Sakura adjusted her small silver rimed glasses and moved the ruler down the dusty page. She started using the ruler after she had sneezed and lost her place once to often.
"Here, I brought you coffee," Ino sat the mug down on the kitchen table where Sakura had made herself comfortable. "I saw your secretary today, she looks like she's stealing Prozac. You might want to test her for drugs," Ino laughed but she was only half joking. The woman had looked ecstatic for some reason.
Sakura tutted in annoyance and glanced up at Ino agitation plain on her face "they've all been like that since I booked time away from the office to do research. They're all so pleased that I seemed to have got a life," Sakura rolled her eyes as she remembered the happy chatter of two nurses "I told them that it was for work. I clearly labelled the need as research of a medical nature but they're all insisting that I'm having an affair."
Ino grinned "well you are."
"What?" Sakura squinted up at her.
"Not yet," Ino conceded with a shrug "but right now your researching ways to have sex with me."
Sakura blinked at how the blonde put it then blushed as she realised that it was technically right. "Its for science," was her muttered defence. She decided to avoid eye contact so as to put the conversation out of her mind.
Ino just grinned then froze as a look of deep loss cut across Sakura's face. "What is it?" She asked hating to see Sakura that wounded.
"What?" Sakura asked in a daze sitting back from the book "oh, its nothing. I just didn't expect to see Tsunade-sama's studies in this. That's all," Sakura grinned mockingly "which is stupid because she's the greatest-I mean she was a greatest medical ninja in recent times. Of course she would have published her findings."
It still hit her like a punch in the face though to read her mentors sarcastic yet serious medical notes. She disparagingly tore apart other so called 'experts' theories and bluntly and uncompromisingly told them not only what they had done or said that was wrong but that they were idiots for thinking so in the first place.
The so called expert dermatologist Dr Janko is sadly mistaken if he think that any series medical professional will take his claims of reversing the aging process on the skin as fact. Anyone with half an ounce of talent can plainly see the well woven glamour spell induced to give the appearance of younger skin. As its been proven on numerous occasion one cannot turn back time with the use of Chakra or any other known substance.
Sakura smiled sadly as she imagined Tsunade's indignant fury at the other doctors false accusation.
"Hey, lets take a break," Ino said gently pulling Sakura away from the tomb. She was surprised when the other woman actually agreed. She hadn't been able to get the doctor to take a break for hours. Her concern grew. She settled Sakura on the sofa of her apartment and sat her coffee down beside her.
Sakura drank from it gratefully. "You miss her don't you?" Ino said softly cradling her own cup.
"Everyday," Sakura answered honestly.
"I know how you feel," Ino said her own sad smile blooming slowly on her face "every time I clean out my fridge I put the leftovers away for Chouji but you know…"
Sakura nodded. Chouji also didn't make it through the final fight. They sat in silence just enjoying the company.
"I still expect her to walk in and tell me to get the hell out of her chair," Sakura said after awhile.
"It still looks weird to see Shika without Chouji," Ino joined in.
"Remember the Chunin exam and that idiot called Chouji fat?" Sakura laughed and Ino quickly joined in.
"Or the time that Naruto got an Onbaa stuck on his back?" Ino volunteered.
Sakura fell into peals of laughter remembering the furry backpack of Naruto's.
XxXx
Sakura turned on the lamp at her desk absently. She realised with a start that it was night and actually dark outside. She sat up and her spine and neck cracked. She sighed at the relief as stress she hadn't paid attention to flew away. She stretched again to see if she could provoke another pop. Her shoulder blades obliged. She then sank gratefully down onto her well padded seat and took off her glasses.
"Oh? You're still here," the secretary said disappointed. Sakura glared at her half heartedly but the woman paid no heed. "I just came in to lock the office up for the night. You should go home and rest."
"I will," Sakura nodded but the secretary just frowned before she flounced away muttering and shaking her head. Sakura swore that her mother had died a few years ago but the way some of the staff behaved it was like she never left.
She glanced at the book in annoyance then away. She had been actively seeking out Tsunade's opinions and research and skimming over the rest half heartedly. She was like a stalker but couldn't help but be drawn to the old woman's writings. She scratched her chin absently, really it was a little pathetic to just seek out her mentors views and no one else's. Not only childish and pathetic but un conductive to her current research project.
But she missed her.
In the same way that she kept Naruto's old book close and laughed at his doodles, she sought out her teachers opinions. Tsunade had taught her so much she felt like she could even teach her to do this. Reading the caustic and scathing rebuttals of the fifth made her smile and ach in a way that was painful but wistful at the same time. She missed them both so much.
She huffed at herself for sounding like a lost little girl and defiantly she skipped over the page of Tsunade's work on heart surgery. She read the next report and her excitement began to rise.
Case study; Bird Country.
For some time a group of all female ninja's have run their village independently in the Bird Country. Since the actual Bird ninja clan was decimated in the Great War this was out of necessity rather than choice, as most of the men died in the ensuring fights.
The Bird ninja's however have come up with a way around this handicap. The Naibu Kae jutsu allows for change in sex. But this change is only on the sexual genitalia meaning that the entire village posses the ability to become hermaphrodites.
What is so amazing about this jutsu is that it changes DNA on a genetic level allowing for the creation of son's.
After extensive research I have discovered that this jutsu is not without risks. Females have a limited supply of eggs. When the jutsu takes place these eggs are transformed into sperm allowing only a few to actually contain genetic material the rest being blank. Woman in the menopause cannot and should not use this jutsu as it will have no effect. It can also bring on early infertility.
Sakura read on in the report fascinated from a purely medical point of view. She came to the personal comments of the researcher and read avidly.
Personal Comments: This is definitely a breakthrough of a medical nature as internal change on a genetic level has never before been successful. The second seal which I think is responsible for the internal change could be used to perform scans and healing without surgery. It opens the possibilities certainly.
Sakura frowned as the writing seemed familiar. Her eyes flew to the bottom of the page to the researchers name. She hit her head hard on the desk and stayed there. Of course such complex and somewhat taboo research would only be carried out by Tsunade. The woman didn't even write her last name. She didn't need to, everyone in the medical field knew off her.
She laughed in disbelief as she realised that her old teacher did solve her problems. The damn woman was still guiding her from beyond the grave. A golden warmth settled in her chest that she refused to acknowledge. She looked at the picture of the seal on the opposite page and stood up. She walked across the room to the book case and grabbed a blue hard back form its slightly dusty self and threw it down.
Tsunade was the first to come up with a way of scanning the body internally without cutting it open. It was so basic and useful that it was a mile stone in medical history. Every doctor used her seals. Yep, there it was, in her old first year medical book, the same sign for internal. Tsunade did go on to realise her musings in the personal comments. Crafty old witch. A smile tugged at her lips.
Her eyes drew together as she studied first the case study then Naruto's book. The case study would be enough to get Ino pregnant but if she combined that with Naruto's sexy jutsu then she would actually be a fully working man. She would have completed the first successful sex change.
Ino would probably much rather her a man than a hermaphrodite. She chewed on the side of her cheek. Naruto's jutsu was so advanced for a kid that she was surprised that it was Naruto's. The jutsu didn't change you into the opposite gender but it did create the allusion of one. Naruto made it when he was frustrated that he couldn't do a proper illusion jutsu. It was spontaneous and on the spot creativity that most jonin's wouldn't be able to do. That was one thing about Naruto when it came to training and jutsu's, he wasn't lazy. But the thing that was note worthy about his jutsu, as opposed to just creating the allusion of a naked woman, was that Naruto's was a fixed allusion. You could only turn into what you would look like as the opposite gender. There was of course a slight glamour to create the irresistible siren like quality, but for all intents and purposes, as a kid Naruto had made a jutsu that was able to scan DNA and portray the same features on different chromosomes.
"Smart little idiot," she said fondly.
Now all she had to do was combine the two in a way that didn't interfere with each other. Easy.
XxXx
"So, how's it going?" Ino asked coming to sit beside her on the park bench.
Sakura was frowning and her hair was a mess from constantly pulling and running her fingers through it. She had been practically chased from her office by her secretary at lunch. She apparently needed fresh air and sunlight. Like they had any medical advantages she sneered mentally. "It's fine. I've basically figured out what to do. I just can't get rid of the second penis."
Ino blinked amazed "huh?"
Sakura went on absently "I've even tried cutting it so that the allusion only extends to my top half but how do you only do half a jutsu?! Besides the entire thing would look strange with girly legs and there's no point in a half done job," She marked a passage in her book.
"Second penis?" Ino asked still stuck on that little sentence.
"Yes. I have to one that is fully working and then the one created by the illusion. It looks extremely weird," Sakura said then turned and noticed Ino's gaping reaction "are you okay?"
"Fine, fine," Ino said blinking "I'll just leave you to it then. Don't work too hard…" Ino left in a dazed manner and Sakura frowned at the strange behaviour. Honestly sometimes Ino was hard to work out.
XxXx
"I did it!" Sakura hopped up on the counter of the flower shop.
Ino who was arranging a bouquet frowned at the pink haired woman for sitting on the counter but then remembered what she said and smiled. "You did?"
"Yeah, we can do it tonight if you want," Sakura said cruising on the elation of a well deserved victory. She would have another thing to add to her impressive medical resume.
"Tonight?" Ino said her eyebrow raised sceptically. It wasn't that she didn't want to, it was just that Sakura looked dead on her feet. Her eyes had dark circles under them and her gaze was slightly unfocused. She saw the doctor's body waver slightly as she tried to stifle a yawn. "I think you should get some sleep first then we can do it."
"I suppose I would need a little shut eye," Sakura conceded as she nearly fell of the counter. Ino caught her and pulled her upright. Their faces were very close together. Sakura titled her head to the side and a tired smile appeared "you are kinda cute."
Ino rolled her eyes and helped the woman down off the counter so that she stood on the business end of the shop. She then guided Sakura to the stairs that led to her apartment.
"I thought we weren't doing it tonight?" Sakura said frowning.
"We're not but the state you're in I don't trust you to make it home alone. You're going to crash on the couch," Ino said pushing Sakura up the stairs.
"I'm the father of your kid shouldn't I get the bed?" Sakura whined her tiredness crashing down on her euphoria.
"Not yet you aren't," Ino said taking no back talk.
XxXx
Thanks for all the suggestions, I did laugh at the joke ones. (I'm looking at you kirbygirl13 DreamShadower.)
If you have any questions about the pregnancy that i haven't answered in this chapter, just remember...it's maaaagic!