maybe she isn't so scary after all...'
Tsunade, still in Mito's arms, waved her little hand at him in a perfectly normal baby goodbye, already distracted by a colorful ribbon on Mito's sleeve.
But as his parents cleaned up the party remnants and prepared him for bed, Takeshi couldn't shake the feeling that his new life had just become significantly more complicated.
"What did you think of Mito-sama?" Miyuki asked Kenji as they tucked Takeshi into his crib.
"She's a very nice lady. I can see why the two of you get along in the hospital so well, although your natural charm also plays a huge part." He said slyly.
Miyuki just heartily laughed and they each gave their son a forehead kiss.
"Goodnight Orochimaru, and Happy Birthday." Miyuki quietly said, and the door to his room slowly came to a close.
Outside his window, the moon shone down on Konoha, and somewhere in the village, a baby girl with blonde hair was sleeping peacefully, completely unaware of the strange boy with golden eyes she'd met that day—or the destiny that would eventually intertwine their lives.
The future Legendary Sannin had officially met each other for the first time, though none of the watching adults could predict just how their friendship would shape the ninja world. And Takeshi, despite all his future knowledge, couldn't predict how much his presence might change that destiny.
'Things are about to get very interesting,' was his last thought before the addicting state of sleep claimed him.