"Moonlight, Rain and Sakura" is officially completed with no regrets. :D Now this story has the rest of my attention before I move on to finish my Kim Possible story, "Honeymoon in Cambodia".

Another warning in play when you begin this chapter, which is tied to earlier events.

Warning aside, this story has two or three chapters left! :D

Chapter Ten

Back into the Action

Itachi didn't get much sleep that night despite having a blast with his family and friends at Naruto and Hinata's engagement party.

Being surrounded by everyone he cared about was what he needed, and it helped, but what happened that night after the fun was over made him bolt upright, and it was a miracle his wife was wiped out more than him for a change. Otherwise, he would have had to explain to her what he had to keep from her for her sake.

It happened to be the day that had come, and he had to inform Kakashi tomorrow as soon as possible.

~o~

"LORD OROCHIMARU!"

"I'm...okay!" This was followed by a hiss and a clenching of the teeth which stifled a scream through them. "Damn it, Kabuto, this pain I should have anticipated!" If this were anything but, the situation would have been laughable to see, but it made the insides churn and threaten to spill out with nausea: the Snake Sannin was completely nude; the one thing blocking what was best not seen happened to be the abnormally large roundness that was his abdomen. Which meant one thing as to what it was.

It seemed his little rat wasn't taking it any better, based on the grimace of extreme discomfort on his face, even as he was forced to hold his master's hand for the duration of the first time...

...and then out came the first EGG the size of a two-month-old puppy. The screams began to increase with each one to pop out, and the agonized snake man admitted that he'd been better, which was almost comical.

Where did they come out? Right. Between. The. LEGS.

The same way a woman would give birth. It was enough to make the viewer lose control of keeping the contents in their stomach.

There were eight in total by the time Orochimaru's labor ended, and Kabuto was tasked with picking them all up individually to lay across the cleared lab counters, beneath both great sun lamps to give them all warmth. Behind him, the breeder was exhausted to his bones and laid back to look up at the ceiling, allowing a tired smile to stretch across his face in relief of the ordeal being over as well as the fact the hard work was paid off.

"At last, my...children are here."

He did not see the young man's face since the other's back was turned, but Kabuto swallowed as he did not like the implications which were far from the normal parental pride he'd seen in many people outside this environment.

~o~

Every intimate detail there was...

And that was why he didn't tell Hanaru a thing, instead going straight to the Hokage.

What disturbed him beyond belief was the fact that the snake didn't have a care for what was made in himself...and knowing HE had played a part in that, albeit against his will. It made him reel inwardly because those things inside the eggs were part of him.

He tried telling himself that he had nothing to do with something that Orochimaru was at fault for, but at the same time, knowing they were being used for their creator's own twisted means made him decide that there had to be something that could be done to get them away and be cared for after they hatched - but no one knew WHAT they would turn out to be.

Itachi was all the more sickened at the thought of both him AND his wife in that snake man to help bring forth the offspring. Just...!

"I see." Even Kakashi appeared to be unable to keep himself together no matter his efforts. "You saw all of this in a dream."

"Yes," Itachi answered without shame. "Crystal clear as I see you now."

The man leaned back, stiff as ever. "Well, if what you say is happening, or is about to happen, then we had two months of gestation for Orochimaru. I'm still struggling to process this myself." You could almost see the sweat drop as proof. "And we don't even have the knowledge of the natural white snakes which are far too rare to find."

The white snake itself is said to be a result of pigment mutations, particularly in rat snakes; other than that, no one's bothered to find out. But they are said to mean good fortune and...rejuvenation. Ironic with the latter.

And that meant no one knew about their gestation periods, though the numbers varied in every species.

"Itachi...perhaps it is time to finally let your wife in on this, even if it risks her shattering the walls."

As if things couldn't get any more worse than they already were, but if the Hokage was right, then he had no choice but to agree with his word.

~o~

You knew this all along and chose NOW to tell me...but I suppose I can forgive you all for this.

And yes, even if she were super pissed off and sick to her very stomach, and on the verge of fainting.

"Oi, sister, hold on!" Naruto exclaimed when he came to her side as she nearly fell off her feet. "If anyone should pass out from something like this, it oughtta be me."

Sasuke scoffed. "You haven't done that since we were kids."

Frustrated, Hanaru pulled from her brother's arms and glared between them. "No one is gonna try to make me laugh after what I have just heard. You could have told me any time in the last two months, but I don't hate anyone for it," she added, looking back at her husband. They were all at the house, but Ren was with his grandparents since Itachi suggested they have time together for the first time in weeks. She was all too happy to agree - but that meant he had something to tell her with both their brothers present.

Never did she expect this, but it also made sense with everything the snake man had been up to, as well as getting what he took from Itachi. Everything came together...

My chakra as well as Itachi's, having another's uterus adjusted within his body, and having a female's lower part for the final step since he's stolen that kind of body...oh, God, I'm gonna be sick more than when I was pregnant, and what he did to my husband...!

And so, Hanaru made a mad dash for the nearest trash bin she could find, and her vision danced bright white. She vomited so much she thought she would faint as otouto said; the next thing she knew, strong arms were helping her stand up and then over where the kitchen table was, followed by a bottle of sake being brought out to help her relax, though she feared getting sicker if she so much as took a sip of the alcohol.

What made it even worse was knowing those eggs would hatch offspring with the various bloodlines their maker had stolen. Though, she was positive some of them might not make it, which was a small act of mercy. I'm a mother myself, so why am I thinking this way? Those creatures are probably innocent, having no fault being created the way they were.

"Just like two of the times I've seen him at work on those men," she said after speaking the thought. "The one who died and took the unborn with, and the other who survived but not the child." She hissed lividly. "So, boys, if Itachi's dream did happen, then Lord Hokage ought to send us all out tomorrow so we can make Orochimaru pay for sure. Not only is he gonna be vulnerable enough for awhile, but Kabuto is sure to keep watch over those eggs. If they hatch before or after we get there, we're gonna have innocent children suffering for something that they didn't choose. You get all that?!"

What she said stunned them all, but while Naruto and Sasuke gave it the most in their entire faces, Itachi only let it show in his eyes - and that was enough for him to reach and have another "what the hell?" drink, and she just let him.

"...you really care, don't ya?" Naruto grumbled. "Even if they can't be human, right?"

"You got that right, otouto! I don't know what should be done with them, but maybe they can be taken in by someone who will treat them right, and that way, they'll not end up being monsters." If only I can promise that won't happen. I just hate to think about such things happening. "Don't tell me you don't feel an amount of sympathy for them since it's something you know too well." That was enough for him to sputter and earn a bout of deep laughter from Sasuke as he slapped Naruto on the back even though the blond wasn't choking on his drink.

"You got to be kidding me!" Naruto exclaimed in disdain. "You're honestly using THAT against me!"

"She's doing just that, dobe," Sasuke told him slyly, enjoying every minute of this.

"That, and I'll never get sick of saying this: I'd love to see Orochimaru sealed away once and for all, so Sasuke, I leave that job to you. Means Naruto and I deal with Kabuto and the offspring until backup arrives. And Itachi...you just wait until we get back."

Which meant that by the time the snake was finished, their lives would officially return to normal. So she prayed.

Itachi was leaning over the table before both their brothers' eyes and did something that made her heart leap in her chest - a feeling she missed to death despite the weeks of efforts.

"You always asked me to come back safe and sound, so I'll demand the same of you. Because if Ren is deprived of his mother, I'll NEVER forgive you." Itachi warned this of her with an extremely hard expression that rivaled the faces in the Hokage Mountain. Holding her to her word; that was what it felt like in this position since she'd had the pants in this relationship.

Totally what it feels like. But let's get this shit straight once and for all, and the village will be more than avenged - and my man here who is making my heart beat the way it used to.

And the warning ended with a kiss that sparked fire which heated but didn't sear what was in its path.

~o~

Orochimaru sealed away by Sasuke's Susano'o? He prayed that nothing would happen to his brother, no matter how powerful he'd become.

He also wished Kabuto would be captured and answer to everything he played a part in. Though, at the bottom of his heart when he recalled telling Kabuto to reexamine himself since they were similar in some ways...have you been doing that since I was rescued? Since you've clearly seen what a monster your master is? If my vision is anything to go by.

He was adamant about his wife and their brothers being the ones to finish the snake off. Hanaru had recovered earlier than four months for most new mothers, because she was an Uzumaki, which went without saying. So, he hoped she would fare against not only a possibly bedridden Orochimaru, but also Kabuto. She knew to not get ensnared again, which seemed to be an unwanted habit with them these days.

This will be the last time.

He was sitting on the edge of the bed with Ren, bouncing the boy in his lap while holding him up beneath the arms. His son laughed and gurgled, reaching out to him. That was until his wife cleared her throat whilst laughing, getting his attention to what she had him in here for...and it was enough to make him do a double take and wonder if this was the same Hanaru he knew when she was in combat, when actually she was and yet different.

She was in her preferred blue, but with twists. The fishnet was still elbow-length and the blouse a quiqua fashion; the ensemble was finished with not only the standard sandals, but now with the navy blue Shinobi trousers. And her hair was held back into a ponytail which reached the nape of her neck.

The Leaf's Explosive Force is back.

His breath had been stolen by the sight of her as she did to him in the early days of their courtship and eventually into their marriage before a certain serpentine demon wrecked it.

He could already imagine how she would fare when she went back out into the field and came back to him and their son unharmed. Even before today, he saw her fare with her trio who were happy to see her back.

Unfortunately, I won't be there to see her and our brothers trap the snake in a more permanent cage where he would never get out again...unless the opportunity comes on Hokage's orders.

This thought came when he recalled the day he confided in Kakashi about his demons he was still battling.

The moment where Itachi dreams of Orochimaru in labor was inspired by a hilarious moment in the second part of "Killer Bee Rappuden" (Killer Bee's dream sequence in the Infinite Tsukuyomi arc) - we see Orochimaru, Kabuto and the snake summons getting their asses handed to them by the Jinchuuriki and their Tailed Beasts, all the while Orochimaru each time says he's okay and ends with "I've been better!" XD God, that was so funny to watch.

The disturbing event itself was inspired by something that someone on YouTube said when I watched a cute clip between Orochimaru and Mitsuki. Someone made a joke he'd laid an egg when actually Mitsuki comes from someone named "Log". XD The seed was planted naturally, and I never thought I'd use it for here and "Night Flowers" prior.

I recently found out about the pure white snakes which are called Shirohebi in Japan. They are rarely born in the wild and are said to be the result of mutations. They are idolized in temples and shrines notably in Iwakuni, in the Yamaguchi prefecture. And in 1972, the white snake was declared a protected, rare species in the country.

Hanaru has an update to her look in "Night Flowers", because if everyone else in canon got that in the future, so does she in here. :) The blouse was inspired by Sakura's dress in Part One of the franchise, but this time with the elbow-length fishnet and standard Shinobi trousers and sandals.

R and R!