The doctor had entered the room that morning (three children left) and had told them they needed to leave. Each family was given seals and incubators worth a B-rank mission at least. Shoichi didn't have to wonder why.
It was standard protocol in an emergency to prioritise shinobi and the most likely to survive. In that order. To keep up the fighting force and to prevent doctors from wasting their time. He had never been a fan of it. His brother had suffered from the ruling. His mother had suffered from the ruling. His daughter would suffer from it to.
Please let her live.
Yoko, who has spent the last few days at home looking after the boys but coming to visit twice a day like clockwork, takes the medical equipment the hospital is letting them borrow and sets it up at home. Shoichi gets a special carrier basket covered in seals to carry his child home in.
The doctors (there are so many of them, each one tired and overworked) made it clear that the ambient chakra in the air could be enough to overwhelm his daughter's systems. They aren't sure what long term effect the kyuubi's demonic chakra will have on her. They don't say it but he knows they aren't willing to spare a Hyuuga to look at the chakra network of a newborn who will most likely die anyway. (Especially a third born. Maybe it would be different if she was their first child. The presumed heir to the non-existent throne.)
No matter his anger, at his village, the doctors, the situation, walking through the village carrying his daughter is… good. Even though she's less than a week old (5 day, 14 hours, 28 minutes and counting) he shows her the Hokage Monument. He points out the academy, the tree he used to play under. He doesn't waste time wandering around, but he wants to know a little about the world in which she currently lives (even if it's not for long).
Her current view of Konoha isn't the finest he's ever seen. In fact, it might be the worst. Konoha itself was barely touched, in the physical sense of buildings at least, in the last war. There had been a different atmosphere.
The one third of Fire Countries total shinobi force had been sent off for their time on the border, "desk shinobi" had been called into action with genin dropouts taking their place where necessary. There had been an aura of forced confidence. What he would call a mix of extreme patriotism and desperation. The general feeling had been one of, 'we have to win, we're the best! (Why isn't this over yet?)'
Right now, Konoha provides a difference sight. The buildings are decimated. Entire districts are flattened which is obvious now in a way he hadn't seen from the hospital. Most of the dead bodies are gone now. The blood stains the still remain. Along the street, on the walls. It looks as if there was a massacre. Crumbled buildings and half-fallen banners make the streets look like that of a ghost town.
Every couple of seconds another shinobi runs by. Presumably the civilians are either still in lockdown or are evacuated from this area.
"Sir," Shoichi turns to face the genin's muddy face, "this area is at risk of collapsing. You may prefer to take a safer route." The genin gives a weighted look towards the basket, or more likely, the baby inside.
"Aah. Thank you. What's your name?" He shifts his daughter from one hand to the other. He looks the genin up and down quickly but can't tell who it is. They probably were in the most recent class of graduates. (It's always a good idea to know the names and faces of other shinobi.)
"Kayo, sir." The genin looks a bit uncertain which makes Shoichi in turn feel more confident. Older genin have learned to hide their nerves better. Although he couldn't tell from a glance before, Kayo is a girl's name, and with that he can see the softness in her cheeks and the straps of her sports bra. A practical girl then. Yoko was just complaining the other day about girls wearing bandages instead of sports bras because they 'looked cooler' despite the serious injuries one could get.
"Thank you for the warning Kayo-chan. I hadn't known." Shoichi turns to go back the other way and hears as Kayo takes a hesitant step.
"Would you like me to guide you through a safe route? A number of streets have been marked as unsafe." He can hear in the pause in words and the crunch of debris as she twists her foot in place that she's unsure. Even if he hadn't known before, that alone tells him that she is new to this.
"I suspect you have a mission you must finish first. Thank you for the offer, but now that I am aware of the risk I can take care of myself. Have a good day Kayo-chan." He gives her a final smile and pushes chakra to make a leap.
A sudden rush of burning pain hit his ankles, but he ignores it and waves as he leaps away. Chakra poisoning is not a fun thing and as soon as his daughter is home safe and sound he is going to go get that fixed.
He stumbled, gently, on the landing as his brain reminds him that. For one, he has chakra poisoning. Two, he hasn't properly slept in 6 days. Three, he has eaten nothing but a single ration (⅓ of the caloric intake he needs daily) for the past 6 days. He can already hear Yoko admonishing him. 'Just because you have another focus doesn't mean you can let go of everything else! It's your responsibility to keep yourself in good condition!'
They don't have a big house. In fact, they have a rather small house, considering that they have two ranked shinobi living there with what is now three children. It's pretty perfect though. The red roof with green trimming that is so common make it look bright and cheerful. They live above a small bakery that keeps the house warm (in winter and in summer - it's a mixed blessing).
Shoichi opens the front door, and avoid Yoko's traps. Down from their bedroom come the boys. Hideo, his second son comes first, running. His blond hair is messy and clearly unbrushed, making it look more like his own course black hair despite the colouring. Hideo crouches down and stares at his younger sister, laying quietly in the basket.
"Hello Imouto, I'm your oni-chan!"
Taro comes down second, more slowly. He walks down, and though he isn't taking his time, he's definitely not running. Taro has the Nara eyes (and oh how it burns that his own children look like someone else's clan) and the way he looks around the room as if he can see its secrets is a touch unnerving. Shoichi's own brother did the same, but he's never gotten the hang of it.
"Are you going to say hello, Taro?"
"Hai, hai," Taro says, waving it off his his left hand while he too crouches down to say hello. "Welcome Imouto, I guess I'll be your ni-chan."
Shoichi smiles and runs each of the boys on the head before picking the basket back up. Yoko sticks her head out of the doorway of their bedroom where their daughter will sleep for the time being.
"Well? Come on, let's get her settled." Yoko insists with a stern expression. He can hear the smile in her voice though, Yoko and himself differ in their dedication to Konoha, but they both love their children. Yoko would not cry on their daughter's grave, but she would mourn in her own way.
Hideo follows doggedly at Shoichi's heel as the basket, and the baby inside, are carried away. Taro settles on the nearby sofa, watching intently.
The medical equipment is all glass and seals. Each slip of sealing paper is worth a B-rank mission - maybe more. Supposedly the Toad Sage himself wrote each of them, made to the Slug Princesses specification. At least that's what Kyomi from the hospital claimed. Inside the glass box Yoko has settled in the blankets and tiny pillow that had previous laid in the crib.
It breaks his heart, just a little.
A short while later all four of them watch as the top of the glass box closes, and Yoko pumps a bit of chakra into the containment seal. It lights up and they all watch as the 15 or so seals light up, one by one. The main seal turns green and they breath a sigh of relief as one.
There is nothing left but to wait. (To see if she lives.)
A/N: To those of you who don't know. This will be my NaNoWriMo novel. NaNoWriMo is National Novel Writing Month, so I'll be writing just under 2,000 words a day for the next 30 days and will publish each chapter as I finish it. I will not be editing any of these chapter during NaNoWriMo.