The sun was beginning to set in the distance, bathing the Leaf Village in a warm glow of dusky oranges and reds. The streets of the village were emptying as dinners began being served and children were called indoors. Shopkeepers, who had been so busy during the day, were finally able to relax as the rush of customers thinned.

Naruto, however, had no one to return to and no jobs to complete. Lately, training had become nearly impossible because every time he'd start, he'd begin thinking about Sakura, and once that happened, he simply could not focus on the task at hand. So he resorted to wandering throughout the village, debating with himself whether or not enough time had passed since his last visit to Sakura to be able to visit her again.

He glanced up, immediately recognizing the polished white fence to his right and the deep green leaves hanging over it. He'd gone on this road at least twice today in his meanderings. He sighed and turned around to go another direction when something ran into his leg. Startled, he looked down to see a little head of messy black hair pressed flat against his leg. The head tilted back, revealing a young boy with a wide grin stretched across his face.

"Oh, sorry mister!" he said, scooting back. He gave an embarrassed smile and skirted around Naruto before running off on his way again. Naruto chuckled to himself. There was something about children; their innocence and cheerfulness could make anyone smile.

"Hey, Naruto, practicing for being a father, huh?" Naruto turned to see Shikamaru leaning against the fence a few feet back with his arms crossed and a half-smirk on his face. Naruto scratched the back of his head and gave a sheepish smile.

"Well, you know..." he started. The smirk on Shikamaru's face disappeared and he pushed off against the fence.

"Actually, I know what really happened. To Sakura. Which is what I need to talk to you about."

"How do you know what happened?" Naruto asked as Shikamaru fell into step beside him. "No one was supposed to know."

"Well, I came back with Tsunade and Shizune. Ino happened to be there right when Tsunade got the messenger bird, so she insisted on going back and I ended up getting dragged back with them. But I must say, it's way better back here than in the war, I can tell you that much." Shikamaru shook his head. "Anyway, I ended up being put in charge of the investigation. Reasoning behind the attack and all that. It's a drag, but someone's gotta do it, right? I just hate having to think like people as messed up as Sasuke."

"He didn't used to be," Naruto said. He lowered his gaze to the ground. "Everyone used to look up to him and we all wanted to be just like him. Cool, smart, strong—what happened?" Shikamaru considered this for a moment.

"Even the best people can change, I guess," he said. Silence fell between them for a few steps. Finally, Shikamaru spoke. "Anyway, I tried to talk with Sakura about what happened, but she didn't really want to talk to me about it. I don't blame her, but still, I need to know."

"So? Why're you telling me this?" Naruto asked.

"Are you an idiot? If she didn't want to tell me, wouldn't it make sense that I talk to someone else?"

"Ooohhh, you want to talk to me instead," he said. "Well why didn't you just say so then? Geez." Shikamaru rubbed his forehead with his palm and shook his head.

"Let's just get on with it, all right? Tell me everything that happened." So Naruto detailed all the events—how Sakura was trapped in the mangekyo sharingan for what seemed like a week to her, all of Sasuke's comments, and how Sasuke ran immediately after Naruto arrived. Shikamaru listened to all this without saying a word. Finally, when the account was finished, he nodded.

"I see... I figured from the beginning that Sasuke's goal was to have a child to continue the Uchiha line. Why else would he go through all the trouble of getting through our barriers? Besides, he never really seemed like the horny kind of guy."

"Oh, so that's what he wanted?"

Shikamaru sighed. "Naruto, you said it yourself—Sasuke said that he was going to use her to restore his clan. What else would that possibly mean besides him wanting to produce an Uchiha heir?" Naruto folded his arms and stuck out his lower lip in a pout.

"I don't know. Why don't you talk to your smart investigation buddies about your guesses! Hmph!" Shikamaru grimaced and rubbed his eyes with his thumb and forefinger.

"Just shut up and help me here, okay? Now that we know what Sasuke's motivation was… well, we still need to figure out why he chose Sakura. How does he feel about her?"

"He sure doesn't seem to care about her. He's tried to kill her before!" He kicked a rock in front of him, watching as it skidded for a few feet before stopping. It took Naruto a moment to notice that Shikamaru had stopped. He turned to see him staring at the ground, his eyebrows knit together in concentration.

"A little strange, don't you think?" he said, looking up at Naruto.

"What's strange?"

"He goes from wanting to kill her to wanting to use her to restore his clan. If I remember right, he's had this goal of bringing back his clan even before he left for Orochimaru. Well that means that this particular plan of his is fairly new, because at the time, he wouldn't have tried to kill Sakura if he was going to use her. It also means that he hasn't really worried too much about figuring out how to accomplish this until now, otherwise he would've done it already."

"What are you talking about?" Naruto asked.

"Now this is just a guess, but it almost seems like Sasuke's hurrying to try to have a kid. He wants to make sure the Uchiha line is preserved in case something happens to him," Shikamaru said. Naruto's eyes widened.

"Wait—you mean, in case he dies?" he asked.

"Bingo. I think he's planning on doing something particularly dangerous which was why he hurried up in having a kid, even going so far as to sneak into the village to do it. But still, so much of his plan doesn't make sense… There are so many risks involved. And why would he have picked Sakura?" He began walking again, this time at a much more rapid pace than before. He stared intently at the dirt path in front of him as he thought, his eyes narrowed. "Naruto, how does Sakura feel about Sasuke? And what does Sasuke think she feels for him?" Sadness crept into Naruto's eyes and he hung his head.

"She's completely in love with him. At least, she was."

"And does Sasuke know this?" Shikamaru asked.

"Yeah." Naruto's hands clenched into fists and he looked up at Shikamaru. "He knew exactly how she felt about him, and still he did this to her!" His voice became quieter as he continued. "I've always wanted to bring Sasuke back. It was the one thing that I kept holding onto. But after what he's done... What would you do?" Shikamaru frowned a little, then shrugged.

"I don't know, Naruto. He's your teammate; the call's yours. As for me, I think I've got enough information to keep me busy for a while. I'm gonna go home and then hit the books tomorrow morning. See you later, and good luck with that baby of yours!" As he walked off, hand raised in the air in farewell, Naruto sighed and turned down the road that led back to his apartment.

A father, huh? What happens when the baby grows up and gets the sharingan? What will people think then? He firmly pushed these thoughts from his mind. This whole act was for Sakura's sake—when she was ready to face the truth, he would be willing to step aside. Until then, he would be the child's father.

The library table was so completely covered with books and scrolls that barely an inch of tabletop was visible. The only thing on it that was not made of paper or leather binding was a dark head of spiky black hair that poked straight up into the air. His forehead was planted flat against the book in front of him and his eyes were closed, his green chunin vest slowly rising and falling with the steadiness of his breathing. It was quiet and peaceful; everything a library should be…

"You shouldn't drool on paper."

"Ahh!" Startled from peaceful slumber, Shikamaru abruptly shot up, his eyes wide open. It took him a moment to recognize the girl in front of him—long blonde hair covering one eye, purple midriff shirt and skirt. Shikamaru sighed and slouched in his chair, rubbing his eyes with his fingers.

"Ino, you should know better than to interrupt me when I'm studying," he said wearily. She raised an eyebrow.

"Studying? That sure looked a lot like sleeping to me." She stood up and leaned over the table, examining the covers of the books scattering the table. Shikamaru rolled his eyes but resigned himself to her usual snooping. "The Stages of Pregnancy? Shikamaru, why are you reading that?" His face turned bright pink and he glanced away.

"It's not like I was reading it for my sake." Ino straightened up from the table and folded her arms across her chest.

"Oh really? It seems to me that you and that Temari girl from the Sand Village have been getting pretty cozy on the battlefield lately," she said. The pink that had been creeping onto Shikamaru's face flushed into a very deep shade that was undeniably red.

"Ugh, you're such a pain, Ino! Why do girls have to be so annoying? Of course it's not like that!" Ino regarded him carefully. What he said was probably true, but still, he was much too embarrassed for there to be absolutely no shard of truth to what she'd said. "Anyway, could you get out of here? I have important research to get to and you're in my way."

"Oh, that's no way to treat a lady! You're going to have to get better or you'll chase Temari off!" she said with a wink.

"Ino!" he sighed, clearly exasperated. She let out a short little giggle and wiggled her fingers in goodbye.

"See you around, Shikamaru! And as for the pregnancy books, I'm not even gonna ask." She started to leave, then turned back with a smirk. "Oh, and by the way, you've got some ink on your face."

"Like I care."

"Just thought you'd like to know!" she sang, and then waltzed through the exit. When the door slammed shut behind her, Shikamaru hesitated before wiping at his cheek.

"Females. They're such a drag."

Night was falling, the setting sun's colors painting streaks through the open windows of the Nara home. After a long day of studying in the library, Shikamaru was now sitting in front of a shogi game. His chin rested in his hand as he lazily shifted pieces across the table, mulling over the information he knew for the investigation.

Sasuke attacks Sakura, seemingly unprovoked and out of the blue. From what he'd gathered from Naruto, that was obviously done to restore his clan. But why Sakura? Why not that Karin girl who's part of his group? Knowing her, she'd probably offer herself willingly to his cause. Well, if I were in his position and I had some plan, I wouldn't want my pieces to be unplayable. He picked up one of the pieces and moved it forward a space. He has a plan that uses Karin, then. So, why not some random girl? Nah, he'd want to know the girl, so he could be certain that she'd be a good mother and be sure that she's strong. He couldn't take any chances with someone random—besides, if it were random, she'd almost definitely get an abortion immediately. Okay, so why not Ino or Hinata? He knew them too. Well, that's easy. He knew Sakura extremely well from when they were teammates, and from what Naruto said, Sasuke is aware that Sakura still has, or had, feelings for him. Taking advantage of those feelings was smart. It probably made her more likely to keep the baby.

"But that plan could also backfire," he muttered. He picked up a piece and rubbed it between his thumb and pointer finger. If someone had a strong attachment to somebody else and felt that sort of betrayal, it's almost just as likely that she'd get rid of the baby out of hurt alone. You can't count on either reaction... He was so close he could almost reach out and touch it, but it was like every time he took a step forward the answer moved back just enough so his fingers barely missed it. He set the shogi piece back on the board and placed his hands in his customary thinking position—palms facing upward, fingers all touching to form an O-shape, and he closed his eyes.

If I were Sasuke, I wouldn't want to take that kind of risk. I'd want to keep her with me to make sure she kept the baby and to keep her and the child under my personal protection. But he didn't. Why did he leave her? It's not like Naruto arriving scared him away. He didn't even try to fight Naruto for Sakura, he just left. It was like he wanted Naruto to be there and was leaving Sakura in his protection... And then on top of it, Sakura was given the pill only thirty minutes after the incident—from all his studying, he knew that usually, thirty minutes isn't enough time to have the egg fertilized. What did Sasuke do that would guarantee its fertilization? What was different about this case?

The mangekyo sharingan! His eyebrows narrowed in concentration and he subconsciously began to chew on his lower lip. Yes, that's it! The key! The doctors mentioned how the first stages of Sakura's pregnancy were unnaturally fast. In a week, she progressed to the three week stage. That's how they were able to confirm her as pregnant so quickly. Her being in the mangekyo sharingan for a virtual week must have sped up her pregnancy—and Sasuke was counting on that! He had to get her egg fully fertilized before he gave her back to the village so the pill would have no effect. A week would be more than enough time to make sure that she was impregnated.But her week in the mangekyo sharingan ended up having the same effect on her as two weeks in reality would be. Did Sasuke know that it was like two weeks passing, or not? No, that's not important right now. When it becomes important, I'll come back to it.

With the mangekyo sharingan, he had ensured her pregnancy. But why did he give her back to the village? It was obviously all intentional, him giving her back. The necessary medical treatments Sakura needed... could Karin have been able to treat her? Physically, yes. Emotionally, definitely not. If Sasuke had kidnapped her, she probably couldn't have recovered. Sasuke wouldn't want his child having an unstable mother. She could only recover here. But after she recovers...

Shikamaru's eyes shot open. "I've got it!"

"It just doesn't add up." Tsunade was hunched over her desk, her head resting in her palms. "Why would one of the Leaf's most wanted criminals go to all of the trouble of sneaking into the village just to rape Sakura?"

"Do you suppose Sasuke had some ulterior motive?" Shizune asked as she brushed aside some of the papers that were scattered all over the hokage's desk. When she did, Sasuke Uchiha's page from the anbu black ops bingo book was revealed.

"Oh, I have no doubt. From our experience with Sasuke, he is not one to act at random." Tsunade reached out and took the book into her hand, staring into his photo. Those impenetrable black eyes, the cool, distant demeanor of his expression… She sighed and set the page down, drumming her carefully manicured nails on the desk. "I feel as if that thing he implanted in her is all part of some plan."

"So then we need to perform the abortion for Sakura very soon, for her own health and safety! We can't afford to allow Sasuke's plan to progress!" Just then, a knock sounded on the door.

"Come in," Tsunade called. The door creaked open and Shikamaru stepped into the room, a bored expression on his face. "Ah, just the person I wanted to see. So tell me, have you made any progress on the Sakura case?"

Shikamaru sighed and pulled his hands out of his pockets. "Yeah, though I don't think it's something you really wanna hear."

"I doubt any motivation behind something like that would be something I want to hear," she said. "So, what did you find out?"

"Well, to sum up, Sasuke's going to be attacking the village in probably two or three days." Shizune, who was pouring Tonton some milk, entirely missed the bowl and spilled all over the wood floor.

"What?" she gasped. Tsunade's eyes narrowed.

"Are you sure?" she said. Shikamaru nodded grimly.

"Positive. Sasuke's going to be back in the next few days to get Sakura. He only left her in the village so she would recover. He was always intending to come back for her, to make sure she's protected and to make sure that she doesn't get rid of the baby. But he miscalculated. He was going to come back when he thought she was three weeks pregnant, right before we'd be able to tell if she was pregnant or not. What he didn't count on was that the mangekyo sharingan sped up her pregnancy by an entire week more than he meant for it to." Tsunade leaned forward, resting her chin on her fist.

"So it was the mangekyo sharingan..." she said.

"Yeah. It's the only possible explanation behind why her pregnancy was so fast. It couldn't have been some weird mutation that only Sakura has, because there would've been other documented cases of the same thing. It couldn't have been anyone else's baby because all the tests disproved that theory. The only other reason left was the sharingan, and it makes perfect sense considering she spent a week in that thing."

"Okay, but how does all this add up to Sasuke coming back?" Tsunade asked. Shikamaru started to answer, but someone else interrupted him.

"Sasuke Uchiha? Coming back to the village?" an old woman said. Tsunade's faced darkened as the two village council members entered the room.

"Koharu, Homura," she said distastefully, "how nice of you to join us."