Hi everyone. I apologise for the late update. I've just spent my entire weekend listening and obsessing over Red (Taylor's Version) and simply losing my mind over the '10-minute-version' of my favourite song and so I haven't had the time to finish writing this chapter and editing it. I have to be honest and tell you that when this idea first came to be this reveal was as far as it went. I do want to continue writing this story and will work my hardest to deliver weekly chapters, but please bear with me if they are slightly delayed here and there.

I would also like to say, I am not good or had much practice at writing action or complicated plot and as such this story will be mostly slice of life and a domestic fic that will explore Hinata's pregnancy and their family dynamics. I will try and add some 'plot' into the mix if I am able to write it in a way I am satisfied with. I apologise for my long speech above. I hope you enjoy this chapter and are disappointed.

Trigger Warning: There is a minor mention of termination of pregnancy in this chapter.

Chapter 4: The Truth is Revealed

NARUTO cracked his head from side to side in an effort to ease the tension in his shoulders and back, before hunching down to type on his laptop. Both the laptop and desktop were powered on and he kept moving his gaze between the two and the mission reports on his desk in an attempt to better understand what they were dealing with. These past few weeks have been somewhat of a nightmare for him as Hokage and as such he has reverted to his constant work mode. He's tried to make it home at a reasonable time as much as possible but the strange activity in the Fire Nation has put him on edge and he and Shikamaru have been desperate for answers. For months now there had been strange activity with run-ins with different shinobi, but the mission reports have been mostly standard save for a few odd details. It was one of Sai's men that led to a revelation which unfortunately led to more questions. The ANBU member reported a fight with a shinobi where said shinobi injected himself with a vial of something and almost instantaneously increased in strength. There was a significant increase in his chakra and he fought more with power than skill.

The ANBU member was unable to capture the target so they had no way of knowing what it was he injected himself with or why it happened. Naruto then began getting word from other areas that they were experiencing similar incidents and suffice to say, the shinobi world was experiencing a drug problem. It was spreading so randomly that Naruto couldn't predict or plan for an outcome because he had difficulty drawing up a reason for its existence. Even Shikamaru, the smartest guy to exist, in Naruto's opinion, was drawing blanks.

He's saved from looking quizzically at the mission reports for the nth time when he hears his office door creak, signalling its opening. Walking softly towards him is Hinata, looking adorable in a knee-length lavender dress that hugged her body in all the right places. Seeing his wife was like a breath of fresh air which he greedily gulped, desperate for the feel on his skin. Hinata slows her steps as she walks, "I hope I'm not interrupting."

He shakes his head mutely but she continues, "I know you've been busy lately, and said you might not be home in time for dinner so I thought you could use an extra meal." She brandishes the container in her hand, holding it to him.

"No. Of course not; I always have time for you," he promises as he leans back in his chair. He then realises that he has been lying. He's been so busy at work that he barely had any time to properly talk to Hina and find out what's bothering her. She's been distant for a while now and every time he was at home one or both of the kids have been present and by the time they make it to bed he is so exhausted that he passes out immediately and other times Hinata is so exhausted that she passes out immediately.

He takes the container of food and places it on his desk as she shrugs the handle of her purse off her shoulder, "thank you for the food."

"I can leave if you need to work." She points her finger at the door behind her, "I don't wanna disturb you."

"No. Please stay," he pleads. "I need a break. My brain and eyes are bleeding trying to figure this out."

She smiles humorously at him as she makes her way to his side of the desk. Instead of stopping to face him, she continues walking behind him, "Look forward," she orders.

He faces his desk again, confused. Then she places a hand on either shoulder and begins to knead.

"Do you wanna talk about it?" she asks honestly.

"I just don't understand how a drug like this exists. Gaara phoned me this morning. He's getting reports of a similar nature. Shinobis exhibiting an 'an unnatural amount of chakra'" he shudders as she hits a particularly sensitive spot with the pads of her fingers.

"Do you think it's something politically motivated?"

He leans further back with his eyes closed, "I honestly don't know."

Suddenly he gets an idea and opens his eyes to peek at her, "you know what would make me feel better right now?" he asks rhetorically.

"Some loving from my wife," he answers almost instantly swivelling his chair to grab her by the waist so she is sitting down sideways on his lap.

"Naruto," she admonishes but still lays her head on his shoulder. He peppers a kiss on the side of her face and marks a trail down her neck, "Naruto, you're at work. This is inappropriate."

"It's fine Hinata. No one is going to come in," he reassures her.

They both fall silent, just enjoying each other's closeness before the blonde shinobi whispers, "I'm sorry I haven't been home much these past few weeks. I know I said I was going to try harder to be around more but I haven't been showing it."

Hinata tenses in his arms, "No. You don't have to apologise and you have been home and you are trying harder," she picks up her head from his shoulder and leans back to look him in the eyes, "and we love you for it."

He still feels horrible. "Yes, but I didn't just mean the kids Hina. I promised to be a better husband to you too and I haven't been. We barely spent time together and haven't had much of a chance to be alone. I'm sorry for that."

Somehow his words are not helping because the more he speaks the stiffer she becomes, as if what he is saying is hurting her and all it does is make him panic more.

"No, Naruto, stop. Don't say that. Don't apologise. If anyone needs to apologise it's me," she sounds tearful and she isn't looking at him, her gaze downcast, focusing more on wringing her fingers. She does that when she is nervous or when there is attention on her and she needs to distract herself from it.

She takes a ragged breath and then says, "I'm pregnant."

There's a heavy pause.

What? "Say again," Naruto says in disbelief.

He opens his mouth. He closes his mouth. He opens his mouth again and then promptly closes it.

Hinata gets up from his lap and he is too stunned to stop her.

"I'm pregnant," she says resolutely.

"That's what I thought you said," he swallows hard and then licks his lips, his mouth suddenly cottony.

"Naruto-"

"You're…pregnant," he responds in a wheeze. "But how… we've always been safe about sex. This makes no sense." His mind has broken. He is unable to fully process what he just heard. So he does the only logical thing he can at the moment. He wakes up and begins pacing the small space behind his chair.

"Yes. I don't fully know how either. Maybe we weren't always safe. Or maybe it just happened. I don't know. But it has happened and I know this is a horrible time. I know you don't want to have another baby -"

"I never said that," he interjects as he stops in his tracks at her words but Hinata isn't even paying attention to him anymore. They are both having a panic moment or it could be that he whispered it or maybe he thought it?

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you. I was scared and I just didn't know how to tell you. And then I couldn't find the right time and…"

"Wait. Wait. How long have you known you were pregnant?" and he knows the answer before she says it. It all makes sense now. Why she has been so distant. Why she's been jumpy and silent and reserved. He hates when Hinata gets like that. He knows she doesn't do it on purpose nor does she do it to punish him but it feels like he is being punished. Hinata just goes cold turkey when she's faced with an issue. She gets silent and internal. Everything happens in her head and she makes up her mind and agonises over it without ever talking it out with him and he is left to wonder what the hell happened and what the hell she's thinking. It irks him sometimes because he feels like a stranger to her then.

She hesitates before answering, "I found out just before I asked you to have another baby."

"What?" He shrieks loudly, "but that was weeks ago?! You knew for weeks and didn't tell me"

"Stop yelling at me Naruto," her voice a murmur compared to his.

"I'm not yelling," he yells in response. "It's just you always do this Hinata. You bottle everything up. Whenever you're stressed or worried about something you choose to deal with it internally and I hate that sometimes. You need to talk to me if you want me to be there, especially about things like this! This is huge!" He growls in frustration and Hinata is visibly crying now and he immediately feels bad for raising his voice.

Kuruma actually wakes up from his slumber to speak to him. "What is your problem Naruto? You can't yell at a pregnant lady!"

"Oh, shut up," he quips back in irritation at the fox, before realising he said it out loud and Hinata is looking at him in sorrow.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean that" he apologises for the shut-up comment, "and I didn't mean to yell at you."

Her lips quiver before she speaks again, "I'm really sorry I didn't tell you. I wanted to. I wanted to so badly," she beseeches. "You said no kids after Hima, and I panicked." She's crying now and he hates himself that he is the reason why.

Slowly, he makes his way towards her, being extra careful not to increase her distress. He is feeling all kinds of emotions at the moment, jumping from fear to confusion. He's feeling intimated by their position and tired but at the same time feeling intensely protective of his wife and family.

"I know. I know that this isn't what we planned and I know it's going to be difficult. Trust me; I do, but Naruto… I can't…" she takes a deep breath. "I can't lose this baby."

He reaches her and she raises both her hands to fist into his shirt. Her grip is unrelenting, her eyes full of tears but her gaze steady. "You can be mad. You're entitled to feel whatever you're feeling but please. Don't ask me to give up this baby, because I won't," she shakes her head in determination.

She's made up her mind and honestly, it hurts him. Not what she said because he would never ask that of her if she didn't want to but it hurts because she feels she has to say that to him. He gave her reason to doubt him. He wants to wipe her tears. He wants to reassure her but before he can do either there's a knock at the door.

Naruto looks up over Hinata's shoulder as the door swings open. Shikamaru walks in, his face drawn in concentration. Hinata takes the few seconds to furiously wipe her tears away before their friend even speaks.

"Hey. Oh, I didn't realise Hinata was here," Shikamaru says before focusing on the couple. Naruto sees him evaluate the situation as he senses the tension in the room. He sees how close to each other they are standing and Hinata's back is still facing the door.

Shikamaru looks at Naruto in concern. "Uh, you're supposed to have a council meeting with the elders…" he trails off, looking incredibly awkward.

Naruto looks at the clock on the far side of the wall, "I still have 10 minutes." Why are they always so early?

"I know but they're outside and you know how they are?" His dark-haired strategist looks at him apologetically. He does know how they are. He and Shikamaru have complained to each other about the elders on numerous occasions.

Before Naruto can respond, Hinata speaks, "it's fine. We were done anyway." She pauses, "I should … get home and you should…get back to work." She nods her head as if to convince herself and then walks around him to grab her purse that she left on his desk.

"We'll talk at home," she forces a smile.

"Shikamaru," Naruto speaks in a firm voice, "I need you to inform the elders that I cannot make this meeting. Apologise on my behalf. Tell them something important came up that I cannot ignore and reschedule the meeting."

Shikamaru doesn't say anything; he just gives him a serious look, silently enquiring.

"No, Shikamaru, it's fine. I need to go anyway," Hinata explains but she is still not looking at either of them. Naruto just nods his head in finality and Shikamaru understands the seriousness of the situation. He nods back in understanding before quietly leaving the room.

Naruto needs to talk to Hinata about this now. Otherwise, she will go home and overthink their situation and he doesn't want her to spend another minute being afraid to talk to him. He also can't wait weeks for an opportunity to talk to Hinata.

They're alone again but he isn't sure if Hinata is aware of this. Her back is still facing the door, and now him. She is at the corner of his desk with her head bowed. Naruto walks until he is in front of her and bends a bit so he can see her face properly. "Hina, look at me, please."

She slowly lifts her head. Her eyes are still brimming with unshed tears and Naruto crowds closer to her. He picks her up gently by the waist and places her on the desk so they are somewhat at eye level. He then proceeds to wipe the tears off her cheeks that escaped her lavender eyes.

"Baby I'm sorry. I am so sorry that I made you feel so scared to talk to me about this." He cups her face, tilting it to look directly into her deep eyes. Both her hands seize themselves around his wrist.

"I love you." He says intensely, needing her to know that. "Okay, sure, we didn't plan this…but we didn't exactly plan Boruto and Hima," he laughs a little which prompts her to let out a little huff of a giggle, "and I can't imagine our lives without them."

He takes a deep breath, "I would die for this village and its people. I would die for you and our kids in a heartbeat and you better believe that I would kill for you as well, but Hinata…you have given me things that make me want to live. I wouldn't have been a husband or a father without you. Honestly, I wouldn't want this with anyone else." He's the one crying now.

"I know that this won't be easy and it's terrifying to think about but I know in my soul that we can do this; that I can do this …as long as I have you." He brings her lips to his and she crosses her legs over his waist. The familiarity soothes him and makes him feel like he can conquer lands and swim oceans.

"Naruto, do you mean that?" she asks as they pull apart. He rests his forehead on hers, "every single word," he punctuates each word with a kiss, from cheek to cheek before landing on her mouth.

"But you can't do this okay. You can't hide from me and not talk to me when things are bothering you. So promise me, honesty. I need you to tell me when you're struggling with things. I talk to you about my issues. You can talk to me about yours."

"You're right. I shouldn't have kept this from you. I was panicking and not thinking straight. I'm so glad you know now. I –

The door opens and in walks the two elders he was supposed to be having a meeting with. Hinata turns around to see who it is and upon realising she promptly drops her legs from around his waist and hastens to make herself presentable.

"What is the meaning of this?" The elder woman questions with a shrewd tone.

He knows she is trying to intimidate Naruto. "I apologise," he starts not wanting to get into an argument with them, "I know we were supposed to have a meeting but I'm dealing with an urgent family matter at this time."

Shikamaru looks on helplessly and Naruto nods to him, knowing that his advisor would have attempted to reason with them.

"Really? Because that's not what it looks like from where I'm standing," the other council elder spoke.

Naruto can see that Hinata is beyond embarrassed now and she looks on the verge of apologising profusely. She's always extra shy around the elders, deeming them worthy of her respect even when they don't give her the same courtesy.

"You shouldn't have been looking in the first place. It was a private meeting with my wife that I didn't realise I needed to offer an explanation for." He knows his response is less than kind but he does not like people criticising his family and he especially doesn't like people looking at his wife the way the elders are now looking at her.

"Naruto," He looks at the stern look Hinata is giving him and concedes.

"I know the cancellation was last minute, but I really cannot have this meeting right now. My wife is experiencing some…health issues," he hopes Hinata would not chastise him for saying that, "and I need to be with her at this time. I hope you can understand," he concludes.

They look at the both of them and they have noticed Hinata's swollen eyes and his dishevelled appearance and they decide to accept his explanation for they just turn around to leave.

"Tomorrow; we will meet tomorrow to discuss," he looks at Hinata, "everything," before they are gone. Shikamaru walks out behind them and politely closes the door.

"Naruto, you shouldn't have done that. I should go anyway."

"Hinata-"

It's okay; really, it is. We can talk more at home. I'm good. I'm just glad you know everything now."

He hesitates for a little bit before conceding, "Okay. We'll talk more when I come home." He kisses her deeply in reassurance before she leaves and he is left to ponder their new reality.

XOXO

So, what do you guys think? I apologise for the rushed ending. I toyed with the idea of the reveal being dramatic but ultimately decided I would like for it to be a conversation. I hope it was enjoyable. Please let me know what you thought about it and what you would like to see in the future. Thank you for reading and supporting this fic. It means a lot to me.