A/N: There is a poll on my profile.

Chapter Seventeen: The Third Uchiha

Six months passed after the birth of Sayuri Uzumaki. Sakura was due any day now, and she was very happy to find out her child was a girl, but not all was well in her life. Sasuke had been very withdrawn from her as of late, and he only spoke to her as he lay next to her in bed. Sakura had no clue as to why her husband took no interest in her any more. They had made love every night for three months so she would become pregnant. When she finally did, Sasuke began to speak to her less and less. He would leave for days with no contact. As a result of all these things, Sakura had become very depressed and even more heartbroken. It affected her job and her Jutsu as a result. Her friends could not console her, and she would sit at the Uchiha Manor gates for hours before she broke down in tears. Each time she would place her hand over her child and the tears would flow. It was not until she felt a hard clench in her abdominal muscles that she dried her tears. Thinking it was nothing more than the child kicking her insides, she brushed it aside.

"I have more important things to worry about than the baby kicking."

She said out loud to no one in particular. Even though she sat at the Uchiha Manor, she was not alone. Shizune came by often to see her, as did Ino. Ino was due soon as well. She was having twins, a boy and a girl. Ino was very excited of course. Her father even gave the young married couple their blessing. Ino was her best friend. Even though they had once had a rivalry for Sasuke's attention, Ino gladly gave her blessing to them both. She found love and comfort in the arms and heart of long time teammate Choji Akimichi. And now, in just a month or so she would be a mother. She was just at Sakura's side, smiling at her friend.

"You know, when these are born, we all have to promise that our children will be friends. The bonds we have formed must never be severed Sakura. All of us have been through so much. You know how long we have known each other- Sakura, are you even listening to me?"

Ino gave a snort of disgust as she saw her friend not paying her any attention. A wince from Sakura triggered something inside Ino, and she immediately sprang to her feet. Sakura winced again as a trail of what seemed to be water trickled down her leg. Ino's eyes went wide at this and she knew what was happening to her dear friend.

"Don't worry, I'll go get Shizune and she can-"

"Shizune can what Ino?"

Ino turned to see Shizune behind her, a small basket in her hand.

"-deliver the baby."

Ino said in a hurry. Shizune had already assessed the situation and she smiled as she started to perform hand seals.

"Ninja Art: Mist of Concealment."

A thick mist began to envelop the Uchiha Manor, blocking off the sight of anyone who was not inside the grounds. Shizune smiled as she dropped the basket she carried and she knelt down beside Sakura.

"I need you to push Sakura. Remember how we trained for this."

Sakura nodded and closed her eyes. Due to her precise Chakra control, Sakura had developed a strange and unique ability she called Tenketsu Closure. It allowed her to effectively reproduce the Jyuuken's effect in her own body. She carefully closed the Chakra pathways to her lower body and she opened her eyes as she felt her child struggling inside her. Sakura pushed with her muscles clenched and her child slid inside her with relative ease, much unlike the way Sayuri and Hanzou had been born. Shizune took the squirming infant in her arms and cleaned her with a simple Water Jutsu. She then cut the umbilical cord, and wrapped the child in a soft blanket of fur, and handed her to Sakura.

"So what is her name going to be Sakura?"

Sakura studied her daughter carefully. She was a very beautiful blend of her parents. Her face was shaped like her mother's with Sasuke's nose and soft lips. Strands of wispy black hair sprouted from her tiny head. Her most distinctive feature was her eyes. They were exactly like her father's. They were jet black, but her irises shone with a gentle emerald in the sunlight. It was from this that Sakura had formed a name.

"I have a name, but I wish to wait for Sasuke before finalizing it."

"Let's hear it then Sakura."

A voice rang hollow from the mist. From it stepped Sasuke Uchiha with a small box in his right hand. He stood next to his wife and daughter and smiled at them both. Sakura looked up at him and tears stung her eyes.

"Iris. Her name will be Iris."

Sasuke picked his daughter up in his arms and he smiled.

"Iris."

Ino was sitting back in her chair next to Sakura, and she smiled at her friends.

"I'm so happy for you both. Even though I still have a month to go, I already have names for my children. Kai and Ashari. I hope they are as beautiful as your daughter is."

Sakura smiled at Ino and nodded.

"I know they will be. We should invite the others over, so we can celebrate. And so our babies can meet each other and play. I hear from Hinata that Sayuri is already very hyper. She must have her father's energy."

They all laughed and Shizune smiled.

"I'll get them."

Everyone nodded and they all gathered at the Uchiha Manor to celebrate. Naruto and Hinata arrived first with baby Sayuri in her mother's arms. She was using her hands to pull her mother's long hair. Hinata smiled and giggled at her daughter.

"Oh Sayuri. You look like me but you act like your father. You even seem to have his energy."

Naruto smiled and nodded.

"She is very active, which is a good thing in my book."

Everyone laughed. Neji and Tenten came in soon after with baby Hanzou in Neji's arms. Tenten no longer wore her hair in two buns, but let it hand freely around her shoulders. The three couples sat their children in a crib, where Sayuri and Hanzou fell asleep next to Iris. Then the parents began to tell stories of their children.

"Hanzou is just like his mother. I can see he will be a great Shinobi one day, one who will live up to the Hyuga name. I just want him to be happy in life."

Tenten smiled at Neji and kissed his cheek lightly. Naruto smiled at his daughter and then at Hinata.

"And little Sayuri is always so active. She cannot walk or crawl yet, but she tries so hard to remain sitting up."

And so the three couples talked the night away, and they all went their separate ways late into the night. Just one more birth awaited them all, and it was to be the most dramatic of them all.

To be continued…