Scroll Three

"Mom! Mom! Guess what tomorrow is?"

"I don't know, Sora. What day is it?"

"His birthday."

"No, dad!"

"Kabuto, quit torturing him"

"I know Renate-chan. I'm just playing with him."

"Mom, I wanna go with Sora!"

"What? What are you two talking about?"

"Tomorrow's my entry into the Ninja Academy!"

"What! Already?"

"It seems like just two days ago that I gave birth to Sora. For Onichikimi, it's yesterday."

"And to think we're expecting a fourth child."

"Don't remind me."

"Sensei!"

"Grandpa!"

"Hey kids. What's all this I hear about Sora going into the Academy? And where's Otomaru?"

"He's still in his crib."

"Well, I'm off. I gotta go to work."

"Bye, dad! Love you!"

"Love you, too, Sora, Oni. By Ren-chan."

"Bye, love you helmet-boy."

"Love you, too. Okay now I really have to leave. Bye all!"

"Bye!"

"Mom, why does dad call me Oni when my name is Onichikimi?"

"It's a nickname, Honey."

"What's a nickname?"

"A shortened version of someone's name. It can also be a random name to do with personality."

"Oh, Okay. Thanks, mom!"

"Waaaah! Mommy! Daddy!

"Coming Otomaru!"

"I can't believe niisan is going into the Academy tomorrow."

"Me neither, but look at it this way. He's five years old so he gets to go in tomorrow. In a year you'll be going, in three years Otomaru is going, and in five years your newest sibling will be going."

"Mom thinks it's gonna be a boy but dad thinks it's gonna be a girl."

"It doesn't matter, so long as your dad is there for your mom. Mine wasn't, and I'm an only child. Have they thought about the name at all?"

"If it's a girl, they're naming her Momo. If it's a boy, they're naming him Momiji."

"What if it's twins or triplets?"

"What's twins and triplets?"

"Twins is where there are two babies inside your mommy at the same time. Triplets is one more than twins."

"I dunno."

"I dunno for what your mother's gonna do for more than one child?"

"Yeah, I guess. I wanna go to the academy."

"I might be able to give you a tour, but I can't get you into the classes."

One week later we find Renate in a strange building.

White. Pure white. Where am I? She thought.

"Morning sleeping beauty."

"Wh…where…am I?"

"Otonin Hospital. You don't remember anything do you?"

She strained to remember. She remembered a wave of pain and her vision getting blurry. She remembered her father telling her "It's all right. It's gonna be okay. Kabuto and Tsunade are on their way now." Another wave of pain and darkness.

"I remember waves of pain but that's it."

"Yes, well that is … uh…"

"What? Do I have an oxygen mask on? Two IV's? What?"

"Heh… uh…Triplets. It was triplets, Renate-chan."

"T- t - triplets?"

"Yes, Renate, triplets. Any names yet baby machine?"

"Baby machine? Renate carries them, not me."

"Hey!"

"Sasuke, I'm warning you now. If you provoke my daughter, her husband, or any of their children, you're in for a world of hurt."

"Dad!"

"Momma!"

"Hey, kiddo! What are you doing out of school, Sora?"

"We came to visit you! Itachi - sensei says I have another younger brother and sister."

"Sisters, Sora, sisters."

"No way! What are their names?"

"I'm off. Later Losers!"

"Later unintelligent Uchiha!"

"Uchiha Sasuke, I hate you!"

"Fork it, fatty!"

"Why you…!"

"Let it go, Renate."

"What's their names mom?"

"I'm going to keep Sasuke occupied by assigning him a team of genin since a jonin was killed yesterday. Later! Good luck!"

"Bye, dad! Arigato!"

"What's their names, mom?"

"Hn? I don't know. I just woke up today honey."

"Oh, sorry."

"It's OK. How about we use the original idea of Momo and Momiji?"

"I like that but what about the youngest daughter?"

"She's Momo. The older daughter is Aayame."

"Aayame as in Aayame Sohma, the snake jyuunshi? Aayame as in Ichiraku Ramen?"

"Yes, Kabuto! The first one!"

"Okay, OK, calm down. No reason to get all jumply."

"Jumply?"

"Whatever! You know what I mean."

"Yeah but Sora might not."

"True. Sorry, Sora."

"It's okay. Mom?"

"Yeah?"

"How long are you gonna stay here?"

"I'll come home when Tsunade lets me."

"Oh. Okay."

"So why did Itachi-san let you out of class?"

"He said that since it was a family emergency, I should go to the hospital. Otomaru and Onichikimi are supposed to be on their way but…"

"That's all right, Sora. Why don't you go back to class; after all, the less class you miss, the better - especially if you want to become a ninja before you are a double digit."

"Yes ma'am. Arigatou!"

"You're welcome! Sigh… kids."

"That's our boy."

"Yes, he is. I wonder which one is going to turn out to be a pervert when they grow up."

"Renate!"

"What? There's always either a gay/lesbian child or a pervert in any family where there is more than one child. Look at me. I grew up with two older foster brothers and I'm the only perv."

"How did you get stuck with them?"

"Dad gave me to my godmother when I was a baby. The arrangement was that she would give me back when he knew he could take care of me. They, unfortunately, locked me in a cellar like closet and broke bones daily. I was also bitten by 100 brown recluses and a black widow. I learned the spider types and quantity from Tsunade. She says I'm lucky to be alive. Oh, and my godmother gave me to my foster parents because she couldn't take care of me."

"Who the hell was your godmother?"

"Tsunade, and don't talk like that."

"I always talk like this when I'm pissed."

"And you were telling me to calm down. You, Kabuto Sheika, are pathetic."

"I can't believe we still act like newlyweds fresh from our honeymoon, even in front of the kids. We are so immature."

"Yes, we are immature."

"I can't believe we act like kids even though we're 22 & 23."

"I know."

"Hello, all."

"Hello, Tsunade-sama."

"Well, Renate, how do you feel?"

"Now that I've been awake for thirty minutes chatting with Sasuke, dad, Sora and Kabuto-kun, I feel fine. Well, almost. I got dizzy when I sat up too fast and when I stood up. But other than the dizzy spells, I'm fine."

"The dizzy spells are pretty much being caused by your medicine. IV, kiddo, IV."

"Amazing. The only thing that can scare Otogakure's strongest kunoichi is a needle."

"Wrong. I'm scared of losing my family, Kabuto. I'm scared of losing you, dad, Sora, Onihcikimi, Otomaru, Aayame, Momiji, and Momo. IV's don't scare me, but losing my family does. I love you Kabuto. I love my clan more than words can describe."

"Even more than your own life?"

"Even more than my own life."

"Okay! You're good to go!"

"Thanks, Tsunade-sama!"

"Arigatou, Tsunade-sama!"

"Renate, you are so contentious when you're around Sasuke. And yet you're genial around Kabuto and amiable around Orochimaru."

"I know; I'm a walking psycho."

"You are not psycho. You just happen to have mood swings along with a little bipolar disorder to boot."

"So what about my blood-lust to kill Gannon?"

"That was because he massacred your clan when your father was at the academy. Not to mention he slaughtered your mother. We still can't find her corpse. Might I add you already killed him. He was the one forced your grandmother slaughter her own clan. That's why he took the rap for it. That and it took two ANBU Black Ops members just to keep Orochimaru alive."

"It took two ANBU Black Ops members just to keep dad alive?"

"That's right."

"Then I'm gonna try even harder to restore the clan."

"Don't try too hard. You'll kill yourself if you have too many kids. You're already pushing it as it is. Let them grow up a little before you try to have some more kids, okay? That goes for both of you."

"Yes ma`am."

"Never!"

"Sigh…Renate, you're hopeless. Anyhow, you're discharged. But I want you on extra strict bed rest when you get home. Understand?"

"Hai!" Maybe things will work out. Just maybe things'll work out, Renate thought, It might take ten days, it might take twenty years but it'll all work out in the end. I know it will, especially with Daddy being first Otokage and me being Second.