Author's Note: Second of Two up-to-date chapters on AO3. Pretty much copy pasta'd, certain edits/formatting for FF aside.

I...should really be sleeping... (Or at least trying to fix my sleep schedule, anyway.)

There were (quite) a few bumps in the road getting this done. RL restrictions for one, and motivation (or exhaustion) for another. But I finally got this out, and haven't even used up a whole chapter's worth of plot (from the original, rather cringe-worthy writing attempts, anyway).

This is...turning out to be surprisingly slow, story-wise.

I'm surprised, to be honest. But that's neither here nor there, more importantly…

As you've probably guessed from the last one, there's gonna be quite a bit of canon divergence —Rin, for one. She's not dead...yet, at least. There's a reason for that, too, considering, but I'll explain it all at the end of the chapter, where it won't take up so much space/patience for those itching to read the new chapter.

Usual Disclaimers —and certain warnings— apply.

Previously: It's a typical day in the hidden village of Konoha. The sun's shining, ninja are ninja-ing (if that's even a verb), the students are studying —sort of— diligently in the Academy, and the Hokage's pregnant wife has threatened her husband with bloody murd—er, wait, what?

Chapter 02: A Choice is Made
aka: Arc 0 — Setting the Story, Part II (or: Title? What Title? ...Is it something I can eat? 0v0;;; )

If anyone wanted to find any of the —not quite— infamous trio (as they'd been jokingly dubbed by the members of the populace that knew them), there were usually only a set number of places one had to check. And if they weren't there, then they'd be there eventually.

The Uzumaki-Namikaze homes (as Hokage, Minato did technically have an estate of his own, but Kushina had flat out refused to move out of her comfortable two-bedroom, single den, two-bathroom flat as long it was big enough to still fit everyone; so now they had two homes, the 'Uzumaki' flat, and the 'Namikaze' Estate), the Uchiha District (either along the main road, or the Itachi's house), along the main road leading to the Hokage Tower (on the occasions they decided to either just walk around, or check out one of the shops that lined the street) —or most probably, a certain Ramen Stand on the very aforementioned street.

Of course, that was assuming one didn't have the skill to sense the rather distinguishable mini supernova that the Uzumaki mother and daughter both shared, considering how much chakra they had. Itachi had a tendency to mute, if not snuff out his own signature, and Hoshika had a tendency to spread hers out, partially as an exercise, and partially to blend into the crowd, since she tended to lean more towards the introverted side of the scale than even Itachi.

Though she supposed it could technically be balanced out by just how far up the extrovert scale that Kizuna lay. A bright, midday sun compared to the moon and star that they were. (Itachi, of course, being the moon, while Hoshika liked to think —even if it was technically a play on part of her name— that she was one of the many stars that adorned the night sky. Only partially distinguishable from the rest, if only one really looked . Kizuna had laughed, when she'd mentioned it once, but even Itachi had found it relatively apt, considering their personalities. The boy would happily let Kizuna take the center stage if it meant more peace and calm for him, the chaotic crazy that was Kizuna aside.)

In any case, it was at a Ramen Stand —Ichiraku Ramen, to be specific— that Kushina and Mikoto would find the trio, the pregnant women chuckling at the familiar sight with only mild exasperation as they made their way in. Kushina had long since given up on finding her coward of a husband. And feeling somewhat hungry —and a bit tired— she'd gone to find her own best friend, Uchiha Mikoto. The Uchiha Matriarch had just been getting bored as well, being on pregnancy leave (again), so the two had decided to waste some time together, just catching up in general, gossiping, and then simply chattering as they rested their feet.

Neither was particularly showing at the moment, though they were still being careful. Mikoto especially, since she had gotten pregnant (ironically) just a few weeks before Kushina. (Though only in the privacy of Mikoto's home, considering that Minato was so feared in certain countries, that it was too dangerous for Kushina to reveal her pregnancy to anyone but those closest and most trusted by the two soon-to-be —once again— parents. Not even Kizuna knew yet, though they'd have to break the news to her, soon. Especially once the redhead started showing.)

Yet again, it seemed that Mikoto's child would be older than her friend's youngest. Something that both women had mused over. Or rather, Kushina had complained a bit, saying that it wasn't fair, but had been too happy about the two of them getting pregnant so close to each other. As expected of best friends, she'd joked, though they'd both prayed to have different gendered children, this time.

A son for Kushina, and a daughter for Mikoto to dress up and play with. Kizuna was cute and all, but she was also rather rambunctious, and both mothers knew better than to try to dress her up in anything fancy on a good day.

A pity, but if Mikoto managed to have her own daughter, then she'd be overjoyed.

Of course, she'd love her child either way, regardless of gender. But could one really blame her for a bit of wishful thinking?

Either way, as the two women spotted their children (along with said children's best friends), they found themselves smiling again, taking the pair of empty seats closest to the trio.

"Figures you guys would be here," Kushina teased, grinning down at the kids. (Seriously, though, she might only have chattered about it with Mikoto for a short time, considering how long she'd been there to cool down from her hormone induced raging, but if Minato didn't group these three together when they graduated they were going to have words . Mikoto had even agreed, promising to back her up if anyone —even her husband— said anything, or tried to disagree. They got along too well to split them into groups with genin that wouldn't see them for anything but what they were, rather than who they were.)

Kizuna, still busy all but inhaling her bowl of ramen, just waved. Letting the others greet her mother and godmother-slash-aunt, first.

"Okaa-sama, Kushina-baa-sama," Itachi greeted, setting down his chopsticks for a moment to politely incline his head to the two women, Kizuna slurping up the last of the noodles still dangling from her mouth so that she could speak as well.

"Kaa-chan! Miko-baa-chan!" Kizuna grinned, "Did you come for dinner, too?" She asked. Beside her, Hoshika nodded, giving a slight bow from her seat as she, too, greeted the two women that had, for whatever reason, decided that they, too, had taken a 'shine' to her when they'd first met.

"Kushina-san, Mikoto-san," she smiled, long since having gotten used to being told to discard the '-sama', along with the last names, since there were many Uchiha, and Kushina simply didn't care for such mannerisms anyway.

As far as Kushina was concerned, any friend of her daughter's, was pretty much an adoptive child of hers, anyway. (Similar to Minato's team….even if one was now longer with them anymore.) Hoshika, though somewhat confused by this seemingly strange thought process, hadn't really minded too much. It wasn't like she had any memories of her real parents, anyway, and the two women had pretty much treated her as a surrogate daughter from the start. Kushina outright declaring that they didn't need to be blood-related to care, and take care of, her.

Mikoto had simply smiled and agreed, far calmer compared to her more energetic friend. Both of the women kind and caring without pushing on what boundaries she had. Never failing to make her feel warm and welcomed, and keeping her included when they could. Even if it'd been a bit awkward for her when they'd started 'mothering' her at first.

(Kizuna had simply snickered and told her it was too late to do anything but suck it up and accept, a somewhat more rueful and chagrined Itachi nodding in agreement. If there was one thing their mothers shared, after all, it was how very determined and willful they could be. Once they'd decided on something, well… there was very, very little chance in changing their minds again outside of extenuating circumstances.)

(Hoshika had been touched, though she hadn't said as much. She was used to having to be independent, but it was...kind of...nice? She supposed, being treated as one of the family for the most part. Awkward at times, but definitely nice.)

"It's good to see you again," she continued, a half-eaten bowl of pork miso sitting in front of her. She hadn't sensed the two despite her practice in trying to keep her senses attuned around her, the very dilution of her chakra, though not a perfect cover of invisibility, typically letting her remain all but visible to others unless she wished it.

Then again, perhaps it was to be expected from the two Jounin-ranked women. Not even mentioning that Hoshika still hadn't gotten herself conditioned to automatically register and take note of the chakra around her just yet.

Not without conscious thought, anyway. The dilution was one thing, since it was all but second nature to her now, but actively sensing and cataloguing was a bit more difficult. She wasn't quite as chakra sensitive as Itachi, after all, though she did practice when she could.

(Maybe she'd have to ask for a tip on that, though. Some scrolls on beginner's iryojutsu would probably be good too, though they didn't actually have clearance for those just yet. Not unless they were available to their clan and/or within their family libraries, anyways. But not only would it be remiss of her to even ask about such things, but it would also be downright rude and disrespectful if she did so. Clans were rather strict and secretive about whatever library of texts they had, after all. So it was probably better not to.)

"Ita-chan, Hoshika-chan, Kizuna-chan," Mikoto greeted the trio, "Good evening," far calmer than her best friend, who could be loud and boisterous even at the best of times.

"Heya, brats~!" Said woman teased, even as two bowls of ramen were set before the two adults. "Oh, thanks Teuchi-kun!" she grinned, nodding to the young man that ran the amazing ramen stand along with his aging father. "How's business?"

Teuchi just grinned in response. "Great since your family started coming," he half-joked, taking away the stack of empty bowls in from of Kizuna before replacing her currently emptied bowl with pork ramen even as he continued speaking to the women. "An order of Miso and Seafood to start of, as usual, right?"

The two nodded, making assenting noises before thanking the man.

"Thank you, Teuchi-san," polite as ever, Mikoto smiled while her best friend whooped, cheering in a very similar manner to her daughter.

"Thanks, Teuchi-jii-chan!" the girl grinned, nearly a small mirror of her mother as the two Uzumaki females dug in, the rest simply returning —or starting— their meals at a more peaceful, leisurely pace. They preferred to savour their food rather than inhale it, after all.

How the members of the Namikaze-Uzumaki home could even taste their ramen at the pace they consumed the supposedly 'godly food', no one was quite sure. But apparently they could, and could still tell the difference between ramen's even without a person saying anything.

Weirdo's. Good weirdo's, but still.

Teuchi just chuckled, returning to his place at the back to start washing dishes whilst his father continued to make the ramen.

By the time Minato had finished his paperwork, he'd been exhausted. Kakashi had been dismissed for the day, and Rin had long since returned for her shift at the hospital after she'd checked up on his wife. Stopping by only to let him know that she seemed to have calmed again, and that she had gone over to the Uchiha compound rather than demolishing a training field (again).

And now, it was dusk. Though the group was still at the usual ramen stand, the blonde was too tired to even register the familiar chakra presences. Most of the group were simply chatting whilst the two lighter haired females had just about eaten their fills, occasionally inserting their own conjectures and exclamations to the chattering brunettes.

"A Miso-Pork Ramen, please," the tired blonde ordered as soon as he walked in, taking the only empty seat at the bar beside Itachi, next to whom sat his daughter, her other friend, and the two adult women.

"One Miso-Pork Ramen, coming right up!" Ichiraku Sr. called out, ensuring the blonde knew that his order had been heard. The rest of the customers at the bar falling silent, as if waiting for something to happen.

When it was clear that Minato hadn't noticed or acknowledge him, however, Kushina finally broke the silence. Needless to say, she'd made the tuckered out Military Leader jump from where he'd slumped against the (thankfully clean) counter.

"Ohhh, Mi-na-to, dearest~ " she started, smiling a nearly saccharine sweet smile, though she did take pity seeing the other so exhausted. Especially when he gave a yelp and flailed, clearly caught off guard and too tired to even be able to properly catch himself as he tumbled off his seat and onto the floor.

"O-Ow, Ow…! K-Kushina, sweetheart, what, uh, what are you doing here?" he asked, clearly nervous at her previous tone as he jumped back up, dusting himself off before reaching up to the tender spot on his poor head. Only to wince as he decided it'd be better not to to touch the painfully aching area as he righted his stool, sitting down more cautiously this time.

"Why, eating ramen, of course," she responded, tone blithe as she raised a brow at his antics. Seeing that she didn't seem (too) upset, Minato gave her a hopeful, nearly puppy like look. Maybe she'd forgotten about the morning's incident…?

"Oh, don't you think I forgot, Mi-na-to, dar-ling~" She hissed, temper flaring at the reminder before she narrowed her eyes, watching the blonde wilt like lettuce in the heat, before deciding to take pity. "However," she started, a sweet, sweet smile on her face as she turned away from the adorable (ridiculously so, stupid pretty boy bastard) look of dejection on his face, trying not to really smile when it quickly turned into a far more hopeful and almost… sparkling ...look.

(Ridiculous man-boy, she thought, affection warming her from the inside even as she did her best not to show it.)

"I do believe I can forgive you if you cover the bill for dinner tonight," she smiled, a(n almost evil) mischievous light in her eye as her husband brightened and nodded rapidly, too relieved to think the conditions through.

"Of course!" He smiled, clearly forgetting how much even a single member of his little family could put away, let alone a pregnant Kushina (no doubt their little sucker would end up being a ramen addict, too, at this rate).

"Great!" she beamed, moving to kiss her husband's cheek before motioning for Mikoto and the kids to go ahead and get up, "You can pay for all of us and meet us back home when you're done here," she decided. "Me'n Mikoto are gonna take the kids home, now," she told him, a hand on Hoshika's head along with a wink warning the child not to speak up or protest.

"Bye, daddy~!" Kizuna beamed, waving at her father as they shuffled out, "see you when you get home!"

"Good night, Hokage-sama," Itachi bowed, polite as ever, whilst Mikoto gave him a sympathetic look, taking her son's hand as they, too, turned to exit the stand.

"Good Night, Yondaime-sama," Hoshika bowed as well, nodding her own thanks, before following the others out. It was still awkward, but this did mean that she and the other two could go out again soon. Kushina taking Kizuna's hand cheerfully, before waiting to take Hoshika's between herself and Mikoto as they left the poor blonde to deal with the bill when he finally left.

The poor, poor man.

(Still, worth it as far as Minato was concerned, seeing how scary his wife could be. Didn't mean he loved her any less, though. Ironically, perhaps it made him adore her even more? ….Sensei would have called him crazy, before laughing and slapping him on the back a few times, giving a thumbs up for winning the love lottery, considering how beautiful his wife and child were.)

"Is it really okay to just leave Yondaime-sama to foot the entire bill?" Hoshika asked after a while, the trio of children and their mothers (well, two of them, anyways, considering the last's was long dead) walking leisurely in the cool evening air of the village.

Kushina just waved it off with a shrug, since both hands were occupied with a girl each, "Oh, Minato can handle it. Not like it'll make too much of a dent, considering he's the Hokage," she mused.

Kizuna just stifled a snicker, Mikoto shaking her head over her friend's antics with mild exasperation. "Really, Kushina-chan."

The red-head was just absolutely incorrigible, sometimes.

Hoshika thought about it for a moment before deciding to shrug it off. If they said so, she mused, exchanging a glance with Itachi on Mikoto's other side.

Adults.

"If you're sure then, Kushina-san. In any case, thank you for walking me home, as well," she mused, slipping her hands out of the Uzumaki's and the Uchiha Matriarch's once they reached her apartment complex. Being the only single child, the adults tended to drop her off first if they could, before going home. Worried about the fact that a lone girl, no matter how mature she could be, would be walking home alone and in the dark. No matter how safe the town was.

Stepping away from the group, she gave a polite bow of thanks, only for the women to wave her off.

"It's fine, Hoshi-chan. Just think of it as us doing it so we can feel better about not leaving you to make the trip alone," Kushina grinned, her daughter giggling beside her despite how sleepy and full she was starting to feel.

"Besides," Mikoto added, "we'll be more assured if we can make sure you got home safely, ne?"

"So really, it's more for us than you," Kushina told her, only half-joking. True, it could be looked at that way, but really was reassuring to be able to ensure with their own eyes that she'd gotten home safe. Kushina and Minato had both lived on their own, being orphaned prior to attending Konoha's Ninja Academy, so they were used to living alone.

Kushina had gotten some special treatment, being the equivalent of a Princess from Whirlpool, after all. Hence why she'd gotten such a nice apartment upon arriving (it was, in fact, the very flat she continued to live in to this day). And Minato, while having lived in more normal conditions, was had also lived on his own in an Academy-assigned apartment, so it wasn't like he didn't know what the child had to deal with.

Bleeding Heart that he was, he'd already made several reforms for the sake of the children, and was still drafting legislations for more. Not just for orphans, either. Minato took his job very seriously, after all. He did have the fate of the entire village in his hands, in the end.

"Yeah!" Kizuna cut in, of the same mind as her mother, though more importantly, "And it means we get to hang out longer, too!" she pointed out. Itachi nodding in agreement. It was...nice...to be able to spend so much time around people his age, ones that didn't have any expectations out of him aside from being a 'friend'.

Kizuna and Hoshika both accepted him for who he was, rather than his title and apparent 'genius' level intelligence. They did have any expectations of himself that he wasn't willing to give, and even helped him relax from an otherwise stressful atmosphere that no doubt would have long since swallowed him, otherwise. So it was...nice...oddity aside, though Itachi didn't think he was exactly the best at reading and/or interacting with other people, so that made them even in that regard, he supposed.

As it was Hoshika just sighed, lips twitching into a grateful smile. "I guess all I can say that is...Good Night?" she mused, nodding politely to everyone, "I'll see you guys tomorrow, Kizuna, Itachi. Be safe," she added, bowing her thanks to the two women, since they didn't protest that much, at least.

"Night Hoshika!" Cheery as always, Kizuna grinned, waving energetically now that she was more awake.

"Good Night," Itachi nodded, soon followed by echoed goodbye's and well wishes as the brunette watched the others leave.

Watching them go with a wave, she waited until they were completely out of sight before turning back to head into the apartment. Her flat was on the second floor, and though large, considering her size and age, she still found it the spaciousness nice, if somewhat lonely at times.

It'd probably be better with some more furniture —a couch or sofa and maybe a coffee table or kotatsu, if she could— but since she doubted she'd used it anyways, she didn't really bother. She might have to soon, if Kizuna and Itachi ever planned on actually visiting , though.

(She was also, rightly, worried that her friend's mothers might end up trying to push some on her without warning. But that was a matter for another time.)

Of course, she did still have the funds that she'd inherited from her parents after their demise, but it wasn't as if she could really touch most of it yet, anyways. (Not until she was a legal adult...or a genin, at least.) Which was another reason why she'd applied for the Academy. Orphaned Academy student grants aside.

She got enough of an allowance to get by, as long as she stuck to a budget, though she did save as much as she could for later.

She had no plans to rely on the orphan funds forever, after all. Not that she could even if she wanted to. You only got so much to get by and to support yourself on, typically long enough to find a job or join the Academy (as most were wont to).

Besides, she was self sufficient enough, or at least, knew enough to get by on her own, considering the information her otherwise useless kekkei genkai gave her. Thankfully only while she was asleep or in dreams or else she would have gone mad before she could even sign up for the Academy.

(She didn't really want to think about what would have happened, then. There wasn't exactly a 'special services' for kids with mental issues, and only those that could hide it long well enough to be overlooked tended to last long.)

Thankfully, it seemed whatever the hell her bloodline was also gave the perk of faster mental maturation so the brain could handle all the information. She didn't know what a Yamanaka would see if they jumped into her head, but she was pretty sure it wouldn't be 'normal' at the very least. She'd yet to try going into her own mindscape, but she was pretty sure it'd be confusing, even to herself unless there was something her blood limit did for that too.

As it was, most of the 'dreams' she saw were either redundant or beyond strange, either way.

If she were to use references from one of her dreams… it would be something similar to some animated character called "Byakuran" in the most technologically advanced worlds she saw. Something about being able to look into other worlds in your dreams, though she didn't need a medium and simply falling asleep would trigger it.

Though she'd tried controlling it, the stupid thing either didn't allow for it, or that was simply how it worked. (She'd even tried directing the dreams to things and people she knew, or at least knew of —say, her parents— but it never worked, disappointingly enough.)

Which was ridiculous considering how much useless information and dream-memories she now had. Because of that, she also tended to treasure that few, actual, real dreams she had. (She could always tell between the 'dreams' and 'alternate world visions' so to speak.)

She really didn't need to know about the life of some random kid she'd never met, after all. Though it did sometimes color her perception of people that she had met in real life, she did manage to keep them separated. The people in those dreams of other worlds weren't her people, or her village after all. No matter how similar they might look.

(Thank the Kami she could tell the difference, though, or she'd have made a mistake years ago. Still, she was only human, and having dreams of people she'd yet to meet, well… there was a reason she kept away from certain people she could see...and why she preferred to keep away from people, period.)

Still, dreaming of someone else's life —hers or not, it didn't matter. Dreams of her other selves were always the worst, because they came with the feelings and perceptions of that other self, too— was not what she wanted to view.

She didn't want to know that the Itachi she knew could very well end up sacrificing himself, all for some stupid greater good. Especially when it meant hurting himself by hurting his family and those he cared for so much.

She didn't want to know a world where Kushina-san no longer existed, where Kizuna didn't exist, period.

One where Mikoto-san, Yondaime-sama, and the few people she knew and cared for were either dead or simply didn't exist…

That wasn't a world she ever wanted to see.

Unfortunately, though, she still hadn't quite figured out the triggers for the all-but-nightmares she'd seen.

Of course, the weirdest part, was probably the languages and technologies, other fictional or impossible worlds that would leave with information that would probably never be of use to her in her head.

(A language no one in the Elemental nations seemed to speak? Useless. Especially since she didn't intend to join either of the branches that had to do with ciphers or information. The language wouldn't exactly be easy to each either, considering that there were so many exceptions and so many stupid rules. It was ridiculous!)

Still, if it meant that she matured faster than the average child her age, then...well, at the very least, she could say that she did at least have friends who understood. Who knew and could accept her as was. (She was pretty sure a majority of the people she was close to and/or knew were either highly intelligent or geniuses in their own right...which was really weird, now that she thought about it.)

At least she had been able to absorb and learn quickly. Whether it was thanks to whatever the heck her kekkei genkai was (she was pretty sure whatever she had was the mutated version of whatever one of her parents may have had, because while no one had been surprised at her rapid growth after seeing her health records —apparently— no one had mentioned anything about 'visions' or seeing into other worlds either. Which was something you'd think they'd mention), she didn't know.

But then, she didn't know if the laws of physics and/or biology fit into some of the worlds she'd seen. Worlds where chakra didn't seem to exist, but other, fantastically impossible things did. Strange vehicles made of metal and were steered by people (cars, her mind told her). Large metal winged things —called planes, apparently— that could fly one across the continent. Vast oceans and villages (cities) of multi-story buildings that almost all looked the same.

But she was digressing. The point of the matter was that her kekkei genkai was weird, and mostly useless aside from —rather ironically— the side effects that had come along with ensuring that the body could handle it.

She typically kept those memories of other worlds locked behind secure lock and key in her mind, but that didn't mean they didn't still escape sometimes. And the very memories had also shaped her very personality as she'd grown, since the more vivid ones were hard to tell from reality at times. At least until she woke up, anyway. Then the certainty of knowing that it had been 'another dream' meant going through the process of doing her best to forget (a futile effort, as she'd come to learn), or to lock it away where it wouldn't bother her day to day life.

Either way, when she'd begun to 'dream' things had been beyond confusing. Especially as, when they'd first started, considering the headaches they'd caused. Sharp pains at first, until her brain had apparently developed enough to accommodate the influx of information to assimilate. It had been enough to alarm the caretakers when a very young, and very disoriented, little girl began to cry from the... growing pains ...so to speak. (She'd been to the clinic for enough check-ups, that she was thoroughly sick of it, and was determined to —secretly, because it'd be even more difficult to retire if she didn't do so— learn iryo-jutsu. If only to avoid having to go back to one of those stupid waiting rooms .)

(Children —and adults, alike— could be right horrors when they were suitably panicked over this or that reason. Especially when the nurse or whoever it was stuck on secretarial duty at the front desk simply told them to take a number, when they deemed it to be something either unimportant or not enough of an emergency to warrant being rushed to the ER wing right then in that moment .)

Needless to say, she'd been in and out of the pediatrics ward —and with at least vague memory of it considering the fact that she'd been in too much pain to really pay attention aside from wanting some people to shut up so they didn't make her kami damned headache worse (she had still been confused by the snapshots of very different lives filtering into her head, okay, even as young as she had been)— to remember most of the details of her medical records.

Especially since they'd noted the oddity of her slightly more rapid growth to accommodate her ridiculous growth rate —brain wise, at least— even considering the already rapid growth rates (as she would later realize, upon connecting certain dots and finding out that, no, it was not normal in the non-shinobi worlds for 'normal' three year olds to be able to talk almost fluently despite some lisps in those with slower bodily growth rate) of children in their world.

They'd ended up digging into her records —and also her parents after the blood test to match them and/or based off the records then. She didn't quite remember, just that they had managed to dig them up— to find that it was normal for those in her family to end up as she had, thanks to their sort-of kekkei genkai. If not as severe as hers had been.

As it was, they couldn't do much anyways, aside from telling them to bring her in if it got too bad, since pediatric prescriptions had to be very precise or run the risk of causing worse damage to such young bodies, and there was a limit to how much they could do with chakra and iryo-jutsu, as well.

(There may have been something about nerves and possible complications if they didn't handle it well, and the brain was delicate enough as it was.)

Realizing that she'd gotten distracted again, Hoshika decided to finish making preparations for bed and just call it a night.

She could always just read —and/or study, depending on the title— and practice a bit more in the morning, when she woke up, to make up for it, anyway...

Hoshika was a selfish person. She realized it, but unlike some, accepted it as part of her.

Being aware just meant she could see how it affected her and act (or react, as the case may be), accordingly.

So if her previous dream —goal, whatever— ended up changing, expanding, to fit the presence and happiness of those that had come to become oh so very important to her…

Well, that was her prerogative.

And no one else's.

(That didn't mean her dream/goal had changed, though. She still planned to pretty much become as self-sufficient a hermit as she could. It was just that she maybe —possibly, sort of — might not mind certain people visiting, if not sticking around in her life, rather than totally isolating herself from the world as originally planned…)

Ending Notes: Heads up on a Wall of Text. (Mostly background/timeline explanations for what/why certain things happen, or have/haven't happened, in this story.) You can continue without it though, if you want. It'll just be here for anyone interested. (Copy Pasta'd from AO3 End Notes from here.)

As promised. Timeline/Explanation Time.

Alive!Rin because based on AWSB/RoF-Verse timeline/alterations, Kannabi would've happened about four —nearly five— years ago. At which point Kushina, thanks only partly to the existence of Kizuna (currently a little over four and a half, nearly five years old), would be out of the field. (The other part's Kurama, of course.)

The war doesn't end til a little after above mentioned incident, so Minato's not pres— I mean, Hokage, yet. Minato and Kushina are married, though. Or have been. (There's no official age where they finally got together, or when they married, as far as I'm aware, so taking advantage of that for plot, here.)

Either way, since they've been married since before Kannabi, is it so surprising that Kushina would —surprise, surprise— end up pregnant? Likely, it wouldn't be realized that Kushina is pregnant until she starts getting morning sickness (conveniently not until after Kannabi), anyway.

Now, I did some research. I'm not a mom (unless you count two very fluffy cats), and I most definitely haven't given birth, so I can only really rely on internet for research. Apologies if I make any mistakes.

In any case, according to internet: First time vs second or multiple childbirth-wise: 9, plus/minus a few weeks, months is the average. Depending on the mother and child's condition. For first timer's, it's not odd for complications to arise. Not to mention, that it's possible for the first to be closer to 10 months, or less than 8 (though that'd count as a premie) due to complications (not even counting whether a certain fuzzball's existence).

So, Kannabi Bridge. Pretty much canon (not gonna expand, cuz character limit), Minato is crowned —or inaugurated, I guess— Hokage soon after. Kushina finds out she's pregnant, and later Minato does, too (Cue simultaneously ecstatic and panicked response. He's gonna be a daddy! ...on the other hand, oh dear kami, he's going to be a daddy.)

Orochi defects as per canon, and all that aside, cue the starting divergences.

Unlike —but similar to— Naruto, only a few people are told, at least until their baby is actually, and safely, born.

(Either to be named Naruto or Kizuna —though we already know which it ends up being. Jiraiya's either not written his novel, or Minato and Kushina decided to wait until 1. he comes back to share the news, or 2., only decide to tell him they might be naming their kid after his book protagonist if it's a boy...which she's not.)

And just so you know, I haven't actually finished the series. Most of this is based off what I've seen —up to or just past when they actually become a cohesive team alongside Sai and/or see Sasuke again; read —some point during the final war, where Naruto just figured out the golden magatama-y Kurama Cloak; or researched a la wiki —pretty much everything else.

But anyway, during the time when Rin was supposed to get kidnapped and turned into a walking bijuu time bomb, she's...not actually out on the field. Why? Because, well, who better to watch over your pregnant wife than your student who actually studied Iryo-jutsu, is in the know, and who —alongside Minato's other grieving student— is still in the midsts of getting over their teammate's death?

Plot holes? Probably plenty, but as far as I'm aware, Rin actually studied and was proficient enough (and probably did shifts in the hospital on top of that) to be able to help with Kushina's healthcare. (Sarutobi's wife Biwako, aside, since it was one of those situations where the less who knew, the better for everyone involved.)

And of course, regardless of if it's favoritism or not, it's a legitimate reason, and while he's at it, let's have Kakashi guard his pregnant wife, because who else in the know could do a better job? (And who won't piss his wife off, if he tries to make perverted jokes or passes at her —hint hint, not that said person was likely to even be in the village at the time to begin with, congratulations aside if he had been when it was found out.)

Especially since Minato still kind of needs to occasionally go out into the field, or else is drowning in paperwork that he, himself, has to sign. (At least Mikoto and Kushina can both commiserate over pregnancy hormones and such together, considering Mikoto's son is born about a month earlier, and would also explain why Mikoto, as a Jounin, wasn't one of the ones out there, either.)

End of Chapter Summary/Notation: With classes over with, and their usual after-school group training done for the day, the all-but-official team finds themselves at a certain stand. Kushina, meanwhile, calmed —or at least calmer, now— decides to find her best friend to unwind a bit...as well as to share some news.

Minato, meanwhile… well, powerful and a genius as he might be, it's still quite obvious that, despite his best efforts, his wife and child really do have him wrapped around their little fingers.