"Push, Hime, push!" Hiruzen bellowed.
Tsunade's grunts of agony filled the hospital completely. She grabbed the old Kage by his collar with unreasonable strength.
"TELL THEM TO GET THIS BABY OUT OF ME!"
Hiruzen was rattled that Tsunade still had so much strength, even at 9 months pregnant. It was downright unreal.
"Nurse, please try to make the birth as hasty as possible. Tsunade-Hime's contracts are restless."
The brunette nurse couldn't really speed the process up at all, but she nodded fervently. Tsunade's shouts and cries only frightened the young nurse even more. She just hoped that she wouldn't be beaten to a bloody pulp in the process of the birth.
'Come on out baby. DAMN IT!' Tsunade shouted internally. Even the worst wound she had ever suffered on the battlefield couldn't compare to this.
And to make it all worse, Dan wasn't back from his mission yet. If he missed the birth of their child she would never forgive him.
BREAK*
"Eisuke, Genjiro, pick up the pace!" Dan shouted. They were almost back to Konoha, and he would not miss the birth of his babygirl for the world.
Eisuke, the blonde Yamanaka stopped dead in his tracks. Genjiro, the tall Sarutobi did the same. Dan noticed this and turned around with a puzzled look permeating his features.
"Come on guys, let's get a move on!" Dan shouted once more. The piercing jade eyes of Dan widened significantly when Genjiro swung his giant sword in his direction.
Dan ducked underneath the blow, and pushed Genjiro back with a quick Futon jutsu. Eisuke grabbed Dan's arm, and tried to do his mind transfer maneuver, but Konoha's Blue Devil was much too quick.
He stiffened two fingers and stabbed Eisuke right in a pressure point in his shoulder.
"What the hell is going on, now's not the time for a spar." Dan growled lowly.
The two men froze, and they began to spasm uncontrollably. Dan's keen sensory abilities noticed a foreign chakra in their coils. It was ravishing their chakra network, desperate for control.
Dan couldn't desert his comrades out here, nor could he miss the birth of his child.
In the moment of Dan's mental turmoil, a sword rammed itself into his abdomen from behind. The blade slid all the way inside his stomach, making him feel the cold hilt of the blade.
As quickly as it was slashed into him, it was removed. Dan coughed up blood and clutched his heart. That wasn't a simple sword strike.
Dan gathered himself shortly after, and turned around to his biggest nightmare.
Yellow, slitted eyes peered into his very soul.
"O-orochimaru! You bastard!" Dan leapt up and tried to behead him with a kunai but the pain was too great. Just as his weapon neared the Snake Sannin, he collapsed in a coughing fit.
"The fact that you're able to move is impressive. I spent years perfecting this poison, and you still aren't dead. Just speaks more of your prowess I suppose."
Orochimaru licked his lips delicately.
"What... did you do... to my TEAMMATES!" Dan shouted.
Orochimaru frowned and kicked Dan in his ribs. He stepped on the man violently, eliciting another round of violent coughing.
Dan could feel his left lung completely give out. This poison must've been directly targeting vital organs.
There it was again- that smile that Dan so completely loathed with his entire existence. But in that moment, he had felt so powerless.
'Damn it Jiraiya, now would be a good time for one of those spectacular entrances.'
But it never came to pass.
"Since you're going to die now, I suppose I can tell you a few things. Your teammates have been marked with a new type of Senjutsu I'm testing about for about a week now. I had discarded it, since there's no noticeable buff in power. But, it does allow one thing."
"Those marked, and imbued with my chakra will be under my complete control."
Dan gasped, but instantly regretted it as his heart clenched.
"I'm going to mark your precious baby girl now. And there's nothing to stop me. The old man is too soft, Tsunade is weakened from birth and Jiraiya's off being a buffoon as always."
Dan shook with unbridled rage, but he was powerless against the traitorous snake.
Orochimaru ejected his Kusanagi sword, and stalked over to Eisuke and Genjiro.
The two men shook uncontrollably with fear, but the Sannin persisted devilishly. Dan couldn't bring himself to witness this. He closed his eyes, and could only hear the brutal splattering of blood ringing throughout his ears.
Hot tears stung at the eyes of the mighty Kato heir. These two men had been at his side since he was a teenager. He was their Jounin Sensei and they were the only support he had after the death of his female student.
And now.
They were gone.
Eisuke's neck was pulped open, a large slash opening up the deepest laceration. His skin was barely hanging onto his face. The mangled, grizzled expression he had been forced into was almost unfathomable.
Genjiro had been rammed through the stomach brutally. His lung had been pierced with the lethal poison, rendering him death within seconds. His blood and guts spilled all over the forest floor.
Such an image would be burned into Dan's memory for as long as he lived. Just how long that would be, Dan was unsure.
"I'll leave you to die a slow, and painful death. Goodbye, Kato-Kun." Orochimaru cackled until his shoulder shook.
"You... bastard." Dan roared, despite his predicament.
"My daughter... she will... hunger for your soul." Dan's labored breathing impaired his speech, but the message behind them was loud and clear.
Orochimaru growled lowly.
"S-... she will come for you... and I... will be waiting." He coughed hoarsely again, blood spilling from his throat once more.
Orochimaru looked at him with absolute pity.
"You poor, poor fool. Your daughter will never touch me." Orochimaru leapt away, bounding after Konoha's Hospital.
Dan's bones ached and groaned in protest. Every cell in his body hurt. He shouldn't have even been able to move. But despite the unbearable pain, Dan persisted. He bounded after Orochimaru on foot, determined to save his child.
BREAK*
"It's a girl!" The nurse shouted enthusiastically.
Tsunade sagged in exhaustion, finally having given birth. Hiruzen couldn't contain his smile at the birth of his student's child.
Oh, he couldn't wait to spoil the child rotten.
"What will you name her, Hime?" Hiruzen asked thoughtfully. As the nurse placed the child in Tsunade's arms, she looked at her thoughtfully.
'She has such beautiful pink hair. It must be a recessive gene she's inherited from the Kato. I think I'll name her... Sakura.'
Tsunade looked at her daughter lovingly.
"Sakura. I'll name her. In order to avoid problems with enemy Shinobi in the future, her last name will be Kato and not Senju."
Hiruzen nodded. He walked up to the bed and playfully began to baby talk to Sakura. The child had the most beautiful shade of green eyes, which lit up with joy.
Hiruzen knew this girl would be a great Shinobi. She hadn't even cried during her own birth for crying out loud. He picked the child up and cradled her in his arms.
Sakura looked up at the older man with widened eyes, until her expression softened. She grabbed the man's brown beard and giggled.
The very sound melted the ears of Tsunade, who couldn't believe this was happening. At 32 years old, she thought she was destined to be a field Kunoichi and nothing more for the rest of her life. Sure, saving lives with her medical ninjutsu and turning the tide of battles single handedly was fun during her younger days, but she was getting older.
The world's strongest kunoichi would gladly give up all of that for her daughter. And now, that day was here. She couldn't wait to retire and become a full time mother and doctor only. She had earned her stripes on the battlefield without a doubt and now was the time to step down.
A knock at the door caused both teacher and student to look up with puzzled expressions. Nobody was allowed up here. Placing Sakura back in her mother's awaiting arms, the Sandaime paced evenly to the door and opened it.
"Orochimaru." Hiruzen said curtly.
The Snake Sannin smiled his most disarming smile.
"Has my niece been born yet?" Orochimaru's tone betrayed none of his intentions. Hiruzen nodded and allowed the man entry.
Tsunade gasped a bit at Orochimaru's presence, but greeted him nonetheless. Her old teammate wasn't exactly her closest friend but she understood why he wanted to be here.
"She's beautiful, Tsunade. Can I hold her?" Orochimaru had a longing glint in his eye that Tsunade couldn't read, but she allowed him to do so anyway.
Hiruzen closed the door again, and walked over to the sight.
Orochimaru was curdling Sakura closely in his arms, almost in a fatherly manner. The sight stunned the two present in the room. They never would've expected this of the cold man.
Orochimaru let a murderous grin creep unto his features. Just as he prepared to mark the child, a figure busted into the room.
"WAIT!" The voice shouted breathlessly.
Orochimaru growled in utter rage.
"O-orochimaru. He... get Sakura from him now!" Dan commanded. Ignoring all the pain from childbirth, Tsunade grabbed Sakura and kicked Orochimaru across the floor.
"Dan, what happened?" The Sandaime roared. Orochimaru had seemed perfectly normal with the child before Dan's arrival.
Dan's heavily bloodied and wounded form did not go unnoticed by Tsunade. The hole in his stomach was so deep, a normal blade couldn't have done that. Tsunade came to a quick deduction but did not want to believe it.
'That Kusanagi... I've seen it inflict similar wounds. And Dan wanting Orochimaru away from Sakura. That could only mean one thing.'
"That bastard... he poisoned me with that blade. A-and he killed my teammates. I-..." Dan staggered breathlessly again.
He shouldn't have even been able to talk at this point, but for this newborn child? He would lift the world and the stars if need be.
Hiruzen's usual kind face molded to stone with contemptuous ease.
"Orochimaru. You've betrayed one of your fellow Leaf brethren. How dare you?" The mighty Shinobi no Kami roared.
Orochimaru couldn't afford to challenge the old goat without significant preparation, but the old man wouldn't relent. Orochimaru burst through the window and leapt to the rooftop, with Hiruzen hot on his tail.
"Ts- Tsunade." Dan barely croaked out. His life would be over in a matter of moments, that much he knew.
Tsunade trembled slightly. Her careful hold of her daughter didn't falter despite the circumstances.
Dan hobbled over to Sakura and his wife. He had only wanted to enjoy this sight for the rest of his days. And now, he would be stripped of this after only enjoying it once.
The blue haired man smiled down at his daughter, who tugged at his hair playfully and giggled.
I would've had so much fun with you... dancing, singing, playing, training... if you wanted to become a shinobi like us. I can't believe I'll never do any of that.
Tsunade couldn't bear the sight anymore, and shut down Sakura's little chakra network, putting her to sleep.
"Dan! There's still time! I can heal you!" Tsunade cried. Dan looked at her mirthlessly. It was hopeless.
"You've just given birth. Your chakra coils are absolutely spent right now. You probably couldn't even defeat an academy student in your current state, let alone heal something like this." He deadpanned.
With a glint in his eye, he cupped her cheek. He looked down to Sakura.
"Daddy has to go now... blossom. I've... got so much more to say but just know, I love you forever and ever. And I'll always be watching over you." A blue glow emanated from his hands.
"Here's a little something, just in case you ever need it." He placed a kiss on her forehead, and gave Tsunade a thumbs up.
His chest contracted tightly, and he coughed up a seemingly endless pool of blood as he hit the floor, never to get back up.
Tsunade quivered at the sight. This couldn't be happening. Not to her. They were supposed to be the perfect family. Inseparable.
Tears flowed in rivers from the Senju Princess's eyes. She couldn't bear this pain any longer.
Grabbing a scroll and pen from the drawer cabinet beside her, she quickly wrote some things down.
~To Sarutobi Sensei~
If you're reading this, Dan has died and this pain is simply too great to bear. I've written my jutsu down and the summoning scroll for Katsuyu is in the village as well. It's in the Senju Manor, placed atop a pedestal. My justu scrolls are all in my study, as are Dan's. Please, raise my child and teach her these techniques, as well as everything you know. She will have to be strong to overcome all the obstacles that are sure to come her way.
I love you Sensei, and my child as well. Give Jiraiya my regards as well. Goodbye, forever.
-Tsunade.
Tsunade placed the scroll on the bed, and looked down at Dan's unmoving form.
She couldn't contain her shudder at the sight.
I'll love you forever, Dan.
Tsunade had to shake off the fatigue of childbirth, and put on her clothes once more. She took a thoughtful look at her sleeping child and walked out of the room, making a silent vow to never return.