Kurenai screamed at the top of her lungs.

"GET THIS THING OUT OF ME!" she yelled at Tsunade.

Tsunade rolled her eyes.

"We're working on it. Just breath. Breath. Breath. Alright now push!"

Kurenai let out another cry of pain. Shikamaru sqeezed her hand.

"You're doing good, Yuhi-sama." he encouraged.

Kurenai panted and looked up at the ceiling.

"Really? And how can you tell?" she chided sarcastically.

Shikamaru rolled his eyes.

"You're making sarcatic remarks and yelling. I'd say everything's pretty much normal." he said.

Kurenai gave his hand an extra hard sqeeze.

Hinata, Naruto, and Choji sat in the waiting room. Kiba didn't sit, he paced. As if he were going to be a father.

"Man, I can't stand this. How long is this going to take? Oh man, what if something's wrong? " he muttered.

Naruto laughed.

"You sound like an old man!" he jeered.

Kiba glarred at Naruto.

"She's my sensei, I worry about her!" he said defensively.

Choji laughed too.

"Yeah, she's your sensei, not your wife. So why're you pacing around like a new dad?" he joked.

Kiba growled and made a fist at Choji. Hinata came over and put her hand on Kiba shoulder.

"Kiba-kun, it's alright. Everything's going to be fine, you'll see." she said comfortingly.

Kiba rubbed the back of his neck.

"Yeah, I know you're right, Hinata-chan. I'm just worried is all." he said sheepishly.

Hinata smiled at him. she gently grabbed his elbow and led him over to the seat next to her.

"I know, but for now just sit down and try to relax." she encourage.

Kurenai's labor lasted at total of fourteen hours. Kiba, Naruto, Hinata, and Choji all took shifts waiting while the others ate or slept. Finally, Tsunade came out wiping her hands on a towel. She had a big smile on her face as she looked at the group.

"It's a healthy, loud baby boy." she said.

Kiba jumped in the air and whooped.

"Yeah! Alright! A little bro!" he said excitedly.

Akamaru plowed Kiba over and licked his face. Everyone laughed but Tsunade.

"Get that mutt outta here. This is a hospital, not a vet clinic." she said annoyed.

They were able to go in and see Kurenai two at a time. Chijo and Kiba let Naruto and Hinata go in first. Shikamaru came out and slept in the waitng room for a while. Supervising the birth of a baby took way too much energy. Kurenai was exhausted, but happy. She craddled the baby, warpped in a blue blanket, in her arms and stared at it lovingly.

"What are you going to name him, sensei?" Hinata asked.

Kurenai smiled.

"Hiruzen, after his grandfather." she said sweetly.

She closed her eyes and sighed.

"I can only hope that he becomes as kind and wise as his namesake." she commented.

She looked up at the ceiling and smiled.

"What do you think? Is he good enough for that name?" she asked.

Naruto looked at her weirdly.

"Who's she talking to?" he whispered to Hinata.

Hinata looked at the floor, sadly.

"Asuma-sensei." she said quietly.

Then Naruto remembered.

"Oh...right."

After leaving the hospital, naruto noticed that Hinata acted very melancholy. She kept her head down and rubbed her growing baby bump absently. Just when Naruto was about to ask her what was wrong, she spoke.

"Naruto-kun...that day...when Kanaka-san followed us. What did she say to you?" she asked.

naruto looked at her.

"You didn't hear?"

She shook her head.

"I was too far away."

Naruto looked at the sky.

"Ah, she was just talking shit. Nothing important." he lied.

Hinata stopped. Naruto looked back at her.

"Hey, what's wrong?" he asked.

"What did she say, Naruto-kun?" she asked flatly.

Naruto rubbed the back of his head.

"She was just trash-talking. You know, making lame threats and all. It wasn't a big deal." he said.

Hinata didn't budge.

"She's going to try and come for me, isn't she?"

Naruto was taken aback. He sighed.

"Something like that." he muttered.

He walked back to her and put his hands on her shoulder.

"But, listen, I'm not going to let that happen. I'll protect you, Hinata-chan. I'll-"

"For how long?" Hinata said quietly.

Naruto looked at her confused.

"What do you mean?" he asked.

Hinata looked up at him, tears streaming down her face.

"How long, Naruto-kun? How long will you be around?" she asked despratedly.

Naruto held her tighter.

"Hinata-chan, I'm not leaving you. I would never-"

"I know that, Naruto-kun! I know that you aren't going to leave me!" she said, breaking away from him.

She took a step back.

"But how long will you be around to take care of me? How long...will you live?" she said in a broken voice.

Naruto opened his mouth to answer, but he stopped. Then he tried again.

"Hinata-chan...I..."

He rubbed the back of his and sighed.

"I don't know. " he said finally.

Hinata nodded.

"That's right, you don't know. No one knows." she said sadly.

She took a step toward him.

"Naruto-kun, you want to become Hokage. And a Hokage, if he is called upon to do so, must sacrifice his life for the village." she stressed.

Naruto looked at her, pained.

"Hinata-chan, I..."

He didn't know what to say. She was right, after all. The Third had died trying to stop Orochimaru from destroying the villages. The First, Second, and Fourth had similar fates as well. Even Tsunade might someday be called on to put her life on the line for the village. The life of a Hokage was known to be brief. Hinata put her hand on Naruto's chest.

"I'm sorry, Naruto-kun. I got a little carried away. Let's just go home. " she said with a small smile.

Naruto was going to protest, but he remained quiet. Her outburst was probably a product of her pregnancy. Still, he had a gut feeling that something was wrong. He would ask her about it later. When they got home, Hinata lay down on the bed. She grimaced and put her hand on her stomach. Then she gasped in pain.

Naruto rushed to her side.

"What is it, Hinata-chan? What's wrong?" He asked, concerned.

Her brow furrowed.

"I-I don't know." She said in a pained voice.

She gasped and doubled over.

"Naruto-kun, I need to get to the hospital." She gasped.

Naruto's jaw dropped.

"You don't think you're going into labor, do you? You're not due for another three months or so!" He said panicked.

Hinata cried out.

"I don't know but something's happening!" She cried.

Naruto quickly picked her up and rushed out of the apartment.

"Don't worry, I'll get you to Tsunade-sama! She'll know what to do!"

"Well the good news is that she's not going into labor yet. The bad news is that the premature contractions tore her up a little." Tsunade said as she came out of Hinata's room.

Naruto looked worried.

"Well, is she going alright?" He asked nervously.

Tsunade nodded.

"Yes, she just needs a few days of strict bed rest and she should be back to normal." she said.

Naruto sighed in releif.

"That's good." he said.

"But, she needs to be careful. Another incedent like this could really do some damage. not to mention stress out her heart." she commented.

Naruto nodded.

"Got it. From now on, I'll make sure she takes it easy." he said, determined.