NOTE: I ACTUALLY WROTE THESE CHAPTERS BEFORE THE NARUTO MANGA ENDED AND SO IT DOESN'T EXACTLY FOLLOW THE CANON ENDING. (As in the epilogue exactly). But I did make a few changes to make it a little bit closer to canon. (For example, I wrote this way before Naruto and Sasuke blew each others arms off and so there will be details that don't exactly match- be warned).

So I guess this is sort of an AU in a way.

To try and prevent some confusion I made a rough outline of how things fall into play in the timeline of the story:

I started the very beginning of White Kunai after about two years after the war and placed Naruto and Hinata's age at about 18.

The intermission takes place after a five-year time skip, making them about 23.

Naruto became the Hokage at the age of 21 (so three years after the first half of the story) and the two were married around that time.

Hinata gets pregnant after approximately two years of marriage (at the estimated age of 23). The second half of the story starts three months after the intermission. As of now, Hinata is about 6 months or so pregnant.

I will be inserting moments that happened within the five-year gap of the first half of the story and the intermission throughout the rest of the fic. ("Time stamps" in italics will distinguish these sections.)

Hope this helped! (If not, feel free to ask questions and I'll love to answer them for you!) Enjoy.

White Kunai

Part Two

Chapter 20- Pink

Three Months Later

"Do you think she'll like these?" Hinata asked, holding up a pair of bright pink baby booties.

Tenten laughed as she sifted through the rack of baby clothes. "I'm sure Sasuke will appreciate you getting his daughter pink shoes."

"I thought she would have pink hair," Hinata giggled.

"The next Uchiha…" Tenten trailed off. "How interesting would it have been if she had pink hair." Hinata just smiled as she fiddled with soft orange socks. Tenten grinned. "What about you? How many months in are you again?"

"About six," Hinata said happily, rubbing her protruding belly fondly.

"I bet our good ol' Hokage is happy," Tenten said, raising her eyebrows with a wink.

Hinata smiled. "He's very happy."

"Mmhm," Tenten said, heading towards the register to buy the articles of clothing. "Bet he shows you how happy he is every night."

Hinata inhaled sharply as her face went red. "I-I- You're starting to sound more like Ino-san everyday."

Tenten laughed. "I'm just teasing."

"Sometimes though…" Hinata said hesitating.

"Sometimes…?" Tenten urged.

"Naruto-kun would get so excited about something that he'd run up the walls and the ceiling," Hinata said giggling. "He would concentrate his chakra at the bottom of his feet and run around all excited and I'd have to chastise him about getting mud tracks on the ceiling."

Tenten burst out laughing as they finished paying for their items. They shouldered their bags and walked out into the sunny street. Hinata's light purple dress fluttered in the light breeze as insects buzzed around them, the weather becoming better each day that passed as the season changed from spring to summer. They talked idly as Tenten walked in the direction of Sakura's home.

"You know, I didn't realize I would miss training so much," Hinata said with a sigh.

"Eh?" Tenten asked with raised eyebrows.

Hinata nodded. "I feel…I feel so lazy," she said, slightly exasperated.

"Hinata, you're carrying a child! The Hokage's child!"

"I know," Hinata said with a laugh. She put one hand at the curve of her back and stretched, her bones making satisfying pops. "Believe me, I know. But I sort of miss training. I feel so…so heavy now."

Tenten gave her a sympathetic smile. "Nothing wrong with that," she said. "And if you want to know, I think you look amazing. Lean, toned, and with a pregnant glow."

Hinata giggled. She knew her friend was over-exaggerating but she appreciated the effort.

"Tenten-chan! Hinata-chan!" The two women turned and saw a green blur approach them at a frightening speed.

"Brace yourself, Hinata." Tenten warned.

Dust trailed behind the figure, his straight, black hair fluttering in the air current created by his own outstanding speed. He came to a halt by digging his feet into the ground, coming painstakingly close to Hinata who had to lean back slightly to prevent her face being pressed against his.

"Hello, Lee-san," Hinata said pleasantly, almost nose-to-nose with the man.

"How are you?" he yelled exuberantly. "How is the growing youthful seed of love in your stomach?"

"Lee! Back off!" The weapons master shouted, pulling out a kunai hidden god knows where in her well fitted outfit and pushing the green clad ninja away from the pregnant woman who straightened up. Rock Lee took no offense to this display of violence from his long time teammate, now used to the skill she had at concealing hundreds of weapons all over the folds and wrinkles of her clothing.

"I'm wonderful, thank you," Hinata said, smiling at their shenanigans. "As is the baby."

Rock Lee gave her a large, dazzling smile. "I am glad. You two are off to visit Sakura-chan and Sasuke-san's newly born, yes?"

"That's right," Tenten said, flicking her braid to the side as they headed off again.

"Wonderful!"

The three walked side by side, chatting amiably when they noticed Ino, Chouji and Karui some distance ahead of them. Tenten shouted to draw their attention and the group came to a halt, waving at them from afar.

"Going to see Sasuke-kun and Sakura?" Ino asked knowingly.

"I think it'll do Sasuke some good to see someone other than Sakura," Chouji said, running a finger across his neat beard, his other arm around Karui's shoulders.

"Why's that?" Hinata asked curiously.

"Well, I'm sure he's only used to the fiery, pink, rage ball that's all fists and yelling that can be dear ol' Billboard Brow," Ino said affectionately. "Unlike you, Hinata, Sakura was pretty crazy during her pregnancy. I'm sure Sasuke-kun's Anbu training came in handy some days when Sakura was feeling the whole 'it's-your-fault-I'm-pregnant-and-going-through-this' phase."

The group laughed and headed together towards the Uchiha and Haruno house. "Hey Hinata, I hope you've been eating well," Chouji said with a friendly smile. "After all, you're eating for two now!"

"Yea, Naruto better be feeding you something other than ramen," a voice beside Hinata said.

Hinata jumped slightly when she noticed that her former teammates had joined the group. "When did you get here?"

"A few seconds ago," Kiba said with a cheeky grin.

Hinata frowned. "Being pregnant really does damper my abilities."

"It makes sense," Shino spoke up, falling in step behind them. "As I'm sure you know, your chakra circulates more around your child now. It's sort of similar to my bugs. When a female insect gets pregnant she's more dormant, as is her chakra. She rests rather than go into battle. The male insects, though, would get even more aggressive during these times."

"Yup," Kiba said with a brief nod. "But when your baby is born, you're going to be fiercely protective of it, I'm sure. Dogs do the same."

Ino laughed. "You guys always were the strangest group."

"Hinata-chan, where is Naruto-kun?" Rock Lee piped up as Kiba and Ino started yelling at one another.

"He's working," Ino turned away from Kiba and answered for Hinata. "Sai mentioned that he was going to visit Sakura with Naruto and Shikamaru after his mission."

"Well, let us get there quick!" Rock Lee said with exuberance. "We should not keep our friends waiting and I also really want to see the youthful baby!"

The group continued on their way, laughing and chatting with one another, as nearby onlookers watched the familiar ninjas with smiles on their faces.

Hinata inserted her key into the locked door and twisted, pushing it open soundlessly. She slipped off her shoes and walked barefoot on the hardwood floor. They didn't stay long at Sakura's place because she seemed really busy taking care of her baby and so it was too early for Naruto to be home. An empty home welcomed her but it was oddly relaxing rather than lonely.

She put a kettle of tea on the stove and pulled out the familiar mug that Naruto had always kept for her. She smiled. I remember when I liked the fact that he kept a special mug for me. Now it really is mine. She sighed contently, sipping the hot liquid, as she put some food on the stove.

She allowed the stew to simmer on low heat and changed her clothing to a stained pair of shorts and one of Naruto's old large T-shirts already peppered with small holes. She grabbed a pair of gloves and opened the door to the backyard, ready to get to work. It was just around the time to start tending to her garden. A few days previously she had went shopping with Naruto to buy different plants that they both wanted to plant. They had worked on the garden all day and she was going to continue their work. She took a shovel and loosened up the dirt, small clumps of different plants, flowers, and herbs set aside, ready for planting. Her favorites were the sunflowers.

Making small holes for each individual plants she got to working. Occasionally she would go back inside to check on the dinner before shutting off the stove and dedicating herself completely to her gardening task at hand. She had her hair tied up in a messy ponytail and had bits of dirt smeared on her cheeks and over her clothes.

She pressed the dirt down around the last plant and sat down, her legs tucked beneath her, gazing fondly at the work before her. The garden was something she and Naruto loved to work on together. She loved the beautiful, different colored flowers and the herbs and vegetables they grew that she could incorporate directly into their meals. She clipped a few pink flowers to put in a vase and noticed they were slightly wilted from the last time she really paid them much attention and made a mental note to prune and nurture the flowers more.

The sun was beginning to lower into the horizon and she let out a slow breath, the light breeze causing loose strands of her hair to tickle her face. She almost expected Naruto to come up behind her and wrap his arms around her but he didn't.

She sighed.

He told her he would be working late. She looked down at her stomach and rubbed it gently, Ino's words echoing in her head, "…feeling the whole 'it's-your-fault-I'm-pregnant-and-going-through-this' phase…" Hinata smiled to herself. She didn't feel that way.

Hinata gazed at her newly planted flowers and noticed a few black bugs flying around. They didn't look like the traditional garden variety of insects she was used to but they did look familiar.

Kikaichu, she thought.

She raised her eyebrows and smiled softly, holding out a finger. One of the insects landed on her finger and she brought it up to eye level, feeling kind of silly but said, "Tell Shino-kun I'm fine," she said tenderly. "I understand Naruto-kun is worried about me but having someone…or something watch me constantly may not be necessary." She smiled. "But I appreciate it."

The bug, of course, said nothing but flew off until it was out of view. Hinata got up with a groan, wiping as much dirt off from her clothes as she could before heading inside, the door clicking shut behind her. In her hands she held a few herbs to garnish her stew and she quickly chopped them up, sprinkling in the leafy greens to add a pop of color. She looked around the empty kitchen and sighed. The previous relaxed feeling she got when she entered the empty home was starting to dissipate.

She made her way to the bathroom, quickly stripped down, and allowed the hot water from the shower to wash away the dirt and grime off her body. She laid her hand against the firm skin that was now her stomach and sighed. During the pregnancy she really did feel a flux of emotions, and she came to the conclusion that the brief period of loneliness she felt some minutes ago was because of that.

She stepped out onto the soft mat after shutting off the shower. She grabbed her fluffy purple towel hanging beside Naruto's orange one and wrapped it around herself snuggly, her hair dripping water droplets on the ground. Her back hurt and her feet ached and she suddenly felt really exhausted. She looked at herself in the mirror, her baby bump now large and prominent.

Three more months of this, she thought, not unkindly. "I wish you would come out soon," she whispered, the words meant only to be heard by her child.

Hinata walked into the bedroom she shared with her husband, her thoughts drifting to how Sakura's child was born much later than expected. The bubble gum haired woman had grown restless and irritated and it was quite interesting to watch the way Sasuke had handled her. Hinata chuckled and grabbed one of Naruto's shirts she liked to use as pajamas. It was black and had a red swirl on the front. It hung loosely off her shoulders and felt free and unrestricting. She slipped on a pair of panties and wrapped her towel around her hair, lying down on the bed.

Her eyes felt heavy and she wasn't feeling very hungry. She rolled over to her side and soon drifted off to sleep.

The doorknob jiggled a bit before slowly turning. The door opened and in entered a tired looking Hokage. The moon shone high and bright outside right before he shut and locked the door with a satisfying click. He removed his shoes and Hokage cloak before tiptoeing into the house, making his way to the kitchen, seeing the light was still on.

Naruto figured that Hinata wouldn't be up at this hour. He walked over to the stove and saw she had left a pot of stew, seemingly untouched on the stove. He did a quick once over of the kitchen and saw no bowl in the sink or washed in the dish rack. His eyebrows furrowed together in concern. She didn't eat? He wasn't hungry himself so he quickly put the pot into the refrigerator to prevent it from spoiling and padded his way to their bedroom, turning off the light on his way.

The door was already partially open and he snuck in quietly, greeted by a picture of his wife curled up in her favorite shirt of his near the edge of their bed. His shoulders relaxed and his facial muscles pulled up in a small smile.

How cute. She got tired more easily during the pregnancy. Sakura-chan had told him that woman reacted and felt differently during their pregnancies and he was quite happy when he realized Hinata wasn't as rambunctious as his former teammate. No. She was docile as was the norm for her, perhaps got sad and a bit more emotional than usual but nothing Naruto couldn't handle.

Naruto stripped down to his boxers before pulling up the sheets to cover Hinata. He crawled onto his half of the bed, snuggling beneath the covers, and draped his arm around his wife's waist. He pulled her closer to him as gently as he could to get her away from the precarious position she was near the edge of the bed. She made a little sound that sounded like a sigh before melting into his embrace.

Naruto fell asleep to the steady feeling of her chest rising and falling and the soft sounds of her breath as she exhaled.

The absence of a warm body beside him made him wake up.

Naruto shot up in bed, unnecessarily worried for the wellbeing of his "missing" wife. He'd been more protective than ever since Hinata's baby bump had started to become visible. Even more so when one day he heard Hinata shout from somewhere in the bedroom while he was rummaging for some food. He had rushed towards the sound of her voice, immediately worried that something had gone amiss but found her sitting at the corner of their bed, a hand resting on her stomach, and a large smile on her face.

Indeed, he became much more protective when he first felt his child kick.

"Hinata?" Naruto called, rolling out of bed. He sensed her chakra somewhere in the house and walked out, slipping on a shirt as he crossed the hallway and entered the kitchen.

"Good morning, Naruto-kun," Hinata said sweetly, staring into the refrigerator with one hand on her hip. "I'm sorry I wasn't awake when you returned," she said apologetically.

"Don't be," Naruto said, crossing his arms as he watched his wife. "I came back late anyway. I visited Sakura-chan and Sasuke-teme early in the afternoon with Shikamaru once Sai returned from his mission," he explained. "Did you see? Sasuke's has a daughter! Ah, Sasuke-teme. It's nice to see him as a father. But a daughter! I always imagined him with a son."

"Naruto-kun," Hinata said with a giggle, rummaging through the things in the refrigerator. "That's a horrible thing to mock your best friend about."

Naruto grinned. "Oh, I know. I'm just teasing." He watched her straighten up and tap her finger on her chin as if thinking of what she should make. "I had a lot of paperwork to deal with last night so I'm sorry I couldn't be here for dinner."

Hinata still didn't turn around but assured him that was fine. "I worked on the garden yesterday," she said. "What would you like for breakfast?"

"Leftovers."

Hinata turned around, a small frown evident on her face. "You want cold stew?"

Naruto laughed. "Hinata, your stew is delicious hot or cold."

She smiled. "I can always whip up some eggs or-"

"Stew."

She stared at his genuine smile and felt happiness bubble deep in her gut and she turned around to grab the pot sitting on the shelf. "Well, okay, but let me warm it up a bit for you, okay?" She turned around, pot in hand, and was surprised to see Naruto had come up directly behind her. He had his arms held out and she placed the food into his arms as he carried it to the stove. "It's not even that heavy," she said with a laugh.

"I know…" Naruto said. "But still." He walked to her and gave her a quick kiss on the nose, one hand at her chin, the other resting on her stomach. "I'm going to take a quick shower while the food warms up," he said.

"Okay."

He started to walk away but glanced behind him briefly just as Hinata bent down to pick up a hand towel that had fallen on the floor. "Love the view by the way," Naruto said mischievously.

"N-Naruto-kun!" Hinata shot up, tugging the black shirt she wore as far down as she could, her face pink.

She heard Naruto laughing even through the sound of the running shower.

"This makes me wish I ate some last night too!" Naruto exclaimed, now on his third bowl of soup.

Hinata laughed. "Slow down or you might get a stomach ache," she chastised.

"But it's so good, Hina-hime," he said, using a rare term of affection.

Hinata watched her husband fondly, twisting and turning the ring on her finger. He was once again dressed in his Hokage robes and she had changed out of her pajamas and into more appropriate clothing consisting of a long, flowy light pink shirt and well-fitted pants.

"Aren't you going to eat?" Naruto asked a bit worried.

"I ate a little but started to feel nauseous," Hinata explained, poking at the chunks of vegetables and fresh herbs from their garden floating in the broth with her spoon.

"Hinata, you have to eat," Naruto said, reaching over the table and placing his hand over hers. A smile formed on his face. "You better eat some of this stew up before I eat it all. Really. It's so good I'm afraid I won't have any left for a midnight snack."

"I'll always make you more, Naruto-kun," Hinata said. To alleviate him of his worries she took a few bits of the thick soup. Naruto, though still not completely satisfied, relaxed a little. "What do you have to do today?" she asked between bites of her food.

"Ah, same old, same old, I guess." Naruto said, stretching his arms behind his head with a groan. He sighed and rubbed his stuffed belly, a silly grin plastered on his face. "Assign a few missions, go through a couple stacks of paperwork, etcetera, etcetera."

"Sounds like fun."

Naruto laughed. "Sure."

"I don't know how you can be so well rested after only a few hours of sleep," Hinata said, pushing away her now empty bowl and leaning on one arm.

Naruto gathered up the bowls and placed them in the sink. He made his way around the table and effortlessly turned the chair Hinata was seated in so she was facing him. He crouched down in front of her.

"Practically endless supplies of chakra and stamina," Naruto said, winking. "You should know because of those…special nights." Before Hinata could stutter out his name he silenced her with a feather light kiss on her lips.

Hinata pushed him away gently, a blush evident on her face but also a sly smile. "That's right. The next morning you would hop out of bed completely reenergized almost like the events of the previous night didn't happen."

Naruto leaned in again, this time cupping her face in his hands and giving her a zealous kiss. "But they did happen and I'm so, so glad they did."

Soon they were at the front door and Naruto was slipping on his shoes. Hinata opened the door and sunlight entered their house, lighting up the hallway. "It looks like it's going to be a nice day," she said.

Naruto hopped up to his feet. "It does. Any plans?"

"I was thinking maybe I'd walk around town after cleaning up the place."

One corner of Naruto's mouth lifted up slightly. "If you want to, I guess."

Hinata faced him and he couldn't help but stare in awe at the way the natural light seemed to form a beautiful but almost ethereal glow around his wife. Maybe that's what they mean when they talk about the pregnancy glow.

"Naruto-kun, you don't have to be so worried about me."

"I can't help it," he said, wrapping his arms around her waist and holding her close. "Even though I know it won't happen-I can't help but think that there are evil people just waiting to ravage you while you stroll through town."

Hinata giggled. "Impossible. There's always someone watching me."

Naruto made a funny face. "I have no idea what you're talking about," he said unconvincingly.

"Mhm," Hinata said, fixing the collar of his cloak. "Yesterday was Shino. For a while it was Tenten."

"Untrue!" Naruto exclaimed. "She wanted to hang out with you."

"Yes, we had that day planned, but I'm sure you told her to keep an eye on me," Hinata said, smiling at the man before her.

"Maybe…" Naruto said, stretching out the word.

"The previous day it was Konohamaru," Hinata continued. "That was pretty cute actually. He really improved his stealth. I almost didn't notice. I wouldn't have actually, if the stall I was shopping for fruits at didn't collapse. My abilities have become much weaker."

"Wait, what stall?" Naruto asked stiffly.

"I don't know. One of the screws were loose or something so the canopy to provide shade from the sun came tumbling down."

"WHAT? Are you all right? How come no one told me about this? I'm going to kill Konohama-"

Hinata's laugh cut him off. "Naruto-kun! Konohamaru was the one who pulled me out of the way."

"Well he better have, that was his job-"

"Job, huh?" Hinata said knowingly.

"Ah…uh…"

"It's sweet, Naruto-kun," she said, tiptoeing a bit to kiss him softly. "I spent the day with Konohamaru after that. He reminds me of you, really."

"Yeah?"

She nodded. "A few weeks ago it was Sasuke."

Naruto stiffened again. "Oh, was it?" He let out a forced chuckle.

Hinata laughed. "That was a bit strange. He didn't try to hide or sneak around. He sort of just appeared, said, 'hn,' a lot, and trailed me like a shadow."

Naruto stared at his wife with a blank expression while she stared at him with a small smile. He didn't know how to try and convince her that he wasn't making people keep an eye on her. "Well, I think I might be late," Naruto said, pulling her into a kiss, picking her up, pivoting on the spot, and setting her gently on the floor again. Now he was the one near the door and he held it open with one foot before pulling away from Hinata. "Love you."

"Love you too," she said. "Thanks for taking care of me."

"Well, you do the same. It would be rude of me not to return the favor." He kissed her again and again, peppering her face with quick pecks.

Hinata started laughing. "Naruto-kun! You have to get to work."

Naruto groaned. "I can't help but not want to go when I have such a riveting wife waiting for me at home."

Hinata started ushering her husband out, Naruto playfully complaining on his way out. "Have a nice day!"

"Stay safe, Hinata, okay?" Naruto called before hopping away.

"Hey!" Naruto greeted his advisor. "You're here earlier than usual, Shikamaru."

The man sighed. "I don't want to be, but the Anbu you sent to the Village of Ash came back today."

Naruto's gait seemed to stiffen slightly as he draped his Hokage robe over his chair and sat down, fingers intertwined in one another. "And?"

"And nothing," Shikamaru said, hands in his pocket. "Three months passed since you and Hinata returned from that village. Three months and no deaths that seems to have anything to do with the new killer."

"No one talked?"

"None of the members from the victims families wanted to say anything. They're scared."

"How could we have stationed a few ninja there for three months and have gotten nothing?" Naruto said, exasperated. He pushed away from his desk and stormed angrily to the window, observing the scenes outside. Kids were running to go to the academy. Shops were being opened up. He saw a woman with what looked like dark pink hair in the sun strolling down the road. He saw a young couple giggling and trying to sneak away into a darkened alley. He saw a man dressed in black making his way around the bustling children. He saw Ino making her way across the rooftops and wondered briefly whether she was heading to the hospital or to the interrogation team. She made a good fit replacing her fathers job.

"Naruto."

The Hokage turned around and faced Shikamaru again. "What do we know so far?"

"The killer wants revenge. He already killed the daughter. You decided not to get involved, smart choice if I may add, and returned back to Konoha immediately."

"But I couldn't just leave them helpless…" Naruto said, more to himself than Shikamaru. "I would have felt guilty."

"I agree. I think your choice of sending few, very few, ninja to the Village of Ash was a good one," Shikamaru affirmed. "Their job was to observe, question, and inform us of what they learned."

"It's not their fault that no one wants to talk," Naruto said.

Shikamaru nodded. "I don't believe for a second that whatever was going on there is over though."

Naruto rubbed his eyes with two fingers. "No, neither do I." Shikamaru was silent. "I'm worried…" Naruto continued. "The letter said that the killer wanted to get revenge on the ninja involved. And Hinata-"

"Is safe at home."

Naruto sighed. "The killer has to be planning something…"

"We can speculate and we can speculate some more, but worrying will accomplish nothing."

"I can't really help it, Nara!" Naruto said, a bit frustrated. "I'm sure you worry about your wife."

"She is completely capable of handling herself." Shikamaru stated. Then his face softened. "But you're right."

"I'm surprised you actually got hitched," Naruto said. "You were always saying no to marriage."

Shikamaru shrugged. "It sort of just…happened. Seeing my parents relationship and Asuma-sensei and Kurenai's was nice…and I guess…I don't know. It just happened," he shrugged his shoulders lazily, the slightest hint of a blush on his cheeks.

"Stupid testosterone and protective male instinct," Naruto grumbled, crossing his arms and pouting.

Shikamaru smiled and rubbed the back of his head. Somehow…he really just wanted the killer to make his move already. Waiting and feeling vulnerable like this was no fun.

"Troublesome…"

I'm back!

This half of the story will have a little more to do with Naruto and Hinata's relationship rather than the bit of mystery and drama that was the first half. That's not to say that there won't be drama, but I really am planning on focusing on Naruto and Hinata's lives together a little bit more now.

Hope you guys will enjoy it. (Be sure to read my authors note in the beginning to clear up where this lies in terms of the canon manga).

Glad to be back.

-Magma

Up Next: Worry

"'You slept with the Hokage?' the low-pitched woman asked in awe. 'I'm…I think I'm actually a bit jealous.'

"Hinata couldn't believe it. She didn't believe it."