I have a feeling that the last chapter wasn't very popular. Sorry about that.
Thank you all who provided advice about pregnancy and sonograms. I didn't really have anyone to ask about those things, and all of my information came from the Internet. Please, though, keep in mind that-
1) Naruto doesn't have a period to basic his pregnancy off of (that's how pregnancy weeks are counted)
2) Kyuubi predicted that Naruto wouldn't have a 9-month gestation, so things would occur faster than a normal pregnancy (Kyuubi's prediction was 7 months)
F.Y.I.- Naruto was 4 "Naru weeks" at his first exam. (six female weeks)
PS: My first sonogram was at 5 weeks, and it wasn't until now at 15 weeks that my doctor even tried doing a sonogram on my stomach. But could you imagine poor Naruto getting a vaginal sonogram stick up his....? O.O
-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.- -Flashbacks
Chapter 10: A Picture of 1,000 Words
Thunder clapped in the distance as lightening momentarily lit up the slate sky. Cool breezes carrying the scent of rain and spring flowers danced through the partially opened window, filling the aged apartment of the demon vessel. Three large bowls were scattered across the floor in front of Naruto's bed. Just as the rain started once more, the bowls began to serve their purpose of catching drops that came in through damaged parts of the ceiling. Several piles of yellowed scrolls and delicate books lay on the crumpled sheets of the tiny bed, some opened and some sitting quietly collecting dust. An annoying timer began to ring, and the sound of a toilet flushing followed. Emerging from the bathroom was a sleepy blond in his tattered orange pj bottoms who yawned widely before shuffling over to check on his dinner of red beans and rice.
"Oh no," the young man sighed while attempting to scrape at the rice that had decided to cling to the pot for dear life. He would be eating his meal burnt today.
The charred rice did not look appealing, even with the beans laid on top to hide blackened parts. Naruto knew he was not the greatest at cooking anything else besides ramen, but a little voice in his head echoed that there was a first time for everything. After all, he would soon need to feed another mouth that, if it was anything like Sasuke, would quickly grow tired of ramen every night.
So here Naruto was, sitting at his small table with the aroma of burnt food lingering throughout the room. He meagerly forced the sustenance down, hoping that the medicine Tsunade had given him would keep it there. Throwing up was Naruto's least favorite thing about being pregnant.
SNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSN
"Bleck, gah! Never, never, never again!" Naruto tramped into his room and threw himself onto the bed, sending a pile of papers fluttering to the floor as a result. Grumbling he slid off the bed and picked up each stained sheet.
The demon vessel could still hear the hokage's words from nearly a week ago.
-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-
"Here ya go, kid. This is your hokage training," Tsunade smiled coyly as she tapped the top most book in a large pile that covered half of her desk.
Some of the titles that were still legible seemed so bland and useless: A Detailed History of Konoha Vol. 1-8, Shodai Hokage: The First,Nidaime Hokage: The Second,Konohagakure: Leaf Village, and Prominent Shinobi Genealogy Vol. A-F.
Naruto stared in bewilderment, "You don't really want me to read all those do you?"
The old woman grinned widely in response, "Only if you ever wish to be hokage."
-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-
She had expected him to read half of the books and scrolls in one week. So far, Naruto had managed to struggle through some of the scrolls on elemental jutsus and the first hokage's history. He felt as if he were an academy student again. Only this time, the demon vessel actually understood the importance of studying such decrepit texts.
Someone once told him when he was young that it was important to study the past so that future generations would not make the same mistake. Who it was that gave Naruto that advice, Naruto could not remember. It may have been Iruka in the academy, or Jiraiya during those years of training aboard. There was even the possibility that the third hokage could have been the one to give that advice.
For now, the blond shinobi merely scratched his head as he sat on the floor and decided to find something semi-interesting.
The first thing he picked up was a brown book with gold lettering that had been half scuffed off. Naruto could still make out the title, Valley of the End, Konoha's Most Powerful Clash.
'The Valley of the End,' the ANBU sighed. He would not be surprised if a second book would be written one day on Konoha's second greatest clash at the End. That book was put gently aside for later and another was chosen. This time it was a scroll that Naruto opened to find the title, Taijutsu's Importance in History.
"This sounds perfect for Lee," he commented. Maybe he could loan it to the enthusiastic sensei after Naruto finished it.
Third time is the charm for some people. This proved true for Naruto, too. The next book he spotted stood out against the others, and the blond was surprised he had not noticed the book before. It was the thickest of the books and the pages were edged in a gold foil. This particular book was the newest looking and was probably written during the third's or fourth's time. The cover showed no major signs of wear nor did the pages, once Naruto opened the book. The book, Prominent Shinobi Genealogy, Special Revised Edition: Uchihas, turned out to be very current. The most recent chapter listed Sasuke as the last Uchiha and Itachi as dead. Tsunade must have thought to add it.
Casually flipping the pages, Naruto settled on the section of the Uchihas during the third and fourth hokage's leadership. There were profiles on each active Uchiha ninja that listed their special skills and abilities, sharingan capabilities, and any points of interest. Almost each Uchiha had a picture, too, and this is what really caught Naruto's attention. He glanced at Sasuke's parents, aunts, uncles, and cousins. What he saw took him by surprise.
Except for a then young Itachi and Sasuke's father, Fugaku, all of the Uchiha clan shown appeared to Naruto to be kind, happy people. Sasuke's mother, Mikoto, gave the impression that she was especially gentle with her loved ones. On the other hand, Fugaku's points of interest listed that he was known to be stern and show favoritism to Itachi even after Sasuke was born. This made Naruto wonder. Who was Sasuke before the clan's murder?
The blond believed for years that he and Sasuke were the same- alone and without love. Naruto did not fully accept when Sasuke said to him years ago in the Valley of the End that they were different. In Naruto's mind, Sasuke had never been loved. Sasuke was just like him. It was easy to see Sasuke pained and lonely, but seeing a picture of the woman who cared for Sasuke as a child hurt Naruto. At one time, Sasuke was happy. He loved and was loved back. He laughed, played, and enjoyed simple things like other children. It was only due to forces out of Sasuke's control that he became the person he was now.
Naruto had always been treated the same and essentially had carried the same personality and outlook since he was very young. The general village had always despised him. With Sasuke, though, the case was different. There was a time when Sasuke was a completely different person, one that Naruto never knew. Could this Sasuke who was capable of love and laughter still be alive in some tucked away corner of the current Sasuke's persona?
The blond sighed and shut the book. He allowed his body to fall onto his paper covered bed. Naruto was getting a headache from all this. He felt drained and tired as if any remaining will had left his body. The young ANBU was now questioning many of his actions regarding his raven haired friend. What right did he have to decide what was best for Sasuke? If the Uchiha had wanted to die after killing Itachi, then why did Naruto interfere? Why did he fight Sasuke so hard for the illogical and embarrassing situation he was now facing? Why did Naruto cling desperately to Sasuke for years?
The demon vessel covered his head with his pillow, feeling ashamed and selfish. He thought that he had not been very good to Sasuke. Yet the heir continued to be in the blond's life.
After Itachi,...
After their intimate encounter,...
Even after Naruto threatened Sasuke,...
The raven was still there.
Naruto turned on his side and faced the gray-tinted windows covered in a constant rain. His azure eyes drooped with exhaustion, the image of the slate world blurred and faded.
"Sasuke,...I'm sorry," he muttered.
SNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSN
((Deep in the forests of the western Leaf border...))
"Na-!" Sasuke awoke with a start.
Neji, who was on guard, threw a rare sideways glance at the Uchiha. At least he did not throw a kunai this time.
'Damn Uchiha,' the Hyuuga mentally sighed.
Yay. Short chapter! :3 Coming up with the book titles was fun!
I thought this would be a good place to stop. The next chapter shall pick up with our dear Uchiha. :D
And remember, this chapter was all about Naruto's view. If it sounds a little wacky, well, he's pregnant, and sometimes being pregnant throws off your reasoning. 8D
Thank you all so very, very much for the congratulations! Hope you all liked this little chapter! Please review! :3