Dear readers,

I have felt pretty guilty about letting this story languish. I owe you all an explanation, so here it is: I'm writing a novel, and it has taken over my life. In December, I finally finished the first draft of the novel and have since been revising and working to get it published. However, I do want to give Sealmaster some resolution if people are still interested two years later. So, I'm posting this chapter to gauge the interest in that.

This picks up right where Chapter 16 leaves off. Enjoy!

Growing Pains

Light slanted through his window, bright rays striking his eyes. He'd forgotten to close the curtain. His head pulsed, and his mouth was a cracked desert. Sasuke's first instinct was to wonder if he'd been attacked and drugged. But fragments of memories flooded his mind like a toxic river.

Inoichi, that damned oji-san. Sake, a lot of it. Drink after drink, his tongue had loosened with each one. What had he said, what had he done? One bar, then another bar, even another perhaps? Kami-sama, had the damned old man paraded him through Konoha? Oi, everybody! Look at the tipsy Uchiha; he's not so scary, is he? — Sasuke didn't remember. He did remember talking about Naruto, fantasizing about her golden hair, imagining himself the object of her adoring gaze. Then came a memory that seized Sasuke with trepidation: Naruto herself and Sasuke's head resting on top of hers.

In a violent fit, Sasuke rolled towards the wall and banged his head into it. Bad idea, the sharp movements jarred his head and had him cursing, almost whimpering. Instead he grabbed his pillow and tried to suffocate himself. He could never show his face again. He was a disgrace to the name of Uchiha and did not deserve to live.

No, he thought, raising his head. He would kill Inoichi first. Then, he would suffocate himself.

Something shifted on his bed, and Sasuke's gaze darted from his pillow to the far side of the bed where golden hair draped over his navy sheets. Sasuke stared and waited impatiently for his brain to catch up with his eyes. She lay next to him, bundled under the covers. In his bed. Naruto was in his bed.

Change of plans: Sasuke was not going to kill Inoichi.

If this were a fantasy brought on by excessive sake consumption, then Sasuke had discovered a new pastime. If, on the other hand, this were reality…

Slowly, afraid to awaken from the dream, Sasuke blinked, shook his head, then stared again at Naruto. A quick survey of his surroundings told Sasuke that, yes, he was in his own room and, yes, Uzumaki Naruto was most definitely in his bed. She was bundled in the covers like a moth in a cocoon. He couldn't even see the bottom half of her face.

He reached out his hand and tugged on the blanket. Naruto squirmed, and her face came into view. Though asleep, she seemed to sense that some odious creature was disturbing her slumber. Her face shifted into a pout, which Sasuke found rather distracting. He kept tugging off the blanket. He didn't breathe until the top of Naruto's black T-shirt appeared over her shoulders. Yes, she still had on clothes, so at least Naruto had been in her right mind last night. Sasuke supposed that was a good thing.

Now that the most pressing concern had been answered, there was really no need for Sasuke to keep dragging the blanket off Naruto to reveal her orange shorts and supple legs—but it never occurred to him to stop. He marveled that she had not yet awakened. On a mission, the slightest disturbance would have her up in a flash with a Rasengan fully formed and ready to annihilate. Yet here she was, more vulnerable that he had ever seen her.

Unfortunately for Sasuke, a certain fox demon took issue with the un-blanketing of his vessel. When the blanket reached her knees, a fox's tail surged from her chest and whipped out to strike Sasuke under the jaw. He went flying across the room, crashed into his closet door, and fell to floor on his head.

"Damn fox," he cursed, holding his throbbing head.

The crash was enough to wake up Naruto. Sleepy blue eyes opened to see a paler than usual Uchiha, topsy turvy on the floor. Caught in a compromising position, Sasuke went on the offensive. He leaped to his unsteady feet and pointed an accusing finger at Naruto. "What the hell are you doing in my bed?!"

Naruto blinked, looked around, and yawned. "Relax, teme. Geez, what a way to wake up." She yawned again and stretched.

Almost wincing, Sasuke narrowed his eyes, realizing that it was easier to talk when they were mostly closed. He hoped Naruto mistook the weakness for anger.

"Why, dobe, are you in my bed?"

"Well," she said, reaching a hand under her shirt to scratch her stomach, "'cause last night I brought you home, and you wouldn't let go of me. Clingy bastard." Sasuke's face flamed red. Naruto caught the blush and tilted her head. "What's the big deal? We've slept together loads of times."

"On missions. In tents."

"Eh? It's a big bed, too big for your room really. Relax, teme, I didn't sully your purity."

Why in Kami-sama's name was Sasuke having a panic attack? He should be rejoicing. Instead, he blushed, stuttered, and made a fool of himself while Naruto looked as content as a fox awaking from a catnap.

Naruto looked out the window. The sun was up, but it was still early. She put her hand over her stomach and frowned. Sasuke caught the gesture. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing. Just feeling a little weird. It's already passing." She looked around the bed and spotted a small book in the upper corner. She snapped it up and stuck it in her ninja pouch.

"Is that your dad's journal?"

"Yeah. I've been reading through it. A little each night. It, uh…" Here, she paused and glanced a Sasuke a little mischievously. "Well, it seems like our dads got into some unfriendly competitions before we were born."

"Competitions?" he asked, raising one brow. "Too one-sided for a real contest, I'm sure."

Naruto stilled. Then her head slowly turned, blue eyes glinting. "What are you trying to say, bastard?"

"The head of the Uchiha clan against some guy who couldn't keep a cool head for—"

"My pop was a genius!"

"So was mine. A real one. Your dad may have been fast, but he wasn't strong enough to take the Uchiha head."

"Wanna bet, bastard?"

"They're all dead. How would we bet?"

"Uchiha vs Namikaze. Tonight."

Oh, Sasuke did love Naruto's competitive drive. In a supremely bored tone, he said, "And ramen afterwards?"

Naruto looked surprised for a moment before she grinned. "Sasuke, you're a genius."

Sasuke congratulated himself on reserving Naruto's company for the evening. All too easy—even with a head that pounded with the effects of sake.

Naruto hopped over to the open window and alighted on the frame.

"Where are you going?" asked Sasuke.

"To see Karin."

Sasuke scowled. He couldn't go with her. The one time he'd visited Karin at Naruto's behest, the redhead had gone into spasms and had to be sedated.

"I'll meet up with you later." Naruto waved and jumped out his window.

… … …

Iruka enjoyed his early morning walks before his grueling days at the Academy. It was a time for contentment and relaxation, a time when peace reigned and troubles were far away.

He passed by Naruto's apartment, a lovely new complex. He wished the girl was an early riser, so that they could make a habit of a calm cup of tea each morning— But wait, there was a flash of blonde and orange in a window…

Iruka watched from the street as Naruto opened a window and jumped to a neighboring roof. Before he could call out to her, she dropped to the street on the far side of the building. Iruka's eyes darted back to the open window where a head of black hair was framed like a portrait.

That was not Naruto's window. Iruka, in a state of disbelief, determined the situation in the blink of an eye: sneaking out in the early morning from Uchiha Sasuke's bedroom. Iruka saw red.

… … …

Naruto arrived at the security ward in the hospital to hear screaming—not the pained kind.

"You take that dirty, rotten excuse for a pillow and throw it in the garbage! It's too firm! I need a soft pillow—down feathers, you hear! And this blanket itches! Find me another one."

Naruto stepped aside to let a frazzled nurse pass by.

"She's feeling stronger today, Uzumaki-san," the nurse said dryly, and Naruto slipped inside the hospital room.

Karin had her mouth open to issue another series of commands, but when she saw Naruto, she straightened. Then she said, "Oh, it's you."

Naruto walked towards her and sat in a chair, not the one beside the bed—that seemed too intimate for strangers—but one against the far wall under the window. Naruto considered the redhead. After she'd awakened for the second time, Karin had been questioned by T&I. She'd put on a real show. Paroxysms of tears and wailing, pleas for compassion and leniency. Ibiki said she was buying time to think up a plausible cover story that would not get her imprisoned. They told Karin as much, but the girl only redoubled her tactics.

After Tsunade and Ibiki had left, Karin regained her composure and started ordering the nurses around like a true tyrant.

"Hi," said Naruto.

"Your goons have already questioned me. I have nothing more to add."

Naruto tugged on a blonde pigtail. She wished Karin would drop the hostility. "But you said you didn't remember anything about the day we found you."

"But that doesn't mean I don't know what happened—obviously. Yeesh. I ran. Orochimaru followed. I woke up here and don't remember a damn thing after he knocked me out." Karin claimed she'd run away from Orochimaru because he'd planned to use her life for an experiment. She had outlasted her usefulness, Orochimaru had unlocked every secret to her power, the only thing left of value was her life.

"And how does my mother's dead body fit into the picture?" Naruto asked, an edge in her voice.

"Couldn't say. Amnesia's a bitch."

Naruto closed her eyes and sought a rare moment of stillness, a moment to control her impatience and frustration. She wanted to work with Karin, not against her. Besides, more exacting methods of information withdrawal were denied to them with Karin's frail health. Not to mention, Naruto had lost her temper when they'd suggested mental interrogation.

"Whatever," said Naruto. "I didn't come here for information."

"Why did you come?"

"To, um, talk."

"Nice job. You've been successful."

Naruto let Karin's sarcasm wash over her. As far as Naruto could tell, she herself was the only one that Karin might not be putting on an act for. Naruto liked to think that maybe Karin, like Naruto herself, was a little in awe of having a family member. Cousins. This was new territory. For the both of them.

But amnesia was such a convenient excuse. Naruto didn't believe it for a second. Unless this was all an elaborate setup by Orochimaru, what reason would Karin have for keeping quiet about the truth? There were many things she wanted to ask her cousin: where she was born, who her parents were, if there were any more Uzumakis…but the question she asked was, "Why are you loyal to him?"

No need to ask who she meant, and Karin for once didn't seem to mind answering. "Because he made me strong. That alone would have bought him my loyalty, but he gave me more. A position, a goal, my research…"

"He took advantage of your abilities."

Karin shook her head. "He helped me hone them."

"So why'd you leave?"

"I already told you. He was going to use my life. I like my life most of the time." Karin's stoic face dissolved into a dopey grin. "Also, Sasuke-kun was on his radar again. Where is he by the way? You can't stop him from seeing me, you blonde fiend!"

"He tried to visit. You tore out your stitches trying to get at him. Besides, didn't Sasuke run you through with a sword?"

"He apologized."

Naruto snorted. She knew as well as anyone how poor Sasuke's apologies were. Naruto wondered at Karin's devotion to him.

"What?" said Karin, narrowing her eyes. "Is that not a good enough reason for you? Really you of all people should understand. Didn't Sasuke-kun run you through with a Chidori?"

Naruto scratched her head. "Well yeah."

"Hm. So you think you're the only one who understands Sasuke-kun? Think you've got a monopoly on him?"

Taken aback, Naruto said, "No. Of course not." How could she think that when she did not know what a monopoly was?

"Good, because you don't. And now that you're a girl, don't expect that you'll be the one Sasuke choses. He's horrified by the very idea, I'm sure."

Naruto very much wanted to steer the conversation down a different path—one she could more easily follow—but subtleties had never been her thing. Searching for something to say, she found her hand wondering to her stomach where her defunct nature seal seemed to be stirring. Naruto didn't know what to make of it.

Karin caught the motion and seemed to come to some violent interpretation.

"God! You're not—!"

The red-head paled so fast that Naruto leaped to her feet. "Karin?"

The beeping of the heart monitor accelerated. Karin seemed to be choking on air itself. She gasped to get words past an invisible barrier, "You—no—Sas—kun—can't—oh—my—baby!"

Naruto had heard enough. She ran to the hallway and yelled for a nurse. "She's having a baby!" screamed Naruto. The nurses halted abruptly, exchanged confused glances, and hurried to Karin's room. Meanwhile Karin continued shrieking unintelligibly at Naruto, who shouted back at her, "Just breathe, Karin. In. Out. In—oh, dammit. Where's Sakura? Sakura!" she yelled at the top of her lungs.

The nurses converged on Karin. One tried to force an oxygen mask over Karin's mouth, but the redhead's flailing arms caught the nurse in the jaw. She swatted at the other two nurses, and still gasping, she jabbed a finger at Naruto and got out, "Hers."

When the nurses turned their confused eyes to Naruto, the blonde pointed at herself and in one mad moment burst out, "I'm the father?"

Karin's face became paralyzed in an expression of horror while Naruto kept shouting, "That's impossible! Right? I'm a girl, and the only thing I put in Karin was chakra, just pure chakra! Did that get her pregnant?"

By now, a small contingent of hospital personnel had found their way to the open door of Karin's room and stared inside. Karin herself was paling and reddening in turn, open-mouthed in a silent shriek that made Naruto panic all the more.

"You," croaked Karin to Naruto, "are the pregnant one. How dare you."

All eyes turned to Naruto, who frowned and glanced at her stomach. "I'm not fat though."

Karin's eyes promised murder. "Neither. Am. I!"

Naruto tugged on a blonde pigtail. "I'm so confused. Really."

"Naruto-san," said a nurse, "it's best you go now." So Naruto gave the hyperventilating Karin a final, bewildered glance and left the hospital.

... ... ...

Feeling dizzy, Naruto meandered through the market, hardly noticing when she knocked into passing villagers. Several paused to ask how she was doing this fine day, but their questions fell on deaf ears. Finally, a single voice rose above the rest and penetrated Naruto's addled brain: the voice of her beloved teacher, the man who was both friend and brother. She didn't think to wonder why Iruka-sensei wasn't teaching at the academy. She only felt relief to find him when she most needed him and followed the sound of his voice through the crowd to the man himself.

Distantly, Naruto registered that Iruka had cornered Sasuke in an alley off the market, but in light of her own distress, the scene seemed unremarkable.

"And so help me," said Iruka, who jabbed a finger at Sasuke's chest, "if you attempt to impregnate Naruto, I will gut you like a fish! You understand me, Uchiha?!"

All Naruto heard was "impregnate," and her mind went blank again. She stumbled over to the two surprised men and threw herself at Iruka.

"I don't understand, Iruka-sensei!" she cried.

When Iruka had recovered from his surprise, he patted Naruto on the head. He was pleased to see the Uchiha wearing a sickly expression. At the same time, he hadn't anticipated that Naruto would be so distressed.

"Now, now, Naruto," said Iruka miserably. "I would never want to stand in the way of your happiness. You know that. But I also have a duty to protect you from unsavory sorts. You aren't yet wise to the ways of wolves. How could you understand—well, what is it you don't understand, exactly?"

Iruka shot a glare at Sasuke and wondered what sort of damage the Uchiha had inflicted upon Naruto last night.

"I'm gonna be a father!" Naruto wailed. She didn't notice the abrupt change in expressions, the paling of both men, the stunned look that came over Sasuke's face. She pulled back from Iruka and looked him in the eyes. "Well, I might be…maybe not. It's all so confusing 'cause after Karin said she was having a baby, she changed her mind and said I was having a baby—I don't get it. I don't get women, so how am I supposed to be one?"

"Karin's a nutcase," said Sasuke, almost violently. "You can't be a father, Naruto. It's impossible now."

"Sasuke's right," said Iruka, and Naruto latched onto his words like a lifeline. "You've only misunderstood something." Then a brilliant idea occurred to Iruka, and he continued solemnly, "But Naruto, you should always remember what you're feeling right now. This panic. This is what happens when young people behave irresponsibly, when they engage in those behaviors without a thought for their future. You're almost grown, Naruto, but there's still so much you don't know. Especially now that you've become a girl, you have extra responsibility to consider. Do you trust your sensei, Naruto?"

Eyes wide, Naruto nodded.

"I'm glad. Come on, I'll buy you ramen, and we will have a long, in-depth discussion about the ways to avoid this feeling ever again."

Alarmed, Sasuke watched them go. There was no telling how much damage Iruka might do to his plans. The man, like all the other villagers, was prejudiced against him. So what was the best way forward with Naruto? Pretend they were rivals and friends and nothing more? The thought bothered Sasuke. Once, he couldn't have imagined being in this position: forced to risk a friendship to win something so much greater. In his low moments, he couldn't imagine why Naruto might ever glance his way. But if she did…

His heart—his damn, shriveled heart—skipped a beat.