" Hey Naruto! You visiting Hinata again?"
" Not this time, though I should probably. But right now I need to go see Grandma Tsunade about some missions. I'm trying to save up some money for something I desperately need to do," The maturing blonde ninja said to his friend.
" Oh, well, I'm sure you'll be doing the right thing. Have you told Iruka-sensei yet?" Shikamaru asked.
" Heh, no not yet. I think I'm gonna wait 'til Hinata's outta the hospital. I mean, well, I guess I'm not ready, and I don't know if she wants this out yet. I've asked Sakura to keep quiet about this, and the Hyuuga elders probably don't want it out either. I'm not exactly on their favorites list, 'specially not now!" Naruto replied, resting his hands behing his head.
" Yeah, y'know, I'd really hate to be you right now," Shikimaru began," I mean, to start off, youv'e got an entire clan prepared to kill you, and you're kid. Second, you have a girl, quiet, but none-the-less bothersome. Third, you've got a kid on the way, and it's probably gonna wipe all of you're energy!"
Naruto was about to jump to defense, when suddenly Shikamaru added, " I'm proud of you, buddy, I could never handle anything like that, and you seem to tackle it like it's nothing, and yet it's gonna effect you for the rest of you're life, no matter what happens, somethin's gonna change! I really think, that you can do this, that everthing's gonna be fine, and that this is just a tiny hurdle, made to look like a brick wall."
" Ha hahaha ha ha!! Man, that was quite a strange pep-talk! how'd you know?" Naruto said with a strange smile.
Shikimaru stopped and turned to him. " You arn't too hard to read, Naruto. Everything can be read in some way, even you, what with your cheery attitude, you think you hide the fact that you're scared, and most barely sense it, or fail to realize it's coming from you. Even that smile you were wearing just a moment ago, showed alot of nervous-ness. You don't need to hide it, everyone understands. Your friends, your senseis, all of us are scared, they may not know the whole thing, but they are still worried something's wrong. But I think everything will be fine, and I'm sure they feel that this feeling will blow over too."
" Y'know, you talk alot Shikimaru, but y'know, it really helps. I feel alot better now, and more sure of what's going to happen."
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" Hinata Hyuuga. Says here it's time to have a little check-up. Mind pulling up your shirt so we could have a look at your belly?" one of the regular nurses asked.
" Ah, wonderful! Looks like you're as healthy as you need to be. Your uterus is intact, and the fetus is growing normally," The nurse said, writing something on the clipboard next to the bed. " I'll go alert the Hokage that you can start moving about." With that, the nurse left, a smile on her face.
" Hey, Hinata! I heard the good news! You'll be able to go out for a little while, at least," Sakura said, bursting through the door a few moments after.
" Y-yeah. It's great. It'll be nice to see Konoha's gardens again. Sigh, I just wish the little one could see them," Hinata said glumly, holding the newly formed bulge on her stomache.
" You know, Lady Tsunade says she's looking really hard to help you," Sakura sat on the bottom of the bed. " I'm sure everything will work out just fine. Naruto will be glad to hear that you can leave. Of course, you will still need to stay here untill your ankle heals."
" That's right! I forgot that it was still broken! Then again, you'd think I'd remember what with this big cast on it," Hinata replied, trying to lighten the mood.
" Heh, yeah. At least we don't have to worry about you taking off like Naruto and bothering the injury. I used to have so many problems with him leaving to go eat at Ichiraku's!" Sakura laughed.
Hinata giggled back. " Speaking of Naruto, where is he?"
" Oh, he's just off on a mission. He'll be back in a few days. I was surprised, it was one of of those baby-sitting missions that he usually complains about, yet he was exited as ever to get it!" Sakura said, her exression quite thoughtful.
" Well, he is going to be taking care of a kid soon, if we ever find a loop-hole... But still, I think he's just happy to get out of the village and on missions again," Hinata answered, cocking her head enough to peer at an ominous bird fly by.
" Yeah, he hasn't had any since that one him, Ino and you had, god, already two months back!" Sakura said, also noticing the bird.
" Hard to believe it's been that long. Well, y'know, I think it'll be nice to get out for once, see everybody again," Hinata smiled. She began to rise to her feet, but SAkura lightly pushed her back, recieving a bewildered glance.
" Well, you aren't able to walk around, since you need to wait untill that ankle heals, and it isn't wise to walk around immediately after you've healed, you're required to wait about another week or so untill you walk," Sakura said.
" T-then wha-"
" You can leave, but you need to be taken out in a weelchair, and acompainied by someone reccomended from the hospital-"
" Which includes me!" they both started at the voice coming from the door. They turned to see none other that Ino walking in with a mischevious grin.
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" So, did you get a look at her?"
" Yes, boss."
" Good, now Ichime Hoshida, I need another favor,"
" Yes boss?"
"Could you kill her, to repay my old friend Himaya Hyuuga. It's the least I could do to repay her for taking my own son's life. I'm sure she'd really apreciate it, heh heh heh heh!"
" Y-yes boss."
" Maybe you should take her boy too, he's not too far from here, you could get him first. I'd forgot about what Minato did, but I'm not going to speak of it to a beginner like you, even if you are in my closer circle. Go! " Yes, boss."
" I'm needing my bath. Tihane! Prepare it for me, will you?"
" Yes sir! Right away sir!"