"You look really beautiful."

Kushina felt herself melt from her husband's words and the genuine smile that Minato wore as he looked at her. His deep blue eyes stared deeply into hers and like always, she felt so seen by him. She blushed when he brushed her bright red hair behind her ear before he leaned in to kiss her.

"It's so cold outside, ya know!" The high-pitched voice broke the tension in the air and Kushina let out a deep sigh while Minato gave a good-natured chuckle. Their son rounded the corner into the living room and stopped to look at them. Snow melted on the hat, scarf, and coat that she'd dressed him in earlier in the day. He was grimacing and almost pouting from the cold. Kushina's face was a near reflection of his.

She'd hoped that when Naruto started at the Academy, she and Minato would have more time to themselves. But his first week had been full of early dismissals due to the recent heavy snows. It was tedious to determine when he'd be home, also. Some days, her son would hang around after school to train, something she only ascertained from the bruises and scratches he'd arrive home with. What he was doing or who he was training with, if anyone, was still a mystery to her.

"You wouldn't be so cold if you didn't let the snow get under your coat," Kushina teased. She walked over to Naruto and loosened the scarf around his neck.

"The wind smacked me in the face, ya know," the boy replied. The red-haired woman rubbed her son's cheeks and looked him over. The scars and bruises weren't as noticeable today. Maybe he was making some progress.

"What have you been training so hard for?" Kushina asked. "The quarter just started."

"I know, but we have our first exercise tomorrow. Iruka-sensei said that he wants to test our ability in taijutsu and called it a...an..."

"The initial assessment," Minato said from the couch. His good-natured smile illuminated the room. "So what have you been working on?"

Naruto grinned from ear to ear. "Just a couple special moves to catch the others off guard."

"Oh?" Minato said. "Maybe you can show me what you've been working on tomorrow."

"Tomorrow?" Naruto's mouth was agape. "I can show you right now, ya know!"

"I thought it was 'so cold outside'," Kushina laughed.

"Never too cold to show off my awesome moves," Naruto said, rushing towards the back door of their home. Kushina peeked out through the window at the snow-covered ground. The precipitation had ceased and the wind seemed to have calmed itself. Still, it was cold and the last thing that she needed to deal with was Naruto sneezing or coughing the next morning.

She cut her eyes to Minato. "Maybe you could try for tomorrow? It may be warmer out."

"In January?"

"I just don't want him to get a cold," Kushina admitted.

Nodding, Minato said, "I understand, but, he's tougher than you think. All he'll need is a hot meal and you won't hear anything from him but snores." Kushina closed her eyes as her husband kissed her forehead and walked outside. She watched out the back window, father and son standing across from each other in the snow.

After a few moments passed and Naruto darted towards his father, quickly producing a clone at his side. Minato batted them away and flashed behind the boy. His clone puffed into smoke and Naruto gasped as his father placed a hand on top of his head. Kushina watched as the two of them talked for a moment, unable to hear over the sizzling chicken balls in front of her. Minato looked as if he was explaining something to Naruto that caused the boy to rub his chin and squint, a clear sign that he was either stumped or devising a plan. Finally, he smiled and looked as if he was going to try to spar again.

Then he grabbed his stomach.

This boy... Kushina laughed in her head. He had grown up, she could admit. He was far from the mewling infant she'd given birth to, so small and delicate. His crying stopped the moment Kushina held him close to her heart. After Minato had finished tightening her jinchuriki seal, the two of them cried tears of joy that their son had been born without a hazard. They shared those first moments with Naruto surrounded by Uchiha clan members and Lord Fugaku himself. They reasoned that the Sharingan had been the only thing capable of controlling the Kyūbi and suppressing it's chakra. Fugaku had done it, entering the realm within her mind where she could see the tailed beast and silenced its roar with a glance.

For years, she'd wondered why the Uchiha clan had been so invested in ensuring that there were no complications with her birth outside of the normal desire to preserve their village. But she had a sneaking suspicion that they knew something was brewing. It had taken a few years before Fugaku had approached Minato, asking him to return the favor of protecting Kushina with his loyalty and endorsement when the Uchiha clan leader became Hokage.

When...not if...

The Uchiha were formidable allies. Kushina had long enjoyed a friendship with the Hokage's wife Mikoto since the two of them were girls. They'd tag-teamed a group of bullies that had relentlessly teased Kushina about her bright red hair. But she also knew that they could be terrifying enemies. Mito Uzumaki, the wife of the First Hokage, had told her a story of the famous and landscape altering battle between Hashirama Senju and Madara Uchiha. The two founders of Konoha had carved a hole through the earth and created the Valley of the End, a landmark that served as the border separating Hi no Kuni and Oto no Kuni. It was always a frightening reminder of the Uchiha's potential for destruction.

"You did well," Minato said as he and Naruto came back inside. "I don't think you'll have any problems."

Naruto rubbed his finger underneath his nose and grinned. "I'm your son. How could I?" Kushina's husband gave a good-natured laugh and ruffled the boy's hair then seemed to pause. Naruto did as well, sniffing the air before his eyes and grin widened. "Ma, is that...?"

Smiling, Kushina nodded, flipping the chicken kaarage around in the pot of oil. She moved to stir another filled with ramen and Naruto crept beneath her, staring at the bubbling broth and noodles. She could almost see the glimmer in his eyes. "Naruto," she said, causing the boy's blue gaze to shoot up at her. "Go get cleaned up for dinner. You too, Minato." Her husband did as she bid but Naruto seemed to be stuck. Kushina paused her cooking and placed a hand on the boy's shoulder then leaned down to his ear. "I said, 'go get cleaned up'," she repeated, her temper sparking.

Her son quickly nodded and scurried away after his father. While they washed, Kushina stopped the stove top, removed the chicken and ramen from their pots, then set the table. True to Minato's word, Naruto stuffed his face with both meals, taking advantage of the unorthodox serving. When he had cleared two plates and his stomach seemed to be protruding from underneath his shirt, the boy leaned his head back and rubbed his eyes.

"The food was good, ma..." he said, slurring his words.

"Just remember to compliment the meal before you inhale it next time, Naruto," Kushina replied. Her son nodded lazily and the red-haired woman chuckled softly. Minato stood from the table then kissed Kushina on the forehead.

"I'll get him tucked in," he whispered. The two of them made a silent promise with their eyes, one that caused Kushina to feel a flutter within her. Father and son left the kitchen, twins in all but their personalities. When they disappeared around the corner, Kushina began to clear the table. Her mind wandered as she washed the bowls and pots, scrubbing them clean until she could see her reflection. She continued working, setting everything on the drying rack. Her fingers scraped the corner of the cabinet as she stood on her toes to get it open. Kushina started to call Minato for help.

A sharp, debilitating pain hit her in the stomach and Kushina dropped to her knees, letting out an audible gasp. She closed her eyes tightly and held her abdomen. A cramp? She thought, taking in and letting out quick breaths in succession. If it was, it had been a while since she'd experienced one so painful. Not since she was...

A deep, rumbling growl caused Kushina's eyes to burst open. When she looked up, she was in the inner recesses of her mind, a perfect yellow-orange sky with the only blemish being a massive boulder in the middle.

And him.

The Kyūbi stared at her, his scarlet eyes filled with hatred and his orange fur bristling like a raging fire. Roaring, the beast slapped the floating boulder he was attached to with two freed tails. Debris fell into the empty void and Kushina's eyes widened.

The seal is weakening, she thought. If the Kyūbi had been able to dislodge two pillars holding him in place, then that meant that everything was coming apart but gradually. As the realization slowly began to hit her, the Kyūbi showed his massive, white canine teeth in a sadistic grin.

And for the first time, she heard him speak. "I will be free," he said, his voice sending chills down her spine from his conviction. Then he roared, slapped the boulder with his tails, and howled in mocking laughter.

Kushina came back to herself and turned the water faucet off. Gulping, she ran to the bathroom and shut the door. Frantically, she searched the cabinets, pausing when she found the white and pink box. Biting her lip, she withdrew the dipstick then sat on the toilet seat. As the seconds ticked by, she washed her hands, trying desperately to keep calm. Maybe the Kyūbi was bluffing. That was all the hope that she could hold onto when she built up the courage to look at the results of the test.

She held a hand to her mouth, letting only muffled breaths escaped through the space in her fingers. For what seemed to be an eternity, she was frozen in place and all the hope she had vanished. There was no mistaking the two vertical, parallel lines on the dipstick.

I'm pregnant again...