Watashi no kodomo

Chapter One

Yokubō & Chansu

A frustrated sigh passed the rosy lips of a woman at her work station. She was staring intensely into the electronic high powered microscope in front of her that hovered above a petri dish. The microscope cost was worth more than her own life and salary, which was pretty damn good. Everything in her lab was top of the line and state of the art; thanks to her generous employer. Haruno Sakura was the country's best Reproductive Endocrinologist (RE) and she was hired for a specific task that would benefit and change the world.

Pulling away from the ocular lenses, the RE grabbed at the roots of her pastel color tendrils in order to relieve some stress. Not that it helped much. The petri dish held another failure, and another waste of an ovum and semen sample. Fertilization of the ovum and semen did not occur this time. She was certain it would work.

This was her latest attempt of successfully producing a viable blastocyst for her employer. She wasn't looking forward to meeting with him for their monthly progress report, which was tomorrow, and she had nothing to show for again. The exhausted and visibly strained woman sighed and decided to stop for the night, or early morning, seeing as how the sun was going to rise soon. Another fruitless day at the lab. She leaned back into her black chair and stared up at the pristine white ceiling. She needed a break from this work, to go outside for once instead of being coped inside the lab. It would have been nice if she had hands to help her with her assignment. Her employer was firm when he said he wanted her alone to work on this project.

Sakura couldn't believe how hard it was to produce a single embryo, but in her defense she was working with semen that has been cryogenically frozen over a decade and surprisingly particular. She's created embryos before that resulted in fetuses for parents who couldn't conceive on their on. Sakura was one of the best infertility doctors there was, but this task seem almost impossible in her eyes. So it frustrated her greatly when each of her attempts resulted in nothing but failure. She was perfectionist and over achiever, so it left a sore spot in her soul.

The male specimen she was given were contained in 10 vials. She was given three vials to use at her disposal. The semen was viable, but it wasn't enough to achieve conception, and if fertilization had occurred the zygote didn't progress further. It was beyond frustrating and Sakura's deadline will be up in six months.

It's spent over a year trying to successfully create a stable embryo and if she didn't achieve this in the next six months she will be out of a job most likely.

"Orochimaru-sama," she started while rubbing her face, "is not going to be please with me tomorrow." Sakura groaned and began cleaning up her work space, grabbed her jacket and locked up for the night.

The large building that was NoloCorp was practically empty of inhabitants except for the security guards who were on the night shift and were waiting to get relieved by the day shift guards.

It had been a long and unsuccessful night for Haruno Sakura and she couldn't wait to get home so she could sleep her life away for the next several hours. Her meeting with her employer was set in the afternoon, and she had her less than impressive report already completed. There wasn't much to include this month seeing as how she was unable to achieve anything except for the fact that the sperm and egg were not compatible enough, yet again.

She would have to search extensively for a new perfect female donor, which was another pain in itself. Not a lot of women donated their eggs, because of the long, emotional, and tiring process. Not only were the potential and willing donors expected to be completely healthy, but also in top physical shape and meet specific criteria. She managed to find two optimal candidates and the process to gather their eggs took less than a month, a matter of two and half weeks, before she was able to begin the process again. It seem as if she was going to have do more interviews again for new potential donors.

Sakura pressed the elevator button and got inside once it arrived. She was dead tired and leaned tiredly against the thin railing and wall. She dozed off slightly before jerking awake when she reached the basement. The garage was empty except for her white car, and the sound of her heels echoed loudly in the vacant space.

The doctor used to be wary by being the only person down here, but because of her constant late night ventures here she wasn't as afraid as she had been the first couple of times.

Sometimes, one of the security guards, Kiba, would escort her down to her car in an act of chivalry before asking her out to dinner, which she declined swiftly but politely time after time. She didn't really have time to go out on dates, especially with this assignment she has dubbed, Project: Designer Baby.

Orochimaru-sama had made it clear to her that she was to devout all her time and energy into this project. She wished she realized the amount of work, time and difficulty that came with it before agreeing to take on this assignment when he recruited her last year. It did help that her salary almost doubled since her hiring, but if she did not show anything for her work then her funding for her lab will be cut and she wouldn't be getting a paycheck at all.

Her job left her without a social life in the past year and her friends were beginning to wonder about her. She would go months without making contact and they would worriedly seek her out. Sakura smiled inwardly while thinking of her caring friends. She was lucky she had them, but they worried too much. Sakura had always been rather self sufficient and independent.

Sakura reached her car and opened the front door, and she stopped abruptly when she suddenly noticed a small, white paper on her window shield. Her peppermint colored irises took in her surroundings briefly with suspicion before grabbing the note and reading its content. In the back of her mind, she was wondering if it was Kiba's attempt of asking her out again, but her arched brows furrowed in upset when she realized it wasn't from Kiba.

It was another threat. Oh joy!

Sakura frowned as she crumpled up the note and hastily got inside her car. The threatening notes that were posted on her car seem to be increasing in their frequency in the past few months since she's been able to stabilize the zygote for more than a few days. The more time she spent working and studying to improve its chances of survival, the more the mysterious threats she received. Sakura took the pieces of paper with a grain of salt. If anything, it was annoying.

The doctor hadn't spoken a word of it to anyone besides Kabuto-san, but if this kept up, she just might have to inform him again with its revival.

Sakura wasn't someone who was easy to scare off. Her personality and temper didn't allow her to be fearful, especially when the person who was threatening her didn't have the balls to approach her in person. She was more than capable of defending herself. Whoever it was, hid behind a piece of paper and pen.

How threatening can that person be in reality?

If they really wanted to scare her off she would like to see them try.

Sakura scoffed, and she threw the note into the back of her car where it collected with the other crumpled up notes on the floor. She recalled the note within her mind as she started the engine and drove off, 'Quit! Or face the circumstances!' The doctor scoffed in indignation.

"As if I'll ever give up." Sakura muttered lowly with firm conviction.

During the drive home, Sakura could feel sleep creeping up on her now that she was away from the facility, and already the newest note was already forgotten in the back of her mind. She was almost home and could almost feel the comfort of her bed already brushing against her skin. It wasn't long before she was parking and heading upstairs to her condominium.

Sakura happily unlocked her front door and kicked off her heels as soon as she entered into her home. It was spacious, homey, warm and most importantly all hers. She bought this new place a little over a year ago when she was given the position at NoloCorp to work for Orochimaru.

Entering her bedroom, Sakura shed her clothing and jumped into bed with her dog. The Hokkaido pup was sleeping soundly before his owner landed besides him. He slowly opened his dark eyes tiredly before snuggling closer to her. Sakura smiled at her six month old pup as she pet his white fur gently. If she could imagine how a cloud felt, it would feel like Hachiko's fur.

"I see you made yourself comfortable in my absence, Hachiko." Sakura murmured softly as she closed her eyes to sleep, while half listening to the birds sing as the sun rose.

"Another month without success,"

Sakura inwardly winced at the overly calmed tone of her employer, Orochimaru. Despite how she felt such disappointment on the inside, she maintain her poised and neutral front.

She knew he was disappointment, and more importantly his displeasure was rolling off of him in ripples at her debriefing moments ago. Not only did she have to face her failure in front of him, but also in front of his associate and personal assistant, Dr. Yakushi Kabuto, who was also her direct supervisor. This afternoon couldn't get any worse for her.

After this meeting, she was taking the day off. She couldn't possibly go back to the lab feeling depressed and discouraged as she was now. Sakura waited for Orochimaru to continue on venting his disappointment in her. The past few months he has been displeased with her work and killed the perfectionist inside her each time she sat in front of him with no new progress.

"I, personally, recruited you for this assignment because you were the most promising reproductive endocrinologist of your generation. I had the utmost faith in your medical and scientific abilities to create a simple embryo that would hope to grow into a healthy fetus. This should be child's play for you, Haruno-san. How many babies have you conceived for childless couples? Yet, you can't seem to create one for me?" Orochimaru berated with narrowed, golden irises that were also laced with confusion.

Sakura finally sighed at immense disappointment in his tone. Even though he wasn't yelling or screaming at her, it didn't mean it didn't stung any less into her heart. Orochimaru was a perfectionist himself, but even he couldn't do what she has done thus far, which is why he recruited her in the first place.

"Although, you have failed to present me with a viable embryo this month, I am seeing some progress. You are managing to sustain the zygote longer with each attempt. Your latest attempt managed to sustain the embryo for five days, correct?" Orochimaru asked with a raised brow that contained minute impressiveness.

Sakura nodded firmly, "Yes, five days and twelve hours to be exact before it stopped developing further." Sakura revealed strongly, determined not to show her disappointment in herself. "I managed to find that the semen is extremely particular to the donor eggs that I have been using, as weird and illogical as it may sound." Sakura began with an unsure look on her face.

"What do you mean?" Kabuto asked curiously.

"Well, for starters, in the beginning of the assignment I had used donor eggs from women who were optimal candidates in both age and genetic wise, but conception never occurred. Then I decided to use donor eggs from women who were in their prime of physical fitness and health. Conception occurred, but did not last more than two days. The next batch of donor eggs I had used were from women who were physically fit and healthy, but with a blood type of either AB or O after much trial and error.

The semen is extremely picky when it comes to the quality of the eggs they are binding with. So far, I've been trying to learn more information about the perfect donor egg to sustain the zygote until it develops pass the zygote stage and develop into a blastocyst." Sakura stated as she crossed her legs and pushed back a lock of her hair behind her ear. "Only then will we achieve an embryo." She finished lastly.

There was silence met and the two men had contemplating expressions on their faces. She hoped they realized how hard she has been working, and how much time she has put into figuring out the perfect donor egg to the weird and overly particular semen cells they gave her to work with. It wasn't simple, but this male specimen she was working with was extraordinary and not by normal standards.

Orochimaru was the first to speak after her explanation and he appeared more compassionate, "I apologize, Haruno-san. I understand now how much effort you are putting into this project. I didn't realize the unusual circumstances regarding the samples I have given you these past couple of months." Orochimaru began.

Sakura stiffen slightly in surprise at the unexpected apology, and felt herself smile awkwardly at the notion. It was strange seeing her boss act like this.

"It's alright, Orochimaru-sama, I apologize for taking so long to complete this assignment for you." Sakura told him with a crestfallen expression before her peppermint colored irises sparked with renew motivation and vigor.

"As Shishou always used to tell me, never give up and never back down from a challenge." Sakura stated with a smirk.

"I will complete this project before the given deadline, and I will revive the Uchiha clan once again." Sakura vowed evenly and with conviction. There was a fire lit in her belly that would not extinguish until she became successful. Orochimaru smirked at the woman's ambition and steel strong vigor. Tsunade trained this woman well indeed.

"I'm counting on you, Haruno-san. I'll see you next month for our monthly meeting. I will be expecting more progress. " He told her expectantly before he dismissed the doctor from his office. He watched her leave before turning to Kabuto with a grim expression on his tightly lined lips.

"I didn't think it would be this difficult to produce an embryo inside a lab, but this woman is the best besides Tsunade in the world right now." Orochimaru stated evenly across from an equally concerned Kabuto. The silver haired man smirked smugly while fixing his glasses. "Maybe her age is too young, she lacks experience for this." Orochimaru commented with concern.

"You must admit though, she has progressed far more than the others in the past decade. Sakura-chan has managed to sustain a zygote for almost a week. The others couldn't get pass the fertilization phase, at all, and they were thrice her age. I think for a thirty three year old, Sakura-chan has met our expectations surprisingly well thus far." Kabuto revealed truthfully. "She won't disappoint." He added for good measure.

"Yes, I am aware of that, but I want a child to result from this project. A zygote is useless to me. I need an actual, living, breathing Uchiha in my hands." Orochimaru hissed out in an obsessive glee. "There hasn't been an Uchiha around in decades after they were wiped out in a single night half a century ago, they're becoming nothing but a myth now to this new generation. Luckily for us, I managed to buy the semen of an Uchiha worth millions of dollars." Orochimaru recounted in wonder at his luck. He's never bought something that expensive before that it nearly left him bankrupt, but the end results would be worth so much more than what he had to dish out to get it. It was a minor set back in the bank, but it was nothing he couldn't replace in a matter of months.

Once he had an actual, living breathing Uchiha infant in his possession he would be the most fame scientist in the world for bringing back an extinct clan with powerful eyes.

"Yes, but let's not dwell on the past and look forward to the future. I believe in Sakura-chan's skills and determination. She will be successful and we will have the world's first Uchiha in our hands in over fifty years. You will be renowned all over the country and the world for reviving a dead clan with their powerful eyes. Imagine how much a single child would be worth in the black market?" Kabuto stated with growing enthusiasm at the prospect.

One child could be sold for millions if not billions in the military sector, and since they still had semen in their possession more Uchiha's would be harvested and grown for sale once Sakura-chan figured out the correct formula to sustain them long enough to be inseminated for surrogacy.

"Yes, and Haruno-san will be the means to bring that dream into a reality." Orochimaru grinned smugly.

"Ahhhh, this is great!" Sakura moaned pleasantly as she laid down on a comfortable table as she received the greatest massage in the world. The masseur's hand was a bit on the strong side, but that was what she needed because she had a lot of knots in her shoulders from all the straining she caused it by hunching over at the lab. After today, she will feel like a new person and she will get back to work on her project. Sometimes, she needed to give herself more breaks to relax or else she would drive herself crazy.

"Wasn't this a great idea, Forehead?" Ino moaned out just as happily as she received her own massage just a few feet from her best friend. Sakura grinned in agreement. "Yes, best day ever." Sakura stated as she closed her eyes to enjoy the rest of her massage in peace.

A half hour later, the two women were wearing their white robes and feeling relaxed after their deep tissue massage. Next, they were heading into the sauna room to have some girl time and to catch up properly. It's been over a month since the two women last saw each other.

Entering into the sauna room, Sakura and Ino removed their towels to the side and leaned leisurely against the wooden bleachers to enjoy the steam filled enclosure. They've been childhood friends for many years so being bare in front of each other didn't phase them.

"This is heaven for sure." Ino muttered happily with a deep sigh. Sakura hummed in agreement before asking Ino about her precious godson.

"He's doing great, he's staring to walk, believe it or not. I don't know whether to be happy or worried. Now that he's walking he's going to get into everything, I can feel it." Ino stated with concern, but in her icy blue eyes there was warmth and unconditional love for her first born child.

"I'm planning his first birthday next month, so you better not miss it, Forehead. I don't care if you have to miss work for it and to forget about your precious project for a day." Ino bit out with narrowed eyes. "You're not missing Inojin's first birthday." Ino declared her blatant threat to her best friend.

Sakura laughed in good nature before assuring her best friend that she wasn't going to miss her godson's first birthday. "I promise, I'll be there." Sakura told her before sinking against the wall further and letting the steam relax her overly worked and stressed body. She felt all her worries melting away.

"When are you going to try for the second one, Ino?" Sakura questioned casually with closed eyes. "You know I'll be happy to help out again." She added with a small genuine smile.

Ino looked thoughtful before twisting her lips slightly to the side. "Well, I was thinking about trying again after Inojin's birthday party. I've already spoken to Sai about it and he's into trying again for a second child." The blonde stated happily. "It's a big perk when your best friend is the best infertility doctor in the world!" Ino gushed excitedly, causing Sakura to rolled her eyes and stated, "You're exaggerating."

"But it's the truth! I hope this new job of yours won't interfere with monitoring my treatment right?" Ino questioned with a raised brow. The blonde knew Sakura was much more busy with this new job than her practice. When she was first monitoring to conceive with Inojin, Sakura had been working in a prestigious clinic, before branching out and opening her own office, so she was always there for her. But this time around she was working for this private facility she never heard of before. So, she wasn't sure what to expect this time around.

"I promise it won't, I work during the night anyway. I can monitor you during the morning at my office downtown." Sakura informed her. "I'm pretty sure the techs will be happy to see me, and my partner has been running the office since I've been gone. So, if for some reason I can't come in one morning, he will be there." Sakura added for assurance. Ino nodded her head, slightly satisfied by what she heard.

"So, when are you planning on settling down? After Inojin was born, everyone from our old group started getting married and having kids, well, except for Neji." Ino started with curiosity, and with slight concern for her best friend. Sakura hasn't been with anyone serious since college and that was so long ago already. The career driven woman needed to settle down soon or at least be in a serious relationship by now. Ino didn't want Sakura to be lonely or alone the rest of her life.

Sakura groaned openly at the question before her eyes turned somber at the question. It's not that she didn't want to settle down, it was just the timing was wrong, her work schedule wasn't ideal, and a common medical condition she had was a little overwhelming to deal with. It wouldn't work out at all if she got into a relationship with someone, never mind having actual children she wouldn't have time for. She barely had time to see her friends and her dog!

"I don't know. It's not something I really think about right now." Sakura mumbled out in an attempt to be nonchalant. "Maybe in a few years, but right now I'm focused on my work." She explained.

"Forehead, come on, what's wrong?" Ino coaxed as she shook the pastel color haired woman out of her aloof shell. She was determined to get the real reason out of Sakura. These excuses weren't cutting it anymore, and she was itching to set her best friend up on a blind date. Ino's persistence set off Sakura's temper.

"Pig, I'm practically married to my career right now and with this new project I literally have no time. You have no idea how stressful this job is! I wouldn't have the time to date a man long enough for him to get to know me, let alone propose and have a family with." Sakura bit out in a long rant as she painted out her current life to her best friend.

"Forehead, you're a workaholic, everyone knows that and you're dramatic. Once this project of yours is over with, you're going to date a man that I'm going to set you up with. No, if's and buts about it either. I'm serious!" Ino pointed out sharply.

"I already have a few in mind already for you that you'll like." Ino grinned in mischief. Sakura nodded her head knowing how head strong and stubborn Ino was. "Fine, if it will make you happy I'll do it. My deadline is in the next six months." Sakura inwardly hoped.

One month later

~0~

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY INOJIN!"

Everyone cheered excitedly at the newly made one year old as he clutched onto his mother's bosom tightly. His small, cherubic face was in a state of shock and growing terror at all the people shouting at him. He couldn't understand a word they were saying and the constant flashing of lights irritated his lightly colored eyes. He decided to shield his eyes from the annoying lights and hide in his mother's neck. It was soft and warm, the perfect hiding place.

"Aww, he's scared." Ino cooed adorably with a big smile. Her big boy was a little shy, something he inherited from his father. "Inojin, come, look at the cake." Ino coaxed excitedly to her toddler as she pointed to his fairly large three tiered birthday cake.

The boy gently brought his head back out to look at the brightly colored cake his mother was pointing to. He furrowed his brows cutely before reaching out to the cake to grab at it. It was an assortment of different color blues and it caught his eye, especially the smell of it. It smell really good!

Ino was distracted by one of her friends while Inojin reached out to touch the top of the tiered cake. It wasn't until she felt Inojin's small hand rub against her face that she realized he got to the cake. A flash appeared then and Hinata laughed behind the camera.

Ino sighed at the mess he made of her and him. All of her friends laughed and she smiled as she stared at her big boy's icy blue eyes. The two pairs of icy blue irises stared at one another in a staring contest before Ino gave him an Eskimo kiss, which resulted in the toddler laughing loudly. How can she be mad at him on his birthday?

"I'll clean him up while you go wash up." Ino smiled gratefully as she passed her son to his father. "He's going to be a handful this year," Ino scowled lightly in prediction as Sai grabbed hold of his son. "Just like his mother," Sai muttered lowly as Ino walked to the kitchen to wipe the frosting off her face. Sai turned to look at his son and he smiled with his dark eyes. His heart felt warm. A year went by fast since Inojin was born.

"Let's get you clean up." The artist told him lightly as he carried his blonde haired son off to the bathroom.

On his way to the bathroom to wash his son off, Sakura appeared from the living room with wipes, already anticipating the need to clean the one year old off.

"Hey, Inojin, how's my big boy today." Sakura cooed in greeting as she gently wiped his hands and face of frosting. "He hasn't been one year old for barely a day and he's already getting into messes." Sai joked lightly as he handed Inojin to his godmother.

"Wait until he turns two, then the real fun begins." Naruto warned knowingly as he held the hand of his two year old son, Boruto. The blonde haired boy was staring brightly at Sakura as she held Inojin in her arms. The toddler was holding onto his godmother tightly as he stared at Boruto with bored eyes. Inojin was happy being in Sakura's arms, and Boruto on the floor.

"Obachan, me too." Boruto exclaimed in growing jealousy, and his sapphire irises widen in expectation as he broke free from his father's hold and ran to her side. He pulled at her sundress eagerly.

Sakura sweat dropped before rubbing his head softly and lifting him up with her free arm. The two toddlers stared at one another before Inojin smack Boruto in the face with his chubby hand, and there was a scowl on his cherubic face at Boruto's sudden close proximity. He didn't like to share, especially his Sakura-chan.

"Inojin, no, that's not nice." Sakura said with a stern look on her face. The two toddlers started fussing with one another and Sakura did her best to appease the two.

"Geez, Sakura-chan, you make it look so easy." Naruto whined in envy as he watched her carry his two year old son and a one year old without much effort. Sakura-chan was always really strong, even when they were kids. She was also a natural with children, too. The perfect babysitter!

"What can I say, I ate all my vegetables growing up. Something you didn't do Naruto. I don't know how you survived on ramen your whole childhood." Sakura wondered before placing Boruto down, and shifting Inojin to her other hip. The toddlers were getting too fussy for her liking. Sakura could already tell that her godson was going to be more like Ino in personality than her laid back and aloof husband. Jealousy was definitely a Yamanaka trait that Inojin inherited from his mother.

"So, Sakura-chan, when are you blessing us with our own nieces or nephews?" Naruto asked with a raised brow and a good nature smile. He wondered if she was dating again. The last time Sakura was with someone was almost twelve years ago. Some guy she had met on a trip after graduation in Suna. He couldn't remember what happened in the end, but he knew Sakura was really depressed after it was over. He never saw her so in love again.

Sakura's expression flinched uncomfortably before she bit her bottom lip. She tried to evade Naruto's question without getting annoyed. "Maybe in a few years. I'm not really in a rush." Sakura replied casually, shifting her attention to Inojin, hoping Naruto would leave that subject alone.

"A few years? Awww, Sakura-chan, that would take forever." Naruto complained childishly, and Sakura felt her temper rise at his persistence. Naruto never knew when to quit until he found her fist connecting with his head. She glared heatedly at him with growing irritation, and the blonde flinched in fear. Warning glare.

"Then I guess you're going to have to be patient then. Besides, I have a huge project I'm working on at the lab. I don't have time to date." Sakura gritted out dangerously low and her glared narrowed further at Naruto to drop the subject. She didn't want to upset Inojin by her angry tone and hoped the toddler didn't get scared of her look. The toddlers watched the adults with curious eyes. They knew something was wrong, but couldn't comprehend it fully.

The blonde got the hint and hurriedly left with Boruto to escape Sakura's growing eerie. She usually took it out on him most of the time and he didn't feel like getting a concussion today.

"He's still clueless," Sai commented with a smirk as he watched his blonde friend run away. "That's Naruto for you, I don't know how Hinata puts up with him." Sakura muttered out.

"Sakura-chan, I haven't seen you around lately, how is your project going?" Sai asked curiously. No one knew what Sakura did in that lab of hers up on the hill at NoloCorp. The doctor rarely spoke about it either, besides how stressful it was.

Sakura smiled at his question, happy that Sai was taking an interest in her life. It's been awhile since she's seen everyone.

"It's stressful, I haven't made a lot of progress, but I'm not giving up." Sakura stated vaguely. She was under a nondisclosure contract to speak on the project. She couldn't give out too many details. "I just hope I make a break through soon or else I won't be apart of NoloCopr in a few months." She bit out with a nervous laugh.

Wanting to change the subject, Sakura asked Sai, "Have you and Ino decided on which school to place Inojin in? The academy is accepting a year early now. Maybe Inojin can be enrolled when he turns three." Sai shook his head. "Ino doesn't want to rush him. She wants to enroll him when he turns five. She's worried she's not letting him enjoy his childhood if he enrolls early." Sai started. "I, on the other hand, want to enroll him when he turns three. He'll have a head start." Sai continued with furrowed brows. "We're trying to compromise. I'm hoping he gets started as soon as possible." He let out a forced awkward smile. Sakura noted he was getting better at mastering his smile.

"Not if I have anything to say about it." The two adults and toddler heard Ino's voice coming from the kitchen hallway. Sai sighed slightly before rubbing the back of his head.

"Ino, we agreed to talk about it more next year. Let's not take the option of the table." Sai told her as they made their way into the kitchen. He didn't want to lose this particular battle. "I started the academy when I was three by my father." He added soon after, implying an unspoken tradition that he wanted to continue.

"Sai, our little son isn't going to fight other boys, he's still going to be a baby. Besides, what's the point of keeping the old ways of ninjutsu? Inojin will do better in a civilian school." Ino retorted with firm eyes. She wasn't going to budge from this. She thought the academy was a waste of time and money. Her son was not going to be recruited into the military once he graduated. Ino believed it was all propaganda from the government to recruit soldiers by promising them shinobi ranks and skills. The way of the ninja died out a long time ago.

"Besides, when he comes of age I was thinking of enrolling him at my dance studio. It's a lot more safer than the academy and Inojin would be a fine dancer with my guidance." Ino stated with a dreamy look in her eyes. Her son could be the next star dancer in the most famous stages of Konoha theaters.

"My son is not going to be a fragile ballerina." Sai retorted with a frown, which caused Ino to glare at him in offense.

Sensing an argument brewing, Sakura slowly slipped away with Inojin in her arms from the warring couple. It was clear her friend wasn't going to win this battle, not against the stubborn bull that was her best friend. Ino always got her way and she rarely relented, especially when it came to her son.

"Hmm, your daddy got himself into trouble, buddy." Sakura told the toddler as she walk out to the patio in the backyard with the rest of her friends. Sakura's expression brighten up when she saw Hinata sitting in the backyard with her newborn cradled in her arms. The soft spoken woman had given birth two months ago to a little girl, Himawari. The baby was the most precious thing she saw. She was surprised Naruto could create something so precious and pure.

"Hey guys!" Sakura exclaimed as she approached them. Inojin began to babble as he saw the familiar people longing around his home. He held some of Sakura's long, pastel color locks in his chubby hand.

Hinata, Hanabi, and Neji greeted Sakura warmly as she stood besides Hinata, peering down into the newborn sleeping in Hinata's arms. The doctor gazed longingly with desire at Himawari.

The baby had black downy hair, sun kissed skin, and rosy lips and cheeks. She was like a glass doll, perfectly made without any imperfections. Sakura loved babies.

"She's so beautiful, Hinata-chan." Sakura complimented with a soft look in her eyes as she continued to stare longingly at the baby in her friend's arms. Hinata smiled in pride as she too gazed at her daughter.

"Thank you, Sakura-chan, she's been the perfect baby ever since we brought her home from the hospital. Naruto and my father have fallen so in love with her." Hinata told Sakura as she gently rubbed her finger against her sleeping daughter's chubby cheek.

Hinata swiftly broke out of her trance before offering her daughter for Sakura to hold. The pink haired woman felt her eyes widen before they sparkled in glee. "Sure, I'll love too. I haven't held her since I visited you in the hospital." Sakura replied as she gently gave a sleepy Inojin to Hanabi.

The toddler rested his head against the dark haired woman's chest, and he stubbornly closed his eyes. "I'm going to give him to Ino to put down for a nap." She stated before going back inside the house to find her blonde haired friend.

Neji moved closer to Sakura, and his eyes soften at the sight of his second cousin. She was the newest jewel to be welcomed into the Hyuuga Clan. He often babysat her whenever Hinata and Naruto went out for their weekly date nights, so he's seen her plenty enough as opposed to the very busy Sakura. He felt bad for his career driven friend, but Neji felt there was more to it than meets the eye. He just had to figure out what it was that held Sakura back from dating again and having a family of her own. She's been incredibly stubborn about dating. He had his own motives as well.

Sakura felt her heart flutter as Himawari was placed into her eager arms. Her peppermint colored irises widen before warming at the sight of her best friend's daughter. Unknown to Sakura, the two Hyuuga's watching her saw small tears gathering in the corner of her eyes. The two cousins glanced at one another simultaneously, relaying their concerned looks. They weren't sure if the tears were happy or sad.

A look of understanding passed between them, and Hinata was in charged of finding out what was causing Sakura's tearfulness.

As Sakura felt along Himawari's soft cheek and black hair, she let out a somber smile. The desire to have a child right now was so strong that it ached. It hurt, because she knew that it wouldn't happen for her anytime soon. Even if she dated and found the someone to settle down with, she wouldn't be able to get him out of her heart. The man who stole her heart twelve years ago and left without a trace with it. The pain from that hurt never healed completely. It left her unwilling to be with anyone else since.

A part of Sakura's heart regretted ever stepping foot in Suna after graduation, but how could she have known that she would meet a man and fall horribly in love with him? She was twenty one at the time, it was summer, and she was eager to celebrate all the hard work she had put in for the past four years in college. Sakura had graduated with honors and had been accepted into Suna Medical School. Everything was on track for her very bright future, and then one day she met him, and her life was changed.

"Sakura-chan, are you alright?" Hinata asked worriedly as she placed a warm, comforting hand on Sakura's shoulder.

Sakura's eyes widen in surprise when she realized she had been crying, her tears had fallen onto Himawari's sleeping face. Sakura blushed heavily, embarrassed at being caught in front of her friends. She always cried whenever she thought about the past, and of him. It was still painful.

The hot tears made the infant furrow her light brows and wearily open her eyes to reveal a pair of light blue irises. The infant stared disturbingly at Sakura's before they closed and blinked tightly to wear off the sleepiness she felt. Now that she was awake she wanted to see the world.

Sakura handed the baby over to Hinata to wipe her tears away swiftly. She quickly apologized for waking her up, "I'm sorry, Hinata-chan, I didn't even realize..." She paused briefly feeling nervous at their concerned gazes. "I'm going to go home...I suddenly don't feel so well. Tell Ino I said I'm sorry." Sakura told the cousins hastily before leaving through the back way to her car. If Ino saw her leaving she would catch a fit, and right now she didn't want anymore eyes on her.

"Something's wrong with Sakura-chan." Hinata commented with concern as she gently rocked her daughter back to sleep, but the baby girl was fighting her sleep. "She hasn't been the same for awhile now." Neji commented distressed.

"But I feel it's something more deeper than that. I haven't seen Sakura cry like that in over ten years." Neji told Hinata with meaning in his pale irises. They both knew she was thinking about the past.

One Month Later

~0~

The month was coming to an end and Sakura's meeting with Orochimaru-sama had just ended a few moments ago. It was another unsuccessful month for her, especially since she hasn't come across a perfect egg donor candidate. Sakura returned to her lab defeated and disappointed in herself. She sulked into her chair and gritted her teeth angrily. Her eyes were weary and red from forcing back tears. She was an emotional wreck.

Sakura thought back to the day of Inojin's birthday party when she broke down in front of her friends. She felt embarrassed in front of the Hyuuga cousins. She couldn't stand crying in front of anyone, especially when it was over him. It made it seem like she wasn't okay and she didn't want her friends to worry about her.

Sakura decided she would get back to work and try to attempt another zygote. She got her materials prepped and began working diligently.

Three days later, Sakura examined the Petri dish under her microscope. She was checking to see if there had been any progress in the zygote's developments. She felt her heart sink. It was another failure. Sakura angrily slammed her fist onto the counter and screamed out her frustration. The Petri dish fell from its holder at the doctor's strength, spilling over the counter.

Nothing was working at all, even after all her efforts she couldn't get it to work. She was starting to doubt her own skills, and just when she did, Shishou's voice suddenly rang in her mind, Don't give up, you just got to think outside the box.

Oh, how Sakura wished it were that easy. Her mind felt like it was going to explode and she felt like giving up for the first time. She wished her mentor wasn't traveling the world on a mission so she could help her out, but then there would be a lot of people in the world who wouldn't be getting the neccessary medical help. Shishou wasn't due back for another nine months. She's been gone for over a year now and she missed her mentor dearly.

Sakura's phone chimed, signaling a text message. She glanced over to her phone and saw that it was Ino. She was confirming their appointment for tomorrow. The blonde was ready to monitor again for a second child. Sakura swiftly confirmed the time with her. If only this project was as straight forward as helping and monitoring women to get pregnant. At least Ino didn't have to undergo IVF, it was a more invasive route to getting pregnant than ovulation induction for intrauterine insemination.

An idea suddenly fluttered through Sakura's mind as she thought about Himawari. Himawari was the product of in vitro fertilization. Hinata and Naruto had trouble conceiving after Minato turned one, and the couple wanted another child. Hinata had her eggs harvested through IVF to have her own biological baby with Naruto. It was expensive, but it was worth it since they now had that beautiful baby girl. It also helped that she gave them a generous discount.

Sakura had some of her eggs frozen a couple of years ago. She had done it back when she was twenty five years old. She knew she wanted to have children someday, but knew her career and lack of a love life could potentially interfere with that dream of hers. Shishou had actually encouraged her to do it since her mentor had done the same with her own eggs. Shishou was planning on putting those stored eggs to good use after she retired. She was planning on retiring once she came back from her mission this year.

A disturbing thought entered her mind then, and Sakura chewed on her lower lip in deep consideration.

What if she used one of her own eggs that was in storage? It wasn't as if she didn't have plenty to spare, because she did.

It wasn't like there were any new potential donor egg candidates that were found yet for this upcoming month. She still had to search for more egg donors who fit the strict criteria of the Uchiha semen.

After all, Sakura did fit most of the criteria so far that she has discovered. She had the O blood type and she was both physically fit and healthy, in her humbled option.

It couldn't hurt to try, after all, it might just be another failed attempt of sustaining fertilization. She'll just use two of her own eggs she had stored. Sakura would use a spare egg in case one failed. After all, it was going to fail anyway, and she'll just have to find other donor egg women who fit the criteria.

Excitement bubbled up in her chest. She was always one to follow the rules and protocol, but since she started this project she was starting to have some fun.

Sakura felt her belly tighten in nervousness as she went through the storage room where her eggs were kept for safe keeping. She found her case and unlocked it carefully with a self designated pin code she created. The machine beeped before opening.

She gently grabbed one of the many vials that contained her eggs before storing the rest back in place. Each tube was labeled with her initials: HS. Sakura nervously hid the vials in her lab coat and quickly made her way back to her work station. She kept reminding herself that she was only attempting and that nothing but failure will result from this, because how could this possibly work? She didn't want to think about the ramifications if it did.

Orochimaru and Kabuto would kill her if they knew what she was attempting to do. There weren't really any restriction as to who could donate eggs for the cause, just that it to be done before the deadline, which was in four months. Sakura immediately went to work, pushing out any doubts in her mind as to why she shouldn't do this.

Many hours passed, and Sakura tiredly place the petri dish in for inoculation. She didn't even hope at this point because she was already anticipating failure, but she did have fun.

She would check on it in the next forty eight to one hundred and twenty hours to see if conception had occurred. If fertilization had occurred and was sustained for one week then Sakura could notify Orochimaru of her success, and a surrogate would be found to carry the developing embryo for the next nine months. And if it was a success they would be able to freeze the blastocysts until the time came for the transfer.

But Sakura wasn't going to look ahead that far, because she knew this had a high chance of failing, just as the previous ones have failed.

For now, Sakura would go home and rest until she came back to check on the development.

In the pit of Sakura's belly, she felt this overwhelming feeling of happiness before pushing it aside and heading home.

A/N: This is something new that I'm working on while I take a small break from my other stories. Let me know what you guys think about it and if you like? If this gets enough reviews I'll put up the next chapter. :)

*Dezainābebī translates to Designer Baby.

Yokubō & Chansu translates respectively to Desire & Chance.

Watashi no kodomo translates to My Child.

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, but the plot of the story and the characters I create are mine.

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Lady Manami