Naru is a year younger than Kakashi and the first child of Namikaze Minato. This story begins with the Suna-Oto Invasion, but will be told in a non-linear fashion that is easily understandable.

Disclaimer: Don't own Naruto.

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Under normal circumstances, more than a single medic-nin would be tending to her injuries.

How I wished today had been normal.

Entering that hospital room was easy enough, but what I saw beyond that door caused my heart to skip a beat. I was conscious of the fact that there were three other patients in the tiny room, but my eyes immediately locked onto her. A purplish bruise was beginning to form on her tanned face. It scared me. I had never seen her with an injury that lasted for more than five minutes, due to her special chakra. That her body still showed signs of her fight spoke of the amount of pain she was in.

Her blue eyes were clenched shut in an effort to block out the world around her. I crossed the distance from the door to her bedside in three strides. There were no chairs in the room that weren't already being used, so I settled for kneeling on the ground beside her. I took her left hand in mine. Her eyes flickered open as she tried to smile up at me, but it quickly turned into a grimace as a wave of pain washed over her.

The medic-nin glanced up from her work briefly, but returned to it the moment she recognized me. Rin was a good medic. If anyone could pull off the impossible, it was her.

"How is she?" I asked, not completely certain if I wanted to know the answer.

Rin didn't look up to reply. "I don't know," she admitted. "Her red chakra is causing more harm than good. Naru's trying to slow it as much as she can, but I'm not sure if it will be enough. The chakra is trying to heal her punctured lung, which is good, but it's also trying to flush out the baby. I'm trying to work alongside the chakra in healing her lung to keep her breathing." She paused as she shifted her hands a bit. A frown made its way onto her face, setting me on edge.

"Do you need me to seal off the red chakra?" I asked in an effort to get her speaking again.

Rin quickly shook her head. "I spoke with Sakumo-san about that when he brought her in. Naru is only twenty-seven weeks along. By the time he got her here, her cervix was already beginning to dilate. Cutting off the red chakra would only endanger Naru's life. I'll do everything I can for the baby, but I can't guarantee anything."

"She'll live," a weak voice ground out. I glanced down at Naru and squeezed her hand gently. In response, she held mine tightly.

Rin looked down at her with pity, but continued to do her task. Naru's other hand rested on her belly as she focused on protecting her child from the foreign chakra. There was little I could do because of my lack of medical knowledge.

"Damn Suna," I muttered under my breath.

Rin glanced up. "I'm sorry that we don't have anyone else to spare."

I shook my head, effectively ending the short conversation. I hadn't meant to criticize the hospital for being short on staff. It wasn't their fault that the building was being overloaded with injured civilians and ninja alike. The invasion hadn't left anyone unscathed. Hell, I'd just brought my three students in to be looked over.

I'd been lucky to catch Dad running in the other direction, a young Hyuuga in his arms. I hadn't had time to question him as he pointed me toward the room Naru shared with three other patients.

I was about to ask Rin something when the room's door crashed open behind me. I glanced over my shoulder to see a young Chuunin panting, his arm resting on the doorframe.

"Ka-Kakashi-sempai," he said between breaths. "Is… is it true? Is Rokuro-sama really dead?"

The room immediately fell silent. Even the other patients gathered had turned their attention to the man at the door.

I turned to face the man, unfortunately revealing Naru's face to him in the process. The Chuunin instantly paled.

"Na-Naru-sama?" he stuttered over her name, eyes wide.

I looked back at Naru. Her other hand had fallen to her side as she stared at the Chuunin blankly. As her eyes grew distant, Rin began to panic. One of her hands immediately flew to Naru's belly as she performed a quick jutsu that I recognized as a diagnostic.

Curses poured out of her mouth as she glared up at the man in the doorway murderously.

"I don't care what they say," she ordered. "Go find another medic. Tell them Rin says to get their ass in Room 318 NOW!" When he paused in fear and confusion, she snarled, "Get moving, idiot!"

I stared at Rin with wide eyes. Before I could say anything, sharp nails dug into my palm. I looked down to see that Naru had turned her head to the side to bury her face in a pillow. Her chest heaved up and down heavily as she tried to take in as much air as she could in one breath.

"Naru, please," Rin begged. "I know it's hard, but I need you to help me. Your child is coming far sooner that I thought she would, but I want you both to live. I need you to-"

A sharp sob cut the medic off. I watched helplessly as tears began to spill down Naru's cheeks.

"He's dead," she whispered. Suddenly, her eyes widened and her jaw clenched. It was clear that another contraction had hit. "I can't, I can't do…"

"You can," I said, reaching over to brush her blond bangs out of her face. Rin shot me a look in an effort to tell me that we needed to get moving. I tried to ignore her for a moment. "Please, Naru, look at me."

She lifted her left eyelid ever so slightly until I was able to see a faint glimmer of a blue iris.

"Be strong for your child's sake," I urged her. "For Rokuro's sake." For my sake.

She didn't give any verbal indication that she had heard me, but after a moment passed, I felt her grip on my hand tighten. Naru's gaze flickered to Rin, and she gave her the barest of nods. A small smile crept up on my face at my childhood friend's resilience.

"All right, then," Rin said quickly. "Now follow my instructions. Don't begin to push until I tell you to. The other medic should be here shortly."

As if on cue, the door to the room opened once more as a young girl of no more than eighteen entered, immediately appearing at Rin's side. At once, Rin began to order the young girl around, having her focus on Naru while she kept her own attention on the child about to be born.

The other three patients tried to offer their assistance, but Rin refused them, telling them it was a delicate matter. Several tense minutes passed by, filled only with the sounds of Naru's labored breathing and Rin's instructive, yet gentle voice as she guided the soon-to-be-mother through the process.

The quiet could only last for so long, though. It was obvious when Naru's next contraction hit.

For the first time since I arrived, she screamed.