As always, Naruto belongs to Kishimoto. It's rather sad to see Naruto's end come. At least we have the final movie to look forward to. After so many years, it's a bit bittersweet. Hopefully another chapter will satisfy those feeling the same way.

There were few days as wonderful as those when Naomi returned home from a mission. The house finally felt complete. Hizashi always found it lacking in her absence. On those days, if she arrived early enough, the family would come together for dinner as best they could with their schedules. Lacking the children, Naomi and Hizashi would often take dinner in their room and not emerge until the next morning. He loved those evenings to indulge in his wife's affection and to show her how terribly he missed her. If she arrived late in the night, he would wake to her next to him and their morning reunion would be just as passionate. Hizashi imagined it was how she must have felt the years their roles were reversed: he gone away and Naomi home with Neji. They'd always enjoyed each other upon his return as well.

That was why her return this time left him bewildered. Her actions were the same—the greeting, the unpacking, the tale of her adventures outside the village—but beneath that was a distress that no warm bath or gentle touch seemed to ease. Neji and Hinata didn't notice; children rarely saw the troubles their parents tried to hide.

Together they ate, as pleasant a meal as any the family had taken before. While Hinata offered her aunt a progress report on her training—her precision with the sixty-four points was steadily improving—Hizashi reached out and took his wife's hand, only for her to hastily pull it away. Naomi had never shirked such simple affections before, and that worried Hizashi more than any of the distraction that kept her eyes drawn to the food instead of their children.

That night they prepared for bed in a strained silence that left a sick worry thick in Hizashi's gut. It had been a long time since he felt so disconnected from his wife. Once both were changed, Hizashi came up behind Naomi and wrapped his arm around her shoulders. If she didn't wish to see him, he would acquiesce, but he would never simply leave her to face her troubles alone.

"What's wrong, Naomi?"

For a moment she did nothing. The only change was the steady rise and fall of her chest as she breathed. Then, slowly, her hands rested on his arms and she squeezed as if she could find tangible support in the strength of his arms.

"I didn't know how to tell you. I'm not sure I believe it myself yet." Pausing, Naomi settled herself. "I'm pregnant."

Hizashi was glad she couldn't see his face, which surely betrayed all the emotions she'd been afraid to see on him. There were so many he didn't know which one to grasp on to in order to gain some kind of hold on the situation. The shock won over all the rest, leaving him dumb. This was not the kind of giddy surprise that had come with her announcement of Neji. They had planned for that, been expecting—hoping. He'd watched her count each day on the calendar in search of the clues and held her as they both eagerly awaited confirmation.

But that was fifteen years ago and they were no longer young parents half-prepared for an unplanned pregnancy. They had, years ago, gone over all their options and consciously decided not to have any more children. Another baby wasn't even a possibility in their future plans. In fact . . .

"I didn't think we could have another."

Naomi turned around in his now loosened embrace and the flat expression housing eyes that just barely didn't roll told Hizashi that wasn't what he should have said. On the positive side, all her distress had been suppressed beneath her annoyance.

"I'm not that old."

"That's not what I meant. At this point . . . I mean, we've been careful. How did . . . when did . . ." Hizashi let go of her and ran a hand through his hair as he began pacing the room. He hadn't felt this flustered in decades.

"My guess is our anniversary. We weren't very careful that weekend," she said, visibly calmer the more agitated he became. "I was scared you wouldn't be as confused as I am about this. I know I'm supposed to be happy, but . . . this isn't what we're supposed to be dealing with right now."

So that was why she pulled away earlier. Hizashi stopped his pacing and urged Naomi to sit with him on the futon. Just as she calmed at his confusion, his own fears eased knowing she shared them. This was going to be a long night for both of them.

Taking her hand, Hizashi let the warmth of his wife's hand restore the connection that had been lost all day. "Before we start talking about this, I think we need to know if the question we're asking is 'What are we going to do?' or 'Are we going to keep it?'"

Naomi shook her head. "I don't know. I think I want it to be the former, but I'm afraid that—"

"Then we will talk about what we'll do," Hizashi interrupted before all the worries she'd bore alone up till now returned. "If the answer to that is the latter question, we'll decide that together."

Naomi squeezed his hand and for the first time since she returned a truly beautiful smile crossed her lips. "Have I told you lately how much I love you?"

"I already know." He rested his forehead against hers and the two indulged in the quiet presence the other offered.

"So," Naomi began, her voice obviously less stressed than before, "what are we going to do? We had a lot of good reasons not to have any more children."

"We did, but if we're honest, the situation is different from six years ago. Hinata's position is solidified. Now that she knows the seal, Father will never allow anyone else to take over."

"She'll still be the one to seal it," Naomi whispered, a hint of shame lingering in her eyes.

Hizashi gently stroked the back of her hand. "It's no longer her first sealing, though. I think she'll be able to handle it."

"I never wanted her to seal one of ours," she admitted.

"Neither did I, but she seems to understand her role in that now. And if we raise it the same as Neji to see her as family, the seal won't matter as much."

"And what happens when Hinata takes over the clan and we have return to the branch family. I remember what you said it felt like going from main to branch."

Hizashi could see the defiance in her eyes with each solution he offered. He wasn't sure if it was because she didn't want the child, or if she had simply suspected the pregnancy for long enough to envision every possible way this child and their family could be hurt. He hoped it was the latter, because the more he defended the pregnancy, the more he found he wanted to.

"My problem with leaving the main family was more my anger and grief at what I saw as losing my family, at Hiashi no longer treating me like a brother. That won't happen here. If Hinata can still see a grandfather in my father after all he's done, do you really believe she'll stop seeing this child as anything but family?"

Naomi looked away and sighed. "No, I don't. But there're still so many other problems. I'm almost forty; that's not a good age to be having children. Neji and Hinata are so much older than it."

"Let's just agree now that Neji and Hinata are old enough to handle this, and if they are thoroughly embarrassed by the fact we still have a healthy sexual life, we can remind them of that when they get married."

Naomi covered her mouth to stifle the laughter she couldn't withhold, and for a second in her ease the truth slipped into her searching eyes. There was hope trapped beneath a mountain of realized terrors. She wanted him to convince her that all the very valid reasons they chose not have another child no longer mattered.

Taking one hand, he cradled her face tenderly. "We'll ask Tsunade-sama what to expect with your age, and we'll take care of you throughout the pregnancy. If there's one thing we have in the main family, it's people to help us."

There was still something holding her back, though this one she didn't readily voice. Hizashi ran his thumb across her cheek. "What else are you worried about?"

"It's selfish," she finally said, her gaze not meeting his. "I've only just got enough work since returning for my experience to match my skill set. Leaving for six more years, being over forty-five when I return, even if I keep my training regime, what kind of career would I have left after that? I'll have had spent more time off duty than on during my life."

He hadn't considered that. Naomi's return to active duty was very important for her, and while a new child would allow her to be needed and active for many years, once the child no longer needed her constant attention, the cycle would simply repeat. And she was right, leaving again would make returning almost pointless. There would still be work, but a shinobi's previous missions were often what determined the kind of work she got, and without continued experience, no work she received would fulfill her.

"What if you only took six months off?" he asked, thinking back to the conversation they had when they found out about Neji. They decided Naomi would stay home as much because it was tradition for the mother to be home as her desire to raise him. That didn't need to happen this time.

"Do you really mean that?"

"One of us should be home with it, but if I have to be here, there's no reason you can't continue working. I'm sure between me and the servants, we can handle one baby."

Naomi covered his hand on her cheek with her own and smiled. "You never did learn to change Neji's diaper correctly."

"Again, servants." He laughed with her and finally a small bit of giddy happiness had found its way between them. "I think I want this, Naomi."

"I think I do, too."

Hizashi pulled her close and kissed her the way he'd wanted to since her return. He was exhausted and exhilarated at the same time—the mature clan head and the young parent colliding together in a thrilling, confusing madness that he no longer resisted. They were going to have another child; his life never lacked surprises.

Naomi was positively glowing the next morning. A week's worth of uncertainty and dread had finally cleared away to a surprising but most welcome change in their lives. She'd suspected for a couple weeks and finally worked up the courage to go to the hospital before her mission to have the blood work done. She thought it would be easier to ignore the implications if she had the work to focus on, and for a time it worked. Once the mission was complete though, and they had two days of empty time to pass on their return, a serpent worry coiled its way around her neck until each thought seemed to choke her.

Perhaps she should have told Hizashi when she first suspected; maybe that would have made it easier to handle the unbearable oppression of waiting, calmed her fears before they grew so strong. But as much as she hated imagining everything that could go wrong, she needed to. She needed to be able to welcome this child without hesitation or doubt, she needed to want to fight for it, because this would change the entire dynamic of the family. Not to mention they had no idea how Hyobe would take the news. She needed to be absolutely certain.

And now she was. They were. A part of her was twenty-three again and ready to welcome her baby into the world. The rest of her was ignoring all the reservations she should be caring about in favor of enjoying that feeling as long as she could.

"You look happy, Mom," Neji said, grabbing a couple plums from the table and stashing them in his bag.

"I am happy. Today is a good day."

"Send some of that my way. Lee and Gai," —Naomi smacked him on the arm.— "Gai-sensei have been especially youthful this week. They tend to try and drag me into male bonding when they get like this before a trip."

"Then you'd better eat up so you can run away from overly emotional men."

"No time. I'm meeting Tenten for some morning practice."

Before Neji could escape to the door, Naomi grabbed him by the shoulders and forced him down in front of the table. "Today, you eat breakfast. Your father and I have something to tell you and Hinata."

"Can't it wait until I get back?" Despite his protests, Neji didn't dare test his mother's insistence.

"No, so Tenten can wait twenty minutes for you to finish breakfast."

Neji sighed and started filling his plate without waiting for Hinata or Hizashi to arrive. So long as he stayed for them to announce, Naomi would allow him that bit of haste. Hinata arrived a few minutes later and followed Neji's example. They were nearly halfway through their meals when Hizashi finally arrived, Hyobe in tow. Both teenagers stopped eating and set their chopsticks down. Hyobe rarely ever dined with the family, and when he did it was usually at dinner when he had a specific agenda to follow.

What they didn't know was that Hizashi was the one who asked him to join them. It was better to make sure that Hyobe found out from them instead of a servant who overheard. Hizashi joined Naomi at the head of the table, while Hyobe remained standing near the door apart from the rest of the family.

"Good, now everyone's here," Naomi said, ignoring the exasperated look from Hyobe when she took Hizashi's hand. "We had some news confirmed yesterday, and we wanted to tell everyone at once."

Hizashi smiled down at her. "Naomi's pregnant."

They'd been nervous how the children would react to news of a new baby. In truth they should have been more worried about not reacting to their responses. Hinata was fairly predictable. Her face lit up with surprise and excitement as she readily congratulated her adoptive parents. Being almost sixteen, Neji's face blanched. She could almost see the thoughts tumbling around that genius mind of his.

"I told you he didn't want to imagine us having sex," Hizashi whispered, while Naomi struggled to keep from laughing at her poor son.

"You're going to have another baby?" Neji asked, still trying to accept the announcement.

"It wasn't planned," Naomi explained, "but yes. We're going to have a baby. Are you upset?"

"No," Neji quickly amended. "It's only . . . wow. Aren't you too old for that?"

Naomi's glare quickly drifted from Neji to Hizashi, who deigned not to return her gaze. "Like father, like son."

Only one other reaction mattered, one who had remained silent so far and, Naomi admitted, she was reluctant to learn of. Keeping a smile on her face, Naomi looked to her father-in-law. What was he thinking at the revelation?

Hyobe stood impassive and unreadable. Naomi hadn't been there when Hizashi had informed his father they were having Neji, so she had no idea if this was the same response as before or something more. His eyes lowered slightly, an odd action for the old clan head, and Naomi almost thought his expression softened, but only for a moment.

Finally, Hyobe nodded to them each in turn. "Congratulations. The child shall be a welcome addition to the family." And that was all. As calmly as he arrived, he left again. No disparaging. No questions. No snide commentary of how this would affect the clan.

"Did he take that well?" she asked Hizashi.

"I'm not sure."

Naomi put her disconcertion aside to answer the flood of questions Hinata and (a now less shocked) Neji had. Though Neji acted the part of a big brother, neither had actually gone through the experience of their mother being pregnant before. She let herself fall back into the blissful delight of coming parenthood and explaining all that would entail, but in the back of her mind Hyobe's detachment lingered like a foul spirit on a joyous day. What did that placid congratulation mean from a man like him?