"Well?"

"I'm having déjà vu to the max. Madara-sama came to me with similar concerns and I diagnosed you with the same exact condition he had. Tobirama-sama…you're pregnant."

The Senju slammed his hand to his forehead. "I was afraid of that…"

"So you already knew?"

"I had suspected as much when I sensed a tiny chakra inside of me."

Sayuri crossed her arms as Tobirama sat up and pulled his shirt down. "Care to explain to me how you have a bun in your oven?"

"It's a long story and it's one I really don't want to tell," he snapped.

"Have you told Izuna-sama yet?"

"No…I've been avoiding him for a while now."

"You really shouldn't do that."

He sighed. "I know. I wanted to be sure of my 'condition' before I made him get excited over nothing. If it was just a regular sickness, he would have been disappointed. I didn't want to do that to him."

Sayuri smiled. "Well, you have good news to tell him now. You're ten weeks in. Are there any symptoms that have been bothering you?"

"Exhaustion, constant vomiting, and terrible abdominal pain," Tobirama muttered. "I couldn't get out of my bed one morning; it was that bad."

"I think you're working too much, Tobirama-sama," Sayuri stated. "I know being the Hokage's advisor is an important duty and it can't be done by just anyone, but you need to consider the wellbeing of your baby now. Everything you do can end up affecting him or her in some way."

"Just because I'm pregnant doesn't mean I'm helpless," he growled.

Sayuri narrowed her eyes. "I wasn't implying that you were."

He crossed his arms, scowling at her. She sighed, giving him a sheepish expression.

"You should relax. Take a warm bath. Do some light exercising. Kick back and take a nap. Just take a break from the stressful work you do every day for once."

"Tell that to my incompetent brother. If he could handle things on his own, I could probably do all of that. Since he clearly is in no way capable of making vital decisions on his own without messing them up, it falls to me to be the voice of reason."

"Why don't you ask Madara-sama to temporarily take over for you? I'm sure Hokage-sama would listen to him and he would be more than capable of weighing hefty choices himself."

"I suppose…"

"Tell you what; I won't speak a word about this to anyone. When to reveal this news is up to you. But I would suggest you do it sooner rather than later."

Sayuri stood up, leaving the room and letting Tobirama sit by himself. He inwardly groaned. Why did his jutsu have to do this to him instead of Izuna? He knew there were going to be a few hiccups on his first attempt, but he had not expected this. Rather than affect his target, it affected the user. He knew something was wrong with him several weeks after that night they shared together. The nausea came first. Thankfully, it wasn't that severe and he was able to ignore it. Unfortunately for him, his tolerance plummeted the next week. The nausea eventually worsened and soon he found himself throwing up whatever meal he had eaten last. It lasted all day, every day for a few weeks. Why medics called it "morning" sickness was beyond him.

Tobirama lifted his shirt again, looking down at his abdomen. He could already see a forming bulge against his normally toned stomach. He frowned as he ran his hand over the slight bump. Izuna would no doubt be thrilled and that thought alone made him happy, but it did not mean he liked the idea that he was going to be the "mother" of their child. He slowly tugged his shirt over his little swelling, hiding it from the rest of the world.

"Tobirama?"

He turned his head, finding Izuna standing in the doorway. The Uchiha came up to him, a worried look on his face. Tobirama's sharp features softened at the expression. Izuna sat down next to him, placing a hand on his shoulder.

"What did Sayuri-san say?" he asked. "Is it bad?"

"Well..." Tobirama began unsurely. "I'm pregnant."

Izuna blinked. "Huh?"

"I don't know how or why, but I think my jutsu backfired on me," the Senju explained, placing a hand on his abdomen. "I was avoiding you until I could confirm my suspicions. Turns out I was right."

"So…you're carrying our child instead of me?"

"That's what I just said. I'm ten weeks along."

Izuna immediately wrapped his arms around Tobirama's waist, nuzzling his cheek into his belly. Tobirama recoiled at the action, nearly falling off the bed in the process. He watched on with disturbed confusion as Izuna continued cuddling his stomach.

"Baby!" Izuna cooed. "I'm so happy to know you're here! I'm going to be the best daddy in the world to you! So grow up big and strong for me and Mama, okay?"

"Don't even start, Izuna!" Tobirama snarled. "I will not be called 'Mama', understand!?"

"Okay, Mama Rama," Izuna teased. "Whatever you say."

"IZUNA!"

"Come on, Tobirama! You're so lucky! You get to carry our baby."

"I know that, but I beg to differ. I don't want to be a whale!"

"Even so, you'll still be the whale that I love. Don't worry, Tobi-chan. The whole family will be here to support you."

Tobirama groaned. "Can we not tell them about this? That's a disaster waiting to happen. Knowing Madara, he'll use it as an excuse to ridicule me. And onii-chan…"

"What about your oaf of a brother?"

"I dread to think what his reaction will be."

"Come on. How bad could it be?"


"Wait…what!? Can you repeat that!?"

Tobirama narrowed his eyes, a blush flaring across his face. "Onii-chan, I don't ask for much. Don't make me say it again, please…"

"I'm sorry, but I think I'm going crazy from a lack of sleep," Hashirama admitted. "I thought I heard you say…"

"I'm pregnant," finished Tobirama, a fierce look in his eyes. "You heard me correctly the first time."

Hashirama laughed awkwardly as he turned to Madara. "He's not serious, is he?"

"I sense it," Madara stated bluntly. "He's being completely serious about this, Hashirama. Your brother is indeed knocked up."

Hashirama gaped in shock, making incoherent sounds while pointing a finger at Tobirama's still flat stomach as his brain tried to wrap itself around the news. It went into overdrive until it overheated and subsequently overloaded. The Senju fell backwards, landing with a thump on the floor. Madara casually looked down at his unconscious husband. Izumi got out of her chair at the table and poked her unresponsive dad.

"He took that well, don't you think?" the Uchiha quipped.

"He took it better than I thought he would," Tobirama confessed.

"Mama, why did Daddy fall over like that?" Izumi curiously asked, still trying to get her father to wake up. "He isn't dead, is he?"

"Daddy is fine," Madara answered. "He's just being Daddy again, that's all."

"Oooooooh. Okay!"

Izumi stopped her poking, standing up and skipping back to her chair at the table. She went back to eating her inarizushi, smearing it over her mouth in the process. Madara's eyebrow twitched when she turned her messy face towards him.

"I'm finished, Mama!" she announced.

Madara said nothing, gently grabbing her face and began wiping it with a napkin. Izumi scrunched her face up as Madara did this, sitting still until he was done.

"How do you manage to get so messy eating food?" Madara questioned her.

"I dunno. I just do!" She giggled, smiling brightly at him. "So Mama; what does pregnant mean?"

"It means Uncle Tobi is gonna have a baby."

Izumi's eyes widened to the size of dinner plates as she gasped deeply. She beamed as she launched out of her chair and immediately went to hug her uncle's legs. She began to squeal happily, jumping in place from the excitement.

"Cousin!" she cheered. "Uncle Tobi, you finally got the equipment to grow a baby?"

Tobirama smiled uneasily. "Yes…Yes, I did…"

Tobirama narrowed his eyes at the condescending smile on Madara's face when Izumi wasn't looking. He knew the Uchiha would be milking the situation for all it was worth. Words could not describe the immense hatred he felt for Madara at that moment. He really didn't want to hear whatever snide remarks the Uchiha would no doubt throw at him.

His pupils dilated when he felt Izumi's hand sneak its way up his shirt, pressing lightly on his belly. He snapped his head down at her, finding a curious expression on her face.

"Are you gonna get fat like Mama did?" she asked.

Tobirama inwardly groaned at the wording. "Yes. I'll be getting 'fat' like Madara did, but that won't happen for several months…"

"How big is your baby now?"

"Tiny. Very tiny."

"Izumi, why don't you run along and play with your brothers?" Madara suggested. "Uncle Tobi needs to speak with Daddy as soon as he wakes up."

"Aw, Mom! Can't I stay?" she whined.

"It's grown-up stuff," he said before pointing towards the doorway leading to the living room where the twins were drawing. "It's not for your ears to hear. Now go, you little parasite."

Izumi huffed, but conceded to Madara's demand. She dragged herself over to her brothers, looking over them as they colored. Madara turned back to Tobirama and began snickering. Tobirama's ire immediately rose at the haughty expression on the Uchiha's face.

"To think that you would be the one to go through that hell…oh, the enjoyment I will get out of teasing you in the next seven months!" he laughed.

"It's not funny, Madara," Tobirama growled.

"Don't take it the wrong way. I'm happy for you. But…you really are going to go through hell, Tobirama. I can't wait to see how you handle it."

Tobirama angrily slammed his hands on the table. "Do you think this is some sort of joke!? I didn't ask for this to happen to me!"

"I see the mood swings are already here," Madara casually noted, crossing his arms. "But whether you asked for it or not doesn't matter. What does matter is that you are the 'mother'. You're going to have to do what you can to give your child the best care possible."

"I know that…" Tobirama muttered irately. "Why do you make it sound like that's going to be an issue?"

Madara turned his head, focusing on Izumi as she was roleplaying a dragon-slaying ninja in front of the twins. A guilty expression crossed his features, a distinct sadness reflecting in his eyes.

"Because you never know what could happen…" Madara answered softly.

Tobirama frowned. He remembered the day of Izumi's birth clearly. Even now, Madara worried that weird black figure would appear again to swipe his children from under his nose. There was no doubt that it was capable of doing so easily.

"Doesn't it bother you?" he found himself asking. "When Izumi calls you that?"

"It used to, but I've gotten used to it," Madara replied. "I've vainly tried to teach her otherwise and call me 'Father', but she refuses to listen. Hopefully, Ryo and Akio will learn to do so. Even if they don't, I won't mind. To be honest…being a mother is truly a gift. I never thought I'd get to feel such a deep connection with my kids as I do now had I not brought them into life myself."

Tobirama unconsciously placed a hand against his stomach. "Even so…I don't feel like I'm ready for this…"

"I felt the same way. That's what family is for, isn't it?"

Tobirama said nothing. He then winced when he felt a tugging come from his middle. He draped an arm around his abdomen, hunching over slightly as the pain steadily became worse. Madara noticed his discomfort.

"Cramping?" he asked.

Tobirama merely nodded, his eyes clenched shut. He slowly descended to his knees on the floor, curling in on himself as he wrapped his other arm around his stomach. He gritted his teeth together, breathing deeply in and out to help mute the pain he was feeling. He felt a hand rub against his back, the person kneeling down next to him. He raised his head to look at Madara, a confused expression on his face.

"You're my brother-in-law, not to mention I've been through the same shit…twice," he answered. "I know it seems like this is the worst thing in the world that could have happened to you, but I promise you it will get better. You'll see."

"Somehow I doubt that…" Tobirama hissed out.

The two men heard a groan. They saw Hashirama sit upright, rubbing the huge bruise on the back of his head when it made contact with the floor.

"Oh man…my head…" he hissed.

"Welcome back to the world of the living, you idiot," Madara jokingly replied.

Hashirama turned his head towards them. "What happened?"

"You passed out after you heard that your younger brother is expecting."

"That wasn't a dream!?" he shouted in disbelief. "He's really…?"

Tobirama sent a harsh glare at his elder brother. "Is it really so hard for you to believe that? You accepted Madara's condition right away, so why do you have issues with mine?"

Hashirama frowned guiltily. "It's just…I never expected you to…"

"Shut up," the younger Senju bit back as he struggled to stand up, arms still wrapped around his midsection. "Obviously, Madara's words hold more truth than mine."

"Tobirama, that's not—!"

"I'm your brother! The least you could do is believe me!"

Hashirama watched in alarm as Tobirama fell back to his knees, hunching over as his hands clutched his stomach tightly. The Hokage rushed over to him, concern evident in his eyes.

"What is it?" he asked.

"It hurts…" Tobirama weakly replied. "So bad, it hurts…and I don't know why…"

Hashirama moved Tobirama's hands before placing his own over the area. A soft green glow came from his hand as he concentrated. Tobirama's pained expression slowly relaxed as Hashirama did this. A frown graced the Hokage's features briefly before it went away. A relieved look appeared in his eyes.

"Don't worry, Tobirama. It's nothing serious," he explained. "It's just your new addition appeared so suddenly that your body hasn't had time to adjust to its new place inside you. All that pain is from your organs shifting to accommodate the new addition, not to mention that new structure is expanding thanks to your baby. The pain should go away eventually on its own."

"Wonderful…" Tobirama sarcastically replied.

Tobirama let out a startled yell when Hashirama pulled him into a big hug. He heard his elder brother laughing jovially into his ear.

"I'm so happy for you, otouto!" he exclaimed. "You get to be a mom and I get to be an uncle!"

"I am not a mom, Hashirama!" Tobirama retorted. "Just because the brat's growing in me doesn't make me a woman!"

"I never said you were. But technically, you are the 'mother' since you'll be the one giving birth."

Tobirama's eyes dilated. "Give birth…?"

"Give birth," Hashirama repeated, oblivious to his brother's distress.

"Someone, please kill me now…"

"Welcome to the club," Madara quipped. "This is just the beginning."

"We should celebrate! Let's plan a baby shower!" Hashirama declared.

Madara glared at him. "It's too early for that, you moron! Besides, Tobirama probably doesn't want that!"

"You never let me have any fun, Madara …"

"Someone needs to keep you in your place when you try to go overboard with simple things. Unfortunately, that job falls to me and your brother."

"Oh right!" Hashirama exclaimed in realization. He turned to Tobirama. "I'm relieving you of your advisor duties."

Tobirama gaped. "But I—!"

"No buts about it. You need to stop working right away. I don't want you overexerting yourself simply because of the duties you need to perform. You have a baby you need to consider now."

"It's the size of a prune for kami's sake! Like anything is going to happen to it!"

"You can never be too careful."

Tobirama scowled. He hated that he was being treated like a precious china vase that would crack at the slightest contact. He was capable of taking care of himself. Izuna knew that. They all knew that! He wasn't physically impaired yet, so why was it such an issue that he wanted to continue doing his work!?

"This is ridiculous…" he mentally growled. He looked down at his still flat stomach. "You're ruining everything for me. Izuna better be happy about this because I know I most certainly am not."


"Alright, what's with the grumpy face?"

"I always have a grumpy face in your eyes."

"I mean more so than usual. What's wrong?"

Tobirama said nothing. He was currently lying on their bed, clutching a pillow tightly. He had no other object to direct his stress onto. Izuna sighed, walking over to him and sitting on the bed. He placed a hand on Tobirama's back.

"Tobi, please. I can't help if you won't talk to me."

"Everything's wrong," Tobirama sighed.

Izuna blinked in confusion. "What do you mean?"

"I told Hashirama and Madara about the 'good' news."

"Oh? And how did they respond?"

"Onii-chan was ecstatic and Madara was happy for both of us. But they began treating me like I'm some fragile damsel that can't take care of herself. I despise it."

"It'll get better, Tobirama. I promise."

"How could it?" he questioned. "The realization finally came down on me. I'm raising a baby. I'm going to have to be a 'mother'. I'll have to give birth to it! I don't have the slightest clue on how to do any of those!"

"Don't worry about it. You'll be fine."

"You know I have issues getting along with others. What if our child hates me?"

"Nii-san had that concern too when he had Izumi, so I'll tell you the same thing I told him. You're the 'mother' and there's a special connection shared between mother and child. To be honest, I'm jealous of you."

"Why?"

"I wanted to know what having a bond like that was like. They say there is no greater love than that of a mother for her child. When I look at nii-san with his kids…I've never seen such happiness in his eyes before. That kind of love is extraordinary. I really wanted to have that sort of connection with our baby…"

"Believe me; I'd rather have you be the 'mother' than me. You have that caring and warm personality to suit that role."

"Well, even though I'm still a bit upset about not being the 'mother', I think maybe this might be better."

"How so?"

"You need to loosen up and be free to express yourself, Tobirama," Izuna explained. "You're too uptight. You deserve to be happy too. Maybe having that mother-child bond can help you with that."

Tobirama placed his hand on his belly. "I don't know how you can possibly think I could feel such love towards it. It's been nothing but a nuisance so far."

"Once he or she gets bigger, I think then you'll start to feel it."

He groaned. "Don't remind me. I'm not looking forward to getting fat."

"Think of it this way: we'll finally have a child once it's over. It's our child: a piece of you and me that created another person entirely."

"Right…" Tobirama mumbled, still looking unsurely at his midsection. "Our child…"

"I've already started picking out names! Ichigo or Momo if it's a girl, Haru or Mamoru if it's a boy; what do you think?"

"I don't want to worry about it right now…"

"Stop being such a sourpuss!" Izuna laughed, lying down beside Tobirama. "It's not going to be the end of the world if you put on a little weight."

"I wouldn't call twenty-five to thirty pounds a 'little' weight, Izuna."

"You're such a grouch."

"It's called being realistic."

"I hope our kid takes after me," Izuna stated. "Maybe having another fun lover in the family will make you less of a grump."

"I hope it takes more after you. You can distract it while I can complete work that needs to be done."

"But all you ever do is work! When was the last time we ever did something together that wasn't in between the sheets?"

"Several months ago. Is that a problem?"

Izuna narrowed his eyes. "You know, I'm glad Hokage-teme basically put you on maternity leave. Knowing you, you'd just keep pushing yourself mentally and physically. That won't be good for the baby."

"Why does everything have to be focused on the brat right now?" Tobirama snapped. "Nothing is going to happen to it. Why can't any of you understand that?"

"Because it's a tiny and fragile being right now," answered Izuna. "He or she needs you to live. If anything happens to you, baby will feel it too. You're that deeply interconnected."

Tobirama said nothing, opting to bury his face into the pillow he was holding. He stayed like that for a several seconds before he turned back to Izuna.

"I think you need to come up with some better names," he said. "If we go with your choices, all I'll be thinking about is fruit if it ends up being a girl."

Izuna blinked. "Huh?"

"This was supposed to be my gift to you, Izuna. I want you to be happy. Even now, I still want that. I'm not pleased about the situation…but the least I can do is to make sure your gift comes without any complications."

Izuna smiled. "Tobi…"

"Just…don't go overboard with the gushing once I start getting fat, alright?"

"You're not gonna be fat. You're gonna be showing. They're completely different. Fat is fat. Showing means the baby is growing strong and healthy."

"Either way, don't—"

"I won't," Izuna said, running a hand through Tobirama's hair. "I know this a big change for you. It's my job to make sure you're comfortable as you adjust to everything."

Tobirama positioned himself over Izuna, looking down on his husband. "That's the understatement of the century."

"Okay. It's an enormous change. But no matter what happens or what you think about the situation, I'm always going to be by your side. That hasn't changed and it isn't going to anytime soon."

"Izuna…" Tobirama said, leaning down and gazing into his husband's fathomless black eyes. "You talk too much."

Izuna frowned at the comment, but his annoyance evaporated when Tobirama's lips made contact with his. His hands danced through the snow-white locks he loved so much, his soul diving deep into the crimson eyes that had captured his heart so effortlessly.

He knew they both were going to face many challenges in the future, but he was willing to deal with all of them as long as he had his love by his side.


Tobi isn't happy and Izu is a bit sad about not being the mom, but I think they've managed to settle their concerns. I love how cute these two are together! So the news is out and the whole family is happy! Izumi...you're too adorable for me!

Stay tuned for the next chapter!