.

.

She wasn't showing the morning of their wedding, but as she gets bigger Tobirama and Madara work diligently to minimize the potential fallout.

Hashi doesn't understand. "We're married now. Why would anyone care?" Tobirama sighs heavily.

"If they find out you conceived a child out of wedlock, there will be a scandal."

His sister is naive. It's strange - in combat she's fast and strong and as leader of their clan, she has a surprising head for strategy and battle tactics. But outside of all that, she's still innocent.

"I don't have a single brother left. I have nothing to protect. And...I just can't trust you."

Madara uttered those words lying on his back, Hashi crouching over him while Tobirama stood behind her. "Is there any way I can convince you to trust us?" Hashi asked.

"There is one way," Madara said, and Tobirama saw him staring up at the clouds. "Either kill your brother, or kill yourself right now. Then we will be even."

He knew Madara's words weren't serious. Madara fully expected to die by his sister's hand. And yet Hashi smiled broadly, thanked him for giving her the choice, then held the kunai to her neck, telling Madara she always knew he was a kind man.

Unforgivable. The whole thing was unforgivable. Tobirama had watched and gritted his teeth as his sister fell more and more in love with him.

The morning of the wedding, Tobirama swallowed his anger and helped Hashi wrap on her long kimono. He did this for his sister's sake: there were no women left in their family to help her, and Hashi had about as much experience with these things as Tobirama did. They fumbled with the fabric; unlike her normal ones, the wedding kimono was wrapped tight, so that she could only step forward a third of her normal stride, the white cloth serving as a binder restricting her movement. He pinned her hair in the traditional bridal topknot, then draped her shoulders with a shawl.

"Sometimes I can't help but feel like an older brother," Tobirama said, and in that moment he realized he was fussing over her in place of their father. Beneath the wedding hat, Hashi smiled.

"Thank you for protecting me, Little Brother."

"I will always protect you, my sister."

And he helped her step forward gingerly, guiding her toward the courtyard.

xXx

.

They find out about it by accident: Hashi was going over a few papers when she accidentally gets a papercut.

"Ow," she says, but while before she would immediately start to heal, her finger still keeps bleeding.

"I can see it," Madara says. He activates his Sharingan, staring intently at her stomach. "Our child is siphoning your chakra."

Normally, Hashi's chakra is dense and thick, a powerful layer that emanates from her entire body. With his Sharingan activated, he sees how Hashi's chakra now is perilously thin except for the small bump of her belly, the power of her Mokuton concentrated on growing their baby.

She can't use her Mokuton properly. As an experiment, she claps her hands and tries to do a simple jutsu, but while before large tree trunks would split the earth as they burst forth, now the most she can muster are delicate little vines which wilt as soon as they are conjured. And while before, using her Mokuton did little to deplete her chakra, making those tiny little vines exhausted her.

"She can't use her wood jutsu and she can't heal." Madara has taken the rare step of talking to Tobirama, whose eyes widen in alarm as Madara tells him what's going on. "The woman still insists on training even though she's weakened and vulnerable."

Tobirama strides into the courtyard. That Madara has to ask for his help only underscores the seriousness of the situation. "What the hell are you doing, Sister?" Tobirama says. His voice booms in the courtyard.

Hashi glances up at him. "I'm practicing my katas."

"There's no need to, we're not at war."

Hashi makes a face at him.

They stage an intervention. "This cannot go on," Madara says. He and Tobirama present a united front while Hashi crosses her arms.

"Fine," Hashi says. "If the two of you can beat me in taijutsu, I'll stop." Tobirama and Madara glance at each other.

"At the same time?" Tobirama asks. Hashi nods.

"Woman, I am not going to engage you in combat, you are pregnant, I don't want to hurt you," Madara says. Hashi grins at him.

"I bet you can't even land a single blow."

Tobirama gestures, exasperated, "If that is the case, Sister, it is because we held back to keep from harming you!"

"That's just what you'll tell yourselves after I beat you."

"Aggh," Tobirama rubs his head. Madara's eyes narrow.

They make her wear Tobirama's armor. "Why can't I wear mine?" Hashi says, but they insist, since the blue breast plate is thicker and heavier, they won't fight her unless the baby is protected. She puts on the leather smock, then binds her belly three times with thick strips of leather. Then she puts on Tobirama's breast plate, stumbling a little with the weight.

"I just want you two to realize you're making me fight with a handicap. This is like fifty pounds of armor. I could move better when I was wearing that stupid wedding kimono."

"Hmph. All the more reason we should drop this ridiculous endeavor," Madara says. Tobirama nods.

Hashirama takes a stance. The breast plate is huge on her, rolling on her hips like a soup bowl.

They charge forward toward her, Tobirama throwing a punch, which Hashi blocks before ducking and avoiding Madara's roundhouse kick that comes spinning at her. She ducks, weaves, then spins with a sudden burst of power and gyroscope rotation, punching and kicking, throwing Tobirama over her shoulder and slamming him into Madara.

"Aggh!" They both crash into each other, landing with a thud.

They scramble onto their feet again, Hashi grinning as they take their stance. They run at her again. They punch. She blocks. She ducks, flips, kicks one of them in the face before punching the other.

They stagger, then take a stance.

Hashi lowers her arms. "You two look terrible," Hashi says, looking at the bruise on Tobirama's lower lip and Madara's black eye.

"This proves nothing, Sister. We're holding back because you are pregnant."

"Indeed," Madara says. Hashi huffs.

xXx

.

She's dressed in her normal kimono again, talking with one of her advisors when her hip gives out as she's walking down the stairs.

"It hurts!" Hashi says, and Madara helps her limp and sits her on a chair.

"Your joints are loose because you're pregnant," Madara says. He deactivates his Sharingan.

She stops engaging in combat as she gets bigger.