A.N.: This is the updated version of the original chapter. Hopefully I can get this story to flow better, and make the timeline more linear, in the coming weeks. But I'm confident that, once I can actually get this story to flow smoothly again, that the ideas will start coming to me for more chapters.

As always, thank you all for being so patient with me and my long absence from this story. I promise that I'll make this story better, and continue it from now on. Thanks so much for sticking with it. I appreciate it.

Tsunade walked briskly down the hallway of the Hokage tower; blond hair and light green jacket flowing behind her as she approached her office. She was running late this morning, and she knew that Shizune wasn't going to approve, but what did it matter to Tsunade? After all, she was twenty-two years Shizune's senior, and she wasn't about to back down from the younger woman now.

"I'm a grown-ass woman, and I'm not about to be put in my place by my apprentice." Tsunade muttered as she flung open the office doors.

"Tsunade-sama, you're running extremely late!" Shizune chastised as Tsunade walked into the office.

"I know, Shizune. I'm late because of that errand that I needed to run today. You recall that I was talking about it this morning before I left, correct?" Tsunade said as she sat at her desk and rubbed her temples.

"I do, Tsunade-sama, but…Are you alright?" Shizune asked as she walked over to her mentor.

"I'm fine Shizune, I'm just tired." Tsunade muttered as she leaned back in her chair.

Shizune looked down at her mentor with worried eyes. Usually Tsunade was never tired unless it was midday and she'd been drinking Sake, but she usually fell asleep at her desk around that time. Shizune gently touched Tsunade's shoulder and gave it a gentle squeeze, bringing Tsunade out of her daze, bringing her gaze over to look over to Shizune's hand, and then up to Shizune's face, and the small smile that was present there. Tsunade returned her smile before reaching into her desk drawer, pulling out her stamp and pens.

"Okay, time to get started." Tsunade said as she prepared herself for a day-wasting stack of mission assignments, mission reports, and so on.

"Tsunade-sama, if you're not feeling up to it, why don't you just do the first half of the days work, and I'll finish the rest." Shizune said as she looked down at Tsunade.

"If you insist. That'll give me some time to go over to the hospital and check in with Sakura to see how she's doing, and to check out some of the ANBU that had come in earlier this week." Tsunade replied as she looked over to Shizune, who was on her way back to the desk with the first stack of papers for Tsunade.

"If you need it done, I can go over now for you while you work on this first stack." Shizune said as she placed said stack on Tsunade's desk.

"If you could take care of the first rounds, go for it. I'll just sit here and work on these papers. But will you bring back some of the paperwork from the hospital so I can go over some of the intake work?" Tsunade asked as she sifted through the files and papers, eyes never leaving the stack.

Shizune quickly bowed to her mentor and walked over to the door and left for the hospital. Tsunade merely continued to do her work, working through the first stack, and grabbing a second stack from the small table off to her left. She had began to work through some of the assignments, steadily making headway through the paperwork. By the time she was halfway through the second stack, Shizune walked back through the twin doors.

"Sakura-san is doing fine, and so are all of the patients, but I did bring back the intake paperwork as you asked." Shizune said happily as she looked into Tsunade's amber eyes.

"That's great to hear, Shizune, thank you for checking on them for me. And I'm just about finished with the paperwork for the morning." Tsunade replied as she finished up another mission assignment.

"I can take over from here if you'd like, Tsunade-sama. You look like you can use some rest now." Shizune said as she walked over to the desk and stood next to Tsunade.

"No, I'll finish this last piece and then... We can go…" Tsunade mumbled just before she lost consciousness and fell forwards, face first, onto her desk.

"Tsunade-sama!" Shizune screamed in horror as she shook the shoulders of her mentor. When Tsunade didn't respond, Shizune quickly called in a couple of medics to take her down to the hospital.

Shizune and Sakura followed behind the medics as they were hauling Tsunade's unconscious body into an emergency room; each exchanged a look of worry and concern for their mentor. They walked in and were soon hooking Tsunade up to a few machines to check her out; pulse was normal, blood pressure was fine, brain waves were normal, and her height and weight were in check. Both apprentices were stunned, and couldn't figure out why their mentor had suddenly collapsed the way she had. Sakura thought for some time on this, and then came to the conclusion to check what no one else thought to check on Tsunade. She paused momentarily before her hands glowed a soft green color. Sakura gently placed her hands on Tsunade's abdomen, placing all of her concentration into her jutsu. She stood there for several minutes, concentrating on trying to find the source of Tsunade's collapse when her eyes suddenly bulged in shock.

"Kami…" Sakura said as she took her hands away from Tsunade's stomach.

"What's wrong Sakura? What did you find?" Shizune asked as she looked at the pink haired kunoichi. Sakura looked over to Shizune, jaw dropped and eyes wide.

"She's p-p-pregnant." Sakura stuttered as she looked back over to her mentor.

"Pregnant? How? She always told me that she couldn't have children." Shizune asked as she looked between Sakura and Tsunade.

"We'll have to wait until she wakes up to ask, but it's apparent that she has lied to us about her reproductive system." Sakura answered as she stepped away from Tsunade's bedside.

"Another thing we can ask her is who the father is." Shizune said as she walked over towards the door of the room.

"I'd like to know that as well Shizune-san." Sakura replied as she walked behind Shizune.

The two medics left the sleeping Hokage alone in the room, making their way to their respective locations; Sakura swiftly walking around and doing her rounds, Shizune on her way back to the Hokage Tower to finish working on the documents that Tsunade was unable to finish before she blacked out. As she finished her rounds, Sakura walked into her office at the hospital; being a full time med-nin, and the apprentice of Tsunade, got her some small perks. She walked over to her desk and sat in her chair, putting away some last minute files that she hadn't yet gotten the chance to file away. After the files were taken care of, her mind traced itself to her special blond, and the one and only Hyperactive Ninja of Konoha, Uzumaki Naruto. They'd been dating for a little over a year now, and their relationship kept getting stronger by the day. Sure she knew that Hinata had a huge crush on Naruto when they were younger, but she slowly fell for Gaara of the Sand, and they've been together for over three years now and still going strong. After Hinata had left to live in Suna with Gaara, Naruto had confessed his love for Sakura, again, and she finally realized that she felt the same way. They shared their first kiss at the top of the Hokage Mountain just above the fourth Hokage's head. After that, they had mutually decided to go steady for the first two years of their relationship, and they've been holding their relationship strong ever since.

She smiled to herself as the image of Naruto held itself in her mind; her one and only, and no Sasuke to cut into her thoughts. As it had been told, Sasuke never did beat Itachi, but instead Itachi had killed Sasuke, and then later died of a disease that he was harboring. It was a shame that the Uchiha bloodline could never be replicated within a suitable host, but what did it matter. Konoha was fine with it's remaining, and substantial amount, of Noble families that were occupants of the village.

Shizune stamped out the mission assignments that were stacked in the pile on the corner of the desk, and she was almost completed when Sakura burst into the office. Shizune stood from the chair that she was sitting in and stared directly into Sakura's eyes, which were wide with a new knowledge that Sakura was planning to share.

"Shizune-san, she's finally awake!" Sakura exclaimed as she came to stop at the desk's edge.

"Has she told you anything yet?" Shizune asked as she ran with the younger medic towards the hospital.

"No, but she said that she wanted to see you. I think she knows that we know." Sakura said as she reached out to the doors of the hospital.

"Well, maybe she'll tell us more if we're there together." Shizune said as they slowed their pace when they entered the hospital.

"At least we already know one half of the equation. She's definitely pregnant." Sakura whispered as they approached Tsunade's room.

The two slowly entered the room and looked to the Hokage, propped up in her bed. She turned her head towards them and locked her amber eyes with those of green and obsidian, and sighed heavily; closing her eyes for a moment, then reopening them to look back to her apprentices.

"Close the door please..." She asked, which was obeyed. When the door was closed, Sakura and Shizune looked back to their mentor. "Okay…Who did the check-up?" She asked as she looked between the two of them.

"I did, Tsunade-sama." Sakura said with a straight face; a serious conversation was about to follow, and she wanted to appear as professional as possible to her boss and mentor.

"Okay, so then I will assume that you both know of my… Situation." Tsunade said as she looked both of the younger medics in the eyes, hands clasped across her legs. Both women nodded their heads at their mentor. She sighed heavily, turning her head to look out the window.

"Tsunade-sama, I hope that you don't find this offensive in a way, but may I ask who the father is?" Sakura asked as she looked over at her mentor, who quickly turned her head back towards Sakura.

Tsunade bit her lip and turned her head away from the two medics before her. Her mind was racing, her heart beating faster with her nerves; she couldn't tell them, she just couldn't! But they would figure it out eventually, and when they did, it would be far worse than just telling them who it is now. She was cornered, she knew this, but she had no choice but to tell her apprentices. She turned back towards the younger women with a serious face. She didn't want to do this, but she had to.

"If I tell you who the father is, you must promise that you'll never tell a soul about it. Understood? Consider this highly classified information." Tsunade said as she stared the younger women down.

"Hai, Tsunade-sama!" Both young women said with a bow of their heads.

"Okay…This was an accidental pregnancy. We were both drunk, and completely beside ourselves with emotion. We shared momentary conversation, and that was all it took. When I woke up the following morning, I found my bed occupied by one other person. It was Jiraiya." Tsunade explained in a whisper, hoping that no one outside of the door could hear her.

"W-what?" Both younger women asked as they looked at their mentor's straight face.

"You two heard me. And I won't repeat myself." Tsunade said as she folded her arms across her chest and leaned back against the bed. She sighed as she looked at the two women, who were now smiling broadly at their mentor.

The two medics broke out into light squeals of happiness for Tsunade. After having found out about the baby that she was carrying, and now the father of said baby, each of them exchanged glances and shared a brainwave; they wanted to throw a private baby shower for Tsunade, but they didn't want to ask her for the time being because they knew she would turn it down, private or not. They silently decided to plan for one, and planned to throw it on a Saturday, which Tsunade had off. The two young women smiled at each other in silent agreement, and both turned back to Tsunade, who was now staring at them. Cocking one of her fine eyebrows at the mischievous smiles on both of their faces, she immediately regretted that they knew anything about her pregnancy at all.

"What are you two planning?" She asked, but Sakura quickly looked away at the clock that hung on the wall.

"Oh my gosh, look at the time! I have to get back to work." She said quickly as she walked over towards the door.

"I have to get back to the office as well. Rest up Tsunade-sama!" Shizune said happily as she walked out the door with Sakura.

Tsunade could only watch as the two women walked out of the door and down the hallway. She shuddered at the thought of whatever they had planned, but she laid back down on the bed again. It wasn't everyday that she just got to relax like this, so she would be damned if she was going to pass the opportunity up. She placed her hands on her stomach, and hummed in content before rolling over onto her side and falling into a deep sleep.

Naruto was walking along the road on his way to the hospital to pick Sakura up from work, when he noticed her come out of the front doors with a huge smile on her face. He walked up behind her with a smirk on his lips, and wrapped his arms around her waist, nibbling lightly on her pale neck. She gasped in surprise, but quickly recognized her boyfriend's loving embrace, and leaned back into his chest.

"I missed you while you were working… Anything go on today?" Naruto asked as he hugged Sakura closer to him.

"I missed you too, baby… Nothing big happened today, just some broken bones, a few scrapes and bruises on some Genin, and one major stab, but nothing overly serious." She replied as she nuzzled up closer to her boyfriend, deliberately refusing to say anything more about the day's events.

"Okay, since you had such a good day, how about I treat you to dinner tonight? I just got paid for a big mission, and I wanna take you and your mom out." He said as he released Sakura from his firm grasp.

"We can check with her, but I'm free." Sakura replied as she turned towards Naruto and pecked him on the lips before nibbling on his lower lip. They pulled apart for a moment, and Naruto growled in response.

"I like where this is going…Maybe we should skip dinner and go straight to dessert?" Naruto replied seductively, reaching back out and wrapping his arm around her waist once more.

"No, let's go ask mom, and then we can go out together." Sakura said as she grasped Naruto's hand in hers and walked off towards her house. They had been able to tolerate each others presence when Sasuke had been on their team, but now that he was gone, they were absolutely inseparable.

They made their way towards the house, hand-in-hand, talking about the day's events. Naruto told her all about his mission, and how he had traveled to and handful of outlying villages, helping a few dignitaries with some tasks, before making his way to the Sand Village to help Gaara with a few moderate tasks that he had needed assistance with, mostly with the planning of the Chunnin exam that would be happening in Wind Country that year. Sakura had told him of the days that had passed in the village, of how many of their friends were celebrating achievements and advancements of their own, how their senseis had continued to push them, and train them, even though many of them were no longer active ninja. Sakura talked the rest of the way to her home, and Naruto smiled as he listened to his girlfriend inform him of all the ins and outs of the village while he had been away.

The duo soon became a trio heading towards one of their favorite restaurants, enjoying both the food and each others company, before paying and heading home for the evening. As Naruto walked back down the streets of Konoha towards his godmother's house, he couldn't help but feel like he was the luckiest man in the world.

The sun was bright in the mid-day sky as Shikamaru walked through Suna. He covered his obsidian eyes from the glare, and quickly made his way to the house of Suna's Sand Siblings. He was more active now that he had been assigned more traveling missions, but he was mostly asked to go to Suna over the other villages, though he'd made trips to them on occasion. He's been in Suna now for almost five months, and has slowly increased his already close relationship with the lone daughter of the Kazekage, Temari. He could never say enough about her; she was everything that he wanted and more, and they were in a relationship almost as strong as Naruto and Sakura's.

"I always think that these solo missions are just an excuse for Asuma-sensei to be with Kurenai-san." Shikamaru mumbled to himself as he approached the house of his favorite female and her brothers.

He was more than likely right, but he never mentioned it in front of Asuma. He never wanted to give away the fact that he knew about their 'secret' relationship. He merely shrugged his shoulders as he continued his trek, and then silently chuckled to himself at the thought of Asuma finding out that he knew about his affair with Kurenai. His face went back to it's normal stature before he opened the door of the house that he was staying in during his mission, which he shared with the new Kazekage and his siblings. Kankuro was sitting on the couch watching TV, as per usual, and Gaara was in his study doing paperwork. Temari was more than likely upstairs tending to herself and not paying any mind to her younger brothers because they obviously didn't need it. Shikamaru walked casually into the living room and plopped down onto the recliner beside the couch. Kankuro looked over to the leaf shinobi and gave him a welcoming head nod, which Shikamaru returned. Both of them turned their heads towards the TV, which was showing the current news channel, but Shikamaru turned his head towards the stairs when footsteps were heard coming down from the second floor.

Temari stood at the bottom step, eyes locked on Shikamaru, tears beginning to well up in her eyes from their time apart. It had been almost four months since she had last seen him; he had been doing a reconnaissance mission with one of Suna's shinobi teams, acting as one of the two team leaders, and aiding them in their tracking mission for that time. Shikamaru stood up from the chair and faced the stairs with a warm smile on his face, giving Temari all the answer she needed to let her tears flow. She ran forward to embrace her boyfriend in a welcoming hug, which he returned with almost the same amount of emotion. Temari was more than okay with him not showing his emotions, as he constantly told her that she showed more than enough for both of them, but when they saw each other for the first time in months, there was always just the start of tears in the corners of his eyes. Gaara walked from his study, greeting Shikamaru before taking the scroll that was offered to him. Mission details that Baki had given him to pass over to Gaara as they parted ways near the village entrance. Kankuro, still seated on the couch, smirked as he watched his sister practically haul Shikamaru up the stairs before turning his attention back over to the TV.

Temari brought Shikamaru to her room, which had slowly become their room, and sat on the bed, patting the space next to her for him to join her. Shikamaru did as he was asked, but reclined against the pillows, motioning for Temari to follow suit, which she did. The two of them cuddled close together, embracing the silence that surrounded them. Temari cleared her throat after a few moments, and Shikamaru turned his attention towards her.

"Shikamaru, I was so worried about you." Temari whispered into his neck as she nuzzled closer to him.

"I missed you too, Temari." He whispered back as he kissed the top of her head.

"I…kinda have something to tell you…" She whispered to him with her eyes closed.

"What's wrong, Tem? Did someone upset you? Are you hurt?" Shikamaru asked as he pulled his head away from Temari and looked down into her eyes.

"Well…No. But, I did find out some exciting news. I'm pregnant." She replied, a small flash of hope sprang into her eyes.

Shikamaru was stunned. His girlfriend of ten months was pregnant with his baby. He could only stare at her, and then look down to her stomach with a somewhat confused look on his face. Temari only looked at Shikamaru, and the look on his face was making her worry more than she would have liked to. Her lower lip quivered involuntarily, and tears were forming in the corners of her eyes again as she watched Shikamaru glance between her face and her stomach. Then, he pulled her into a hug and kissed her passionately on the lips for longer than they ever had before, only stopping for air.

"I'm so happy, Temari. Thank you." He said as he pulled her closer to his body again.

"Oh Shikamaru! I'm so happy that you're happy about this." Temari replied as she nuzzled into his neck.

"I'm happy just because I'm with you." He replied as he held her in his arms.

"Does Gaara or Kankuro know? Have you told them yet?" Shikamaru questioned as he looked down into Temari's eyes once again.

"No... No, they don't know yet. I wanted you to be the first person to know." Temari replied with small frown. Shikamaru knew how much she hated keeping things from her brothers, and with news this huge, he was surprised that she had done so.

Shikamaru sat upright and moved from the bed, pulling Temari up with him. He lead her back down to the living room and asked Gaara to join them, which the Kazekage did without question. As the four of them found places to sit throughout the living room, Shikamaru cleared his throat.

"Temari and I have news to share." He began, looking between Temari and the boys. Temari nodded her head as Shikamaru caught her eyes.

"What is it?" Gaara asked as he looked between the couple.

"I'm... I'm pregnant." Temari finally said as she looked between her brothers, waiting for their reactions.

For a few minutes, nothing happened as the two boys processed what their sister had just said. And then, like lightning, realization struck both of them. Gaara, ever the calmer of the two, quietly pulled his sister aside to congratulate her on the pregnancy. Kankuro, on the other hand, was holding Shikamaru up by the collar of his shirt demanding that he be absolutely, one hundred percent, faithful to his sister or he would throw him through a wall. Shikamaru agreed, as he would never think of hurting Temari, but more so thinking of his own safety at that moment. When Kankuro was satisfied that he had scared Shikamaru enough, he placed him back on the ground and went to congratulate his sister as well. Shikamaru collapsed into the chair.

Kurenai paced her bedroom as she waited for Asuma to come and pick her up for their date. He was always late to an extent, but that was normal for him. She had always thought of it to be the cigarettes catching up to him, but they also weren't as young as they thought they were. Sure, they were young in a sense, but age was beginning to catch up to the two of them, and they were ready to settle down and retire from duty. She loved Asuma, and she was certain that he loved her, and they could do so much together, but she wanted more with him. She wanted a family with him, and she always thought that he wanted one as well. She knew that if she was going to have children, it should be Asuma's children. Like a schoolgirl, she blushed at the thought, but a knock at the door brought her out of her thoughts, and she quickly moved into the living room. She ruffled her hair up once more before she opened the door. Asuma stood there in his best tuxedo, with his eyes on her and a cigarette in his mouth, where she had anticipated one would be. She was donned in a red dress that showed off her curvy figure, coming up to mid-thigh, and black tights, complete with a beautiful pair of crimson heels. Her black hair accentuated the dress, and it perfectly framed her face, making her crimson eyes pop. Asuma smiled at her, and she couldn't tear her eyes away from his beautifully chiseled face. He smiled at her flushed face, and gently cupped her chin in his hand; his touch was warm, full of love, and Kurenai couldn't help but flush a deeper red, even as he leaned in closer to her face. He gently pecked her lips, grasped her hand gently in his, and led her out of her apartment and onto the streets of Konoha.

"You look stunning." Asuma rumbled, his voice low and rough as he gazed down at her.

"You don't look so bad yourself." Kurenai chuckled, gripping his hand tighter in hers. She felt like a young girl, pining after the most handsome boy in the class, and the thought caused her to giggle.

"What's so funny?" Asuma asked, snaking his arm around her waist.

"Just comparing myself to a love-sick school girl." She replied, a smile spreading across her lips as she placed her hand atop his at her waist.

"And I must be the boy that everyone's in love with?" He asked, a smirk on his face as they came upon the restaurant.

"Well, the boy that I'm in love with." She replied, a devious smile forming on her lips.

"Now you've earned detention after dinner." Asuma declared, gently tugging on a strand of Kurenai's ebony hair.

All she could do was laugh and pull herself away from him, entering the building before he could catch her, and claiming their table before he had the chance to snatch her up into his arms. He joined her a moment later, smiling, chuckling even as she laughed right along with him. The rest of dinner went off without any further horseplay, and the two were soon on their way back to Kurenai's apartment, stopping once along the way to buy popsicles for dessert.

When they came to her apartment, Kurenai led him inside and shut the door behind them, locking it for the night. When she turned back around, Asuma was there, and he immediately attacked her lips with kisses and nibbles, begging her for entrance. She complied as she led him, lip-locked, down to her bedroom. Clothes were discarded to the floor as they got closer to the bed, until all Kurenai was left in was her bra and underwear, while Asuma donned a black pair of boxers. Once they made their way into bed, those were quickly removed and replaced with the sheets. Skin connected with skin, and Kurenai knew that, if she had had any doubts about how Asuma had felt about her, they had just been washed away with the pure pleasure that was rattling her brain.

Eventually, they fell into slumber as their bodies gave in to the desire for sleep.

Tsunade rolled over uncomfortably in the hospital bed, and soon sat upright, rubbing the sleep from her eyes. She slowly stood and made her way to the bathroom to fix herself up a bit after having spent the entire night puking her brains out. She swore that she'd kill Jiraiya if he ever so much as thought about being intimate with her ever again. Somewhere in the distance, a certain white-haired sage shivered in fear before turning his attention back to the buxom brunette that was currently in the hot spring he had chosen for observation purposes.

"What bullshit. Morning sickness in the middle of the night? If this keeps up, I'll just have Naruto take over until I give birth." Complained the blonde Hokage, running a hand through her corn-silk locks.

She looked at her reflection in the mirror; eyes darting from her face down to her neck, and then down to the visible parts of her chest and abdomen. She may not have looked pregnant at the moment, but she most certainly felt pregnant. Why hadn't she quit after three drinks? Why didn't she consider the consequences of what the amount of drinking she did could do to her thought process? Her head was spinning with unanswered questions, and she had to grip the sink to keep from falling to the ground. Her heart was beating faster with each second, and it took several minutes for her to calm herself down enough to walk without stumbling, then to walk back to the bed to calm the raging river of nausea that threatened to take her over. Shizune and Sakura walked in and looked at their mentor, who was covering her eyes with her hands, while her back was turned towards them. Sakura walked over to the older woman and placed her hand gently upon her shoulder, giving it a squeeze. Tsunade rolled over and uncovered one eye, looking between Sakura and Shizune before she uncovered the other eye and eased herself up into a sitting position.

"Are you okay, Tsunade-sama?" Sakura asked as she looked into her mentor's amber eyes.

"I'm fine, just a little dizzy." Tsunade mumbled as she faced the two younger women.

"Are you sure, Lady Tsunade? Would you like something to eat or drink?" Shizune asked in a worried voice as she looked at her oldest friend and mentor. Tsunade shook her head, giving her a small smile.

"Okay, Tsunade-sama. I'll leave Shizune-san to check on you today. I have other patients to check in with this morning." Sakura said as she left Tsunade's hospital room and walked down the hall.

"I'm going to run a quick scan of the fetus, just to make sure it's developing on track." Shizune said as she walked over to the bed that her mentor was lying in. Tsunade nodded her head in response.

Shizune walked up to the bed and made a dozen hand signs, producing a soft green glowing chakra from her hands. She gently placed her hands on Tsunade's exposed abdomen, and moved them around to find the tiny fetus that rested within the Hokage's womb. She found the fetal child, examined it as quickly as possible, and jotted down the results for Tsunade. After the initial inspection of the fetus, Shizune withdrew her chakra, and pulled her hands away from Tsunade's abdomen. The older woman looked up at her from the bed, and Shizune smiled down at her.

"The baby's perfectly healthy, and right on target for growth and development." Shizune stated as she looked into Tsunade's eyes.

"That's good to hear, Shizune. Thank you." Tsunade replied as she looked down at her developing stomach.

"My pleasure, Lady Tsunade." Shizune replied as she left the room.

Tsunade put her hand on her stomach and held that pose for some time, her eyes never leaving her stomach as she sat there in perfect silence. Bringing herself from her daze, Tsunade removed her hand from her stomach and began to watch out the window, taking in the sunshine as it reflected off the small pond that was outside her room. Sure enough, as she did have the worst possible luck, the one person that she just didn't want to see walked into the room.

"Tsunade, are you alright?" Jiraiya asked, concern lacing his voice as he looked down at his oldest friend.

"I'm fine Jiraiya." Tsunade said, pulling the sheet up to her chest, fully covering her barely visible bump.

"What a relief. I thought that you were seriously hurt. It's not everyday that you end up in a hospital unless you're working in one." He said with a light chuckle.

"Shut up you pervert." Tsunade replied, anger present on her facial features, but a smile hidden in her eyes.

Secretly, she didn't mind hearing him laughing, chuckling or full. It brought a sense of peace to her mind, and she loved hearing it whenever she could. He slowly walked over to her bed, and placed his hand upon hers in a friendly grasp. She didn't dare pull her hand away; his touch felt so warm on her chilled hand, and she didn't want him to let hers go. Damn it, why couldn't she control her own feelings anymore? Was she so contorted from overworking herself that she had forgotten who she was previously? She could only mentally shrug since she didn't dare to move from the position that she was lying in on the bed. Jiraiya sat down next to her on the bed, and gently took both of her hands in his own large hand. A small blush rose to her porcelain cheeks, and she could only hope that Jiraiya didn't see it. She got away this time; he didn't even notice. He stood up from the bed when a nurse walked in with Tsunade's dinner, saying that he would pop by again soon before he walked out of the room; she'd been in and out of sleep since she arrived yesterday morning, and had missed lunch that afternoon. She pleasantly greeted the nurse, and waited for her to place the tray on the bed. After the nurse left the room, Tsunade sighed in relief; she still didn't have the courage to tell Jiraiya that she was carrying his child.

Naruto walked through the streets with his hands in his pockets; his mind traveling. His beautiful girlfriend was working, but that gave him plenty of time to get her her birthday present. He smiled as he walked through the streets and towards the shopping district of Konoha. Villagers walking the street called him a hero, but he knew he was far from it. Sure, he'd injured Sasuke before he had fought against Itachi, but that was just a compilation of minor injuries. None of the villagers ever caused him anymore problems, but that didn't stop him from being conscious of his surroundings. He slowly approached the flower store, and walked in to be greeted by Yamanaka Ino. Her smile was genuine, and had an older appearance after all of the things that she had gone through when she was a few years younger. Her mother had passed on when she was ten years old, shortly after graduating from the academy, and she had just gone down from there every so often.

"Good morning, Naruto-kun." Ino greeted as she looked up from the cash register.

"Good morning, Ino-chan." Naruto replied with a smile as he walked up to the counter.

"How can I help you today?" Ino asked as she stepped out from behind the counter.

"I'd actually like a dozen red roses and a dozen pink roses." Naruto said as he looked around at the flowers that surrounded the shop.

"Of course. I'm guessing that they're for Sakura-chan." Ino said with a smile.

"It's only a part of her birthday gift. I've got more planned for her later." Naruto replied with a grin.

"I know that she'll love them; you always manage to get her favorite colored roses." Ino said as she wrapped the two dozen roses in a plastic wrapping and tied them with a light blue bow.

Naruto walked up to the counter, paid Ino, and then walked out of the store with the roses. He quickly made his way back to his house and hid the flowers in his room in a vase so that they would live longer. He walked down the stairs and glanced at the clock.

"Oh, it's already 3:30. I better hurry and go get those last few minor details worked out." He said as he walked out of his house and down towards the shopping district once again.

Sakura was finished working at around 6:00, and was walking out of the hospital when a voice sounded from behind her. She turned around on her heel, and looked at Tsunade's pale face.

"Tsunade-sama, you shouldn't be out of bed." Sakura said as she walked over to the older woman and grasped her arm gently in her hand.

"I'm fine, Sakura…I need to get home and then back to work tomorrow. Shizune can't keep working in the mansion for me." Tsunade replied as she staggered towards the door.

"Tsunade-sama, I can't let you do that." Sakura said as she gripped the older woman's arm a little tighter.

"Sakura, let me go." Tsunade said as she tugged her arm away from Sakura's grip.

Sakura grasped a syringe from her hip and pierced it into Tsunade's arm, causing the older woman to gasp, and then start to teeter a little. Sakura securely grasped her mentor, and gently lead her back to her hospital room; helping her situate herself back into the bed.

"Now, Tsunade-sama, I want you to stay in bed, okay? No more added stress for you or the baby." Sakura said as the older woman slowly began to doze off.

Tsunade could only nod her head in agreement as Sakura tucked her back into the bed, dimming the lights as she closed the door behind her. Sakura walked slowly down the hall, exiting the hospital before she was stopped again. She let out a sigh of relief after she left, and was soon wrapped in the embrace of her boyfriend's arms. She spun around in his loose grip and wrapped her arms around his neck, pressing her lips firmly to his in a welcomed, passionate kiss.

"How was work?" Naruto asked as he held her in his arms.

"It was wonderfully steady. No broken bones, and no deaths. How about you?" Sakura replied as she cuddled into Naruto's chest.

"Sadly, not as interesting as yours probably really was. But, I'll survive." He replied dramatically, looking down into her eyes.

"That's good to hear. Glad your day was good." She replied as she kissed his lips again.

"I have some things that I have planned for us later, so I'll pick you up in an hour. Wear your best dress." He said with a grin.

"Really? I'll be looking forward to it." She replied and kissed him before setting off for home.

Naruto watched her walk off, and then he quickly made his way back to his house. He had to shower, so he quickly discarded his clothes, took his shower, and dressed in his best tuxedo. He managed to tame his hair slightly, but it was still just as spiky as it would always be; he sighed, defeated, and instead focused on knotting his tie around his neck. Completing that, he grabbed the two dozen roses and walked out the door of his apartment. Following the street that he knew so well from all the times that he had walked her home, he made haste as he walked so that he could see her stunning figure once again. As he approached her house, he quickly adjusted his tux so that it was straightened out, and knocked on the oak door; patiently awaiting his princess. The door creaked open, and Sakura's mom stood in the doorway. She smiled when she laid eyes upon Naruto, and then welcomed him warmly into the house.

"Thank you for inviting me in, Haruno-san." Naruto said as he bowed respectfully to the older woman.

"You're very welcome, Naruto-kun. I'll get Sakura." She replied as she walked up the stairs to Sakura's room.

Naruto rocked ever so slightly on his heels as he waited in the foyer of the Haruno household. He heard the footsteps of Sakura and her mom approaching the head of the stairs, and he took the roses he was holding and put them behind his back. Sakura walked down the stairs and stood on the final step, her eyes locked with Naruto's. She was wearing a stunning pink satin lace dress, with matching pink stilettos, and a black choker with a red rose pendant; her hair framed her face so perfectly, just her appearance took his breath away. Naruto smiled at her and took the roses out from behind his back. Sakura gasped and took them from his hand as gently as a kitten, a smile gracing her lips as she gave him a quick peck on the lips. She walked back up the stairs to her room and placed the roses in a vase on her windowsill. She was soon back downstairs and looped her arm in Naruto's.

"I'll be back later mom." Sakura said as she looked at her mother.

"Alright Sakura. Have a good time you two." Ms. Haruno said with a smile as she watched the two of them leave.

Sakura cuddled up close to Naruto as they walked together through the streets of Konoha; a smile glued to her face the entire way to the restaurant. Naruto laced his fingers in Sakura's, placing a light peck on her cheek. A blush crept onto her face, and she beamed with happiness as he held her closer to him. They reached the restaurant, were seated, and then started to converse.

"Naruto, how did you set this entire evening up without me noticing?" Sakura asked as she started to eat her dango.

"I have ways of getting things done." He replied with a smile; biting into his Teriyaki Chicken.

"You're such a sneak." Sakura teased with a smile.

"But you know you love it." Naruto countered as he grinned at her.

"It's one of your best qualities." She replied with a smile.

"But I also have something else for you." Naruto said as he reached into his tuxedo jacket.

He pulled out a velvet box and handed it to Sakura over the table. She gasped, holding the box gently in her hands. She looked up at his smile, and then back down at the box. Slowly, she traced her fingers over the box, and then opened it. She gazed in at the diamond necklace that was lying in the box on a satin cushion, tears were welling in her eyes, but a smile of pure joy was covering her face from ear to ear. She took the necklace out of the box and gazed at it with sparkles in her eyes.

"Naruto…It's so beautiful!" Sakura whispered as she continued to look at the necklace.

"I thought it would be perfect for your birthday." He said as he stood from his chair and walked behind her to fasten the necklace on her neck.

"Thank you, Naruto. I love it so much. It's perfect!" She said as she touched the diamonds with her fingertips.

"I knew you'd love it." He replied after fastening the necklace.

The rest of dinner finished wonderfully with talk and the occasional kiss. They shared a quick dessert, and then were on their way back to Sakura's house.

Shikamaru woke up almost an hour before Temari, and had already taken the liberty of cooking breakfast with Kankuro. The puppet master was actually a fairly good cook, and Shikamaru enjoyed the company of another male hanging around with him. Don't think the wrong thing, he loved Temari's company, but sometimes, he just wanted to hang out with the guys now and then. Temari was walking down the stairs when Shikamaru put her plate on the table with her silverware. She walked in and looked at her lover and brother strangely, never once seeing either one cook in her entire life, and made her way to the table where the prepared plate sat.

"This isn't poisonous, is it?" She asked playfully as she looked over at the two men.

"Do you think we're that evil Temari?" Kankuro scoffed as he looked over his shoulder at his sister.

"Well, you are Kankuro. But I trust Shikamaru." Temari replied as she smirked at her brother.

Kankuro huffed at his sister's retort, but he continued to cook regardless. Shikamaru grabbed his plate and sat down next to Temari at the table, giving her a warm smile as he did so. She returned it, and then took a bite out of the eggs that the two men had taken the liberty of cooking. Surprisingly, she didn't taste poison like she believed she would, and almost choked on her water at the false hurt looks Shikamaru and Kankuro gave her. Gaara joined them soon after, and the kitchen was soon filled with the noise of the four of them arguing, talking, and planning how they would baby-proof the house. Temari sighed at how picturesque the moment was, and tucked it safely away in her memories, knowing that something like this would never happen again. She laughed when Shikamaru and Gaara got Kankuro to confess his love for a girl that he'd been seen with on occasion, and his face flushed a bright red.

"You got to force Shikamaru, so now it's our turn!" She exclaimed as she teased her brother about needing to buy a ring soon to ask the young shinobi to be his wife.

"Shut up, Temari." He growled out as he ate his eggs. His face was heating up with each passing moment.

"Now, we all know that I need to approve any marriages in the family. Shikamaru is already part of this family, and I had no issue with him. Hinata is also part of the family, though unofficially. Now, Kankuro, I do want to meet her in person before I give my approval." Gaara spoke in his best Kazekage voice, making both of his siblings groan.

"Can we stop talking about this..." Kankuro begged as he looked between his siblings.

"I guess. I actually want to eat more than I want to cause you emotional trauma." Temari conceded with a devilish grin before turning her attention back to her plate.

Kankuro breathed a sigh of relief, and also returned back to his breakfast with annoyance clearly expressed on his face. The rest of the morning passed relatively uneventfully, and the family was once again going over ways to baby-proof, what to buy, and names. Hinata had joined them after a small mission out of the village, and was soon brought up to date on all that had transpired in the last two days, headlined with Temari's pregnancy. Hinata was beyond excited for her, and demanded that the two of them take a spa day to celebrate. Kankuro and Shikamaru, of course, couldn't get them out of the house fast enough. Gaara simply stood back and laughed.

Asuma had stayed the night, and the two of them were currently a tangled ball of limbs and sheets. Kurenai had a smile on her face, cuddling closer to Asuma's body, burying her head into his torso, and taking in the scent of his cologne. He smelled so good, and was so warm that she didn't dare move from where she was lying. He wrapped his arm tighter around her body, and she looked up to his tanned face. He was looking down at her with a smile that told her that he was deeply in love with her, and she had the same look in her eyes for him. He smiled wider as he gently placed a kiss on her forehead. They remained like that for the next two hours before they decided to make breakfast.

Asuma grabbed some eggs and the bread before joining Kurenai at the counter as she prepared some batter for pancakes. He, of course, wrapped his arms around her as he cracked the eggs into the bowl that she was stirring the mixture in, and she smiled, turning her head to kiss his cheek before returning her gaze to the bowl in her hands. Asuma toasted the bread and grabbed butter and jam from the fridge, as well as the plates and silverware, while Kurenai made perfectly golden brown pancakes.

"Pancakes for the start of a perfect day." Asuma said as he took a few from the stack that Kurenai had brought over to the table.

"I had a perfect night last night. Thank you for that." Kurenai replied as she took two of the pancakes for herself with a slice of toast.

"The ending was pretty amazing as well." Asuma said with a wink as he took a bite of his pancakes. Kurenai couldn't help the blush that spread across her cheeks.

Asuma teased her for a few more minutes before the two of them dressed for the day. Shizune said that there was a mission that they two of them could do together, and she was more than happy about sending them off to Kirigakure for diplomatic purposes with the Mizukage, Mei. The two of them went their separate ways to pack for their mission, not knowing how long they would be in Kiri.

As they were leaving, Kurenai thought of how long they could potentially be gone, and she flushed a nice shade of red at the idea. They could be there for a month or longer, and it was just the two of them. No other shinobi, and neither of their teams would be with them either. Kurenai was beginning to think that Shizune had set them up on this mission deliberately, but had no time to think on it when Asuma suggested that they move a bit faster to make up a good length before they made camp that night.

Sunlight fluttered in through the window of Tsunade's hospital room, and she slowly opened her eyes to the day. Looking over to her left, she spotted Jiraiya, sleeping in the chair that was in the corner of the room.

'He looks so cute when he's asleep.' Tsunade thought as she looked at the white-haired Sannin.

She shifted into a sitting position, and looked over at him again; watching his chest rise and fall with his rhythmic breathing. She watched him until he started to stir in the chair, eyes blinking as he began to take in his surroundings, and that's when she shifted her gaze over to the window; watching the curtains float in the wind and the birds that flew past the window. A smile had slowly graced her lips as she watched the birds that flew by on the airwaves. She could hear Jiraiya move from the chair as his sandals clicked on the floor.

"Good morning, Tsunade." He said as he stifled a yawn.

"I would hardly call it good when you're sneaking into my room while I'm sleeping." Tsunade retorted gruffly, eyes locking onto him as he moved towards her bed.

"I'm sorry Tsunade. You just looked like an easy target, and I couldn't just sit by and wait for someone to attack." He said as he sat on the bed next to her.

"You do know that's why I have ANBU guards stationed outside of my door, and the window." She replied as he gently placed his hand on her shoulder; she couldn't help the small smile that formed at his touch.

"You're way too serious sometimes Tsunade. Lighten up a little." He said as he started to rub her shoulders.

"Jiraiya, you'd have had fewer broken bones if you were more serious as a Genin." Tsunade countered, a smirk spreading across her lips as she turned to look into his eyes.

"That was cold Tsunade." He grumbled, huffing out a puff of air as he looked away from her.

"Says the man who's acting like a child." She chuckled, nudging his chest with her elbow.

Jiraiya stood from the bed, stretched, and faced her once more.

"I've gotta head out. Reconnaissance information doesn't gather itself." He joked, moving towards the door of the room.

"And by 'information' you mean peeking, correct?" Tsunade questioned, a playful grin on her face.

"Well, I wouldn't be as widely acclaimed as I am without the occasional break for research." He replied, a blush forming on his cheeks as he gave Tsunade a goofy grin.

"You're hopeless." She sighed, gripping the bridge of her nose in annoyance.

"You asked." He countered, laughing as she grimaced. He pulled the door open and looked over his shoulder. "If you wanna talk sometime, just have Naruto get me." He said as he walked out the door.

Tsunade sighed as she laid back against the pillows. That man, who she was so madly in love with, and the father of her child, was going to drive her absolutely nuts by the end of her pregnancy; possibly longer if she didn't punch him out of the village, or kill him. She looked down at her abdomen and sighed again as she pressed her hand to the sheet.

"Your father is something else, little one. But you'll grow to love him." She whispered as she rubbed her thumb against the loose fabric of the sheet.

With that, she eased herself back into the silence that surrounded her, listening to the gentle sound of the birds chirping outside of the window. Sakura or Shizune would be by soon to check on her, but all she wanted was the peace that was currently in her grasp. Oh well, a minor disturbance was all well and good if it was either of her students, or even the boisterous Naruto. What she wouldn't give to see him right now, the little ball of energy. She wondered to herself how he treated Sakura for her birthday the other day, and mentally planned to ask her when she came into work that morning.

Not even an hour later, Sakura did walk into her room, and was immediately checking her vitals with a small hello. Tsunade sat upright as Sakura worked, and as soon as the younger woman was finished checking her vitals, Tsunade cleared her throat, bringing Sakura's attention to her.

"How was your birthday?" She asked as she looked into Sakura's eyes. A small blush soon creeped over her skin. "That good?" Tsunade chuckled as Sakura blushed even darker.

"We just had dinner!" She defended as Tsunade began to laugh a little harder.

"And what else did that little fireball do for your birthday?"

"He got me roses. Twelve red, twelve pink. And he bought me this beautiful necklace." Sakura explained as she pulled the chain from beneath her shirt. Tsunade inspected the diamonds on the chain as Sakura showed it to her, and she smiled in content at the gift.

"The boy has taste in jewelry, I'll give him that." Tsunade laughed as Sakura placed the chain back under her shirt.

"I love it. Last night was so perfect, Tsunade-sama." Sakura beamed as the night's events played out in her mind.

"You had a good time, and the kid got you something nice, that's what matters." Tsunade said as she reclined back into her pillows.

"He's wonderful... We didn't even have to go out to dinner, I would have been fine eating at home, but he insisted. There are days where I think he's more than I deserve, and then he reminds me that I'm all he'll ever want." Sakura gushed as she thought of Naruto.

Tsunade smiled in content. Her godson was proving himself in so many ways, and not just to the villagers. He was changing into more of a man every single day, and she couldn't be more proud of him if she tried. Sakura continued to talk about last night as she checked over the baby and wrote down notes on Tsunade's chart, and then finished by saying that Naruto had walked her home and made sure that she was safely in her house before he would move from the front steps. The two of them conversed for a few more minutes before Sakura had to excuse herself to make her rounds. Tsunade waved her off with a smile before turning back to the open window, once more taking in the sight of butterflies hovering over the tulips outside her window.