The door to the Uzumaki-Namikaze home clicked shut, bringing Kushina in from the bustling streets of Konoha and into the quiet comfort of her own space. The house was warm and lived-in, smelling faintly of the tea she'd had that morning and the potted herbs sitting on the windowsill. She leaned back against the door for a moment, a hand resting gently, almost unconsciously, on her still-flat stomach. A smile, so wide and full of light it seemed to brighten the entire room, spread across her face. It was a secret, precious and new, and she hugged it to herself, her heart thrumming with a joy so fierce it almost felt like one of her famous tempers.
She had just come from the hospital. The verdict was in, and the world had shifted on its axis.
She moved through the house in a happy daze, waiting for Minato. She'd sent a message to the Hokage's office earlier, a simple, urgent request for him to come home as soon as he could.
The sun was beginning to set, casting long, golden shafts of light through the windows when he finally arrived. There was no flash of yellow, no grand entrance. Minato simply opened the door, the weariness of a long day as the village leader visible in the slight slump of his shoulders. He looked tired, but his face immediately softened when he saw her.
"Kushina? I came as soon as I could," he said, his voice gentle. "Is everything alright?"
He stopped, his keen eyes taking in her appearance. She was practically vibrating with a nervous, happy energy, and her smile was unlike any he had seen before. It was radiant.
She took a deep, shaky breath, her own fiery red hair seeming to crackle with the emotion she was trying to contain. She walked over to him, took his larger, calloused hands in her own, and looked up into his kind blue eyes.
"Everything is more than alright, Minato," she whispered, her voice thick with unshed tears. She brought one of his hands up and pressed it flat against her stomach. His brow furrowed in confusion for a second before his eyes widened in dawning realization.
"I, uh… I went to the hospital today," she continued, her voice trembling but her smile never wavering. "And, well… it looks like you're going to be a father, ya know!"
The words hung in the air between them. Minato stared at her, his lips parted slightly. The ever-present calm of the Fourth Hokage, the unflappable hero of the Leaf, shattered completely. His face, usually a mask of gentle composure, cycled through shock, disbelief, and then, a wave of pure, unadulterated joy so powerful it seemed to take his breath away.
A tear escaped from the corner of his eye and traced a path down his cheek. He let out a soft, choked laugh.
"A… a father?" he repeated, the word sounding new and foreign and wonderful on his tongue.
Kushina nodded, her own tears now flowing freely. "A father," she confirmed, her voice cracking. "And I'm going to be a mother."
He closed the remaining distance between them in a single step and wrapped her in his arms, lifting her off the ground in a hug that was both strong and incredibly gentle, as if he were holding the most fragile, precious treasure in the world. He buried his face in her red hair, his shoulders shaking with silent, happy sobs. Kushina clung to him, laughing and crying all at once, the overwhelming emotions of the day finally spilling over.
He eventually set her down, though he didn't let go, his hands framing her face as he looked at her, truly looked at her, as if seeing her for the first time.
"We're going to have a baby," he said, the wonder still fresh in his voice.
"We are," she beamed. "He's going to have your handsome face, and my amazing hair!"
"What if it's a she?" he laughed, wiping the tears from her cheeks with his thumbs.
"Then she'll be the strongest, most beautiful kunoichi the world has ever seen, dattebane!"
He leaned down and pressed his forehead against hers, closing his eyes. All the weight of his office, all the worries of the village, all the burdens he carried as Hokage, they all melted away. In that moment, he was not the Yellow Flash. He was just a man who was going to be a father, holding the woman he loved more than life itself. And in the quiet warmth of their home, a new future, bright and full of hope, began.
The next morning at the Academy was aggressively ordinary. The air was thick with the lazy heat of the day and the drone of cicadas in the trees outside. During a short break, the students spilled out into the training yard, seeking the shade. But something was different. It wasn't the weather or the mood of the class; it was Itachi.
The usual Itachi was an island of calm, his face a smooth, composed mask that rarely betrayed a single emotion. But today, a small, secret smile seemed to be permanently etched onto his lips. There was a lightness in his dark eyes, a subtle warmth that Ryu had never seen before. He wasn't laughing or running, but the quiet joy radiating from him was as loud as a shout.
Ryu walked over to where his friend was standing alone, watching the other children play.
"Something's different about you today, Itachi," Ryu said, his voice quiet. He didn't want to call attention to them. "You seem… happy."
Itachi's head turned, and for a second, a flicker of genuine surprise crossed his features. He was used to being unreadable, a skill he had perfected even at his young age. The fact that Ryu could see through his carefully constructed calm was a testament to the strange, deep bond of their friendship. The small smile on his face widened, becoming less of a secret.
"Is it that obvious?" Itachi asked, a hint of wonder in his voice.
Ryu nodded. "Only to me, I think."
Itachi seemed to consider this for a moment, then his gaze softened. He looked around to make sure no one else was listening before leaning in slightly. "My parents told me this morning," he began, his voice barely a whisper, filled with a profound and quiet excitement. "I'm going to be a big brother."
The words were simple, but they held the weight of a whole new world.
"My mother is a month pregnant," Itachi continued, the joy in his eyes now clear as day. "They waited to tell me. They said I was busy with the Academy and my training… they didn't want me to be distracted."
For a moment, Ryu didn't say anything. He just saw his friend, not as the Uchiha prodigy, not as a future tragic hero, but as a five-year-old boy who had just been given the most wonderful news in the world. Without thinking, Ryu closed the small distance between them and wrapped his arms around Itachi in a hug. Itachi, surprised by the sudden contact, stiffened for a second before relaxing into the embrace, patting Ryu's back awkwardly.
"Congratulations, Itachi," Ryu said, pulling away. He looked his friend square in the eyes. "You're going to be a great big brother."
A rare, bright grin broke across Itachi's face. "Thank you, Ryu."
Energized by sharing his secret, Itachi's usual reserve seemed to melt away. He went to find Hana and Izumi, a new bounce in his step, ready to share his happiness with the rest of his friends.
Ryu watched him go, a genuine smile on his face for his friend's good fortune. But as Itachi disappeared into the small crowd of children, the warmth in Ryu's chest was instantly replaced by a block of ice.
The pieces clicked into place with a terrifying, brutal clarity.
Itachi's mother is one month pregnant.
The thought echoed in his mind, cold and sharp. Sasuke Uchiha will be born in roughly eight months. Sasuke and Naruto were born in the same year, only a few months apart.
His blood ran cold.
That means… that means Kushina is pregnant right now.
The happy news from his best friend was not a joyous occasion for Ryu. It was a death knell. A marker on a timeline that was now rushing towards its terrible conclusion. The abstract, far-off future he had been preparing for was no longer in the distance. It was here. It was now. He could count the remaining days.
He looked around the training yard, at the children laughing and playing, at the sun shining on the peaceful village. It all felt like a fragile illusion. A ticking clock had just become deafening in his ears. He had less than a year to change the fate of the world. And he was just a five-year-old boy.