"It was close... Very close," I murmured, only allowing the blonde in front of me to see the concerned light in my eyes. "If I had been intercepted-"
"You weren't and you're not going to let that happen any time soon," Tsunade said just as quietly into her small saucer, nursing her sake as we caught up. Shizune was getting settled into the hotel room Tsunade had rented for the week, probably already begging the clone I'd sent with her for training, and left the two of us alone to order some well-deserved drinks.
After a short silence, I finally drained the last of my drink and looked seriously at my blonde friend.
"I need you to do me a favor," I confessed. Tsunade's eyes darkened before I could begin to explain.
"You know I don't do that anymore."
"It's not that. I just... I need a check-up. My chakra control has been fuzzy for the past couple of weeks but until the fight with Ieshi I didn't really care. That fight should have been over and done with in ten minutes, Tsu-chan, but it took me nearly half an hour to put the punk down! And, even then, he nearly won!"
"Your control is failing?" Tsunade asked seriously. Losing chakra control for any ninja was very dangerous. Aside from the general increased waste of chakra when performing jutsu, it also became harder for me to hide my chakra signature if I had to spend more concentration on the practice. As an almost-missing nin who spent her days bounty hunting, the inability to hide would quickly get me killed. "Any other symptoms?"
"None that immediately come to mind, no. I haven't been sick in years, thanks to my proximity to the All Seal. No serious injuries aside from what Ieshi or the Root managed to inflict."
"Okay. I'm sure Shizune would like to have a real patient," Tsunade joked. I rolled my eyes, knowing just how true that was.
Tsunade's eyes followed her apprentice's deft hands as Shizune went through the motions of the check-up, keeping up a steady stream of conversation until I found myself unable to respond to a very basic question.
Kunoichi weren't generally concerned about something as trivial as a missed period. There were a number of reasons that could explain why the cycle was interrupted, the most common of which being the body's natural tendency to stop ovulating if the body was too heavily worked. With the level of exercise and fitness a kunoichi had to keep up, it was almost rare for one to become pregnant simply because many couldn't, at least temporarily, get pregnant. A number of kunoichi, as a preventative measure in preparation for seduction missions, also utilized contraceptive seals or even the hormone medications that were popular amongst civilians.
The sheer improbability of it all had me staring wide eyed at Tsunade as she looked just as blankly back at me.
"No." But I couldn't deny it if it was true. If I was- If I was pregnant, there was no way it was anyone's but Jiraiya's. Jiraiya's. I had to tell him. But only if we were sure. Were we sure?
"We'll need to test you now, Suki... If there's even a chance..." Tsunade's voice drifted off under her breath as her eyes narrowed. "May I?"
"Yes," I answered at once. Shizune shifted out of her master's way, giving Tsunade direct access to me. Her hands glowed with chakra as Tsunade drew a very slow path from my sternum down my torso. Her hands tensed between my hips before the chakra faded away. Tsunade's hands brushed her hair back unnecessarily, a nervous tick. I didn't even need to hear her say it to know.
I was pregnant.