She woke to her husband's gentle touch and warm breath in her ear. Her eyes fluttered open to see Minato sitting on the edge of the bed. He was fully dressed in shinobi attire and her heart dropped into her stomach. She sat up. "What's happening?"

"I have to leave." His blue eyes had a serious tint to them. "Lord Hokage is heading to Shimogakure to meet the Raikage in the field. Kumogakure's entrenched themselves in the neutral zone and a messenger hawk was sent calling Fugaku there."

"But why?"

"An ambush, most likely. Which is why he's asked me to go with him."

Something is wrong here. "I don't like this," Kushina said.

Minato smiled and sighed softly. "I know." He placed a hand on her stomach, looking down with softened eyes. "The Hiraishin seal is already embedded in the binding of the Kyūbi. If you need me, I'll be back in a flash."

She blushed then rolled her eyes at his corny joke, but she knew that it was true. Minato had long altered the Eight Trigrams Seal to input his own teleportation technique into it. All she had to do was allow a sliver of the Kyūbi's chakra to leak out, and he would receive an indication that she was stressed or in danger. Although, she hoped that it wouldn't come to that.

We'll be safe here, she told herself. All of us.

"I've already gone over the situation with Kakashi's team," Minato said. "You'll need to meet them, though."

"Why?" Kushina asked. Anonymity was a key part of the ANBU's success. Shinobi were tools, but the Black Ops division was the pinnacle of faceless detachment. The lack of personal affiliations outside of the village made them the efficient unit that they were. Even Kakashi would put his mission above his feelings, Kushina mused.

But, this didn't seem to be Minato's intention. Her husband's face was serious as he leaned in. "I've already given Kakashi additional information on what to do if the house is compromised, but I want you to gauge and recognize their chakra signatures should that spy be among them."

She felt a shudder go up her spine, remembering the fear she'd had being stalked through the village after her doctor's visit. The darkness she'd felt pulsating from them wasn't something that she could forget. If they came for her, she would know. More fear crept into her mind, though. Whatever that person's intentions were for her, it was entirely possible that they hadn't been working alone. If that was the case...

"Okay. I'm coming."

The sun had begun its ascent over the horizon, painting the snow-covered ground in lush pinks and oranges. Kushina peeked out of the window after she'd dressed herself. The flurries were growing larger, transitioning to full snowflakes. I wonder if they'll let Naruto out of school early today. She had debated keeping Naruto home with but Minato had advised otherwise.

"No need to do anything out of the ordinary," he said. "Besides, he'll be covered coming home."

Kushina relented and followed Minato out to the living room. Kakashi's ANBU team was gathered in the space as well, spread out to cover the entry and exit points of their home. One of the members of a similar height and build as Kakashi, stood near the window behind the couch. Kushina noticed small black bugs crawling on his hand and up the sleeve of his cloak.

An Aburame clan member, she thought, resisting the urge to shudder. She noted his insect "I hope those bugs don't get into the foundation," Kushina jested.

The Aburame performed a series of hand movements that left her blinking in confusion.

"He said that they aren't termites," the third ANBU member, a young woman by the sound of her voice, said.

He's mute, Kushina realized with a little shame. "I'm sorry," she said. The ANBU didn't sign again. He simply dipped his head and allowed a few more bugs to leave his hand. They floated away, fluttering tiny wings as they disappeared around the house.

"You all are aware of your mission," Minato said, calling everyone's attention to him. "I don't need to remind you of how it important it is. Do what you're capable of as Konoha shinobi." He walked over to Kushina, taking her hand into his. Quietly, he said, "Tell Naruto I'll be back," before he kissed her forehead.

There was a brief golden light that took her husband's place and Kushina fought back tears as the tug on her heart almost dragged her to her knees. She replaced the urge to cry with a smile. "Is anyone hungry?"

The curry sauce simmered in a pot, filling the kitchen with the scent of spices. Kushina filled another with water and put it on the stove, turning up the heat for it to boil. She dropped two bags of rice into the pot and stepped away to the sink to wash dishes.

"Would you like some help?" The female ANBU stood near the fridge, peering behind her porcelain cat mask.

Kushina smiled politely. "No, I'm just about finished." She glanced outside at the swirling snows. The sun's light was smothered now by grey clouds. "It's about time for Naruto to get up," she said absently.

"I can go wake him," the ANBU volunteered. She then raised her hands. "Unless...you want Kakashi to."

"Naruto knows Kakashi," Kushina said. "I wouldn't want him to be startled seeing you." She made sure that her tone and face were soft and gentle, despite her initial misgivings. The ANBU nodded.

"I'll go tell him, then."

"No need," Kushina replied before saying a bit louder, "Captain Kakashi, can you go get Naruto up?" The young man raised a hand in acknowledgment and disappeared around the corner. The ANBU girl stayed in the kitchen and Kushina noticed as her head seemed to track Kakashi. Although her ties to the Kyūbi enabled her to sense negative emotions, her woman's intuition was sharp and innate.

She likes him.

She also saw the Aburame clansman in the corner watching both of them, his fingers moving up and down as a few bugs crawled up to his knuckles. Kushina couldn't sense anything from him. He was devoid of emotion, it seemed. If there was any negativity there, he had closed it off. Even in Kakashi, Kushina could feel a darkness in him that boiled beneath the surface, cold as a midnight blizzard. But, the Aburame clansman was almost an empty vessel.

That disturbed her more than anything.

Naruto rounded the corner, yawning and rubbing his eyes. Kakashi followed behind him. With a head nod, he gave the other ANBU a signal and the three shinobi disappeared without a trace from the room.

"Wait, I thought Kakashi was taking me to school?" Naruto asked, sleepily.

Kushina rubbed his head and turned back to the meal she'd been preparing. She poured the curry into a bowl and stirred, making sure the chicken and potatoes were cooked thoroughly. After she was sure it was, Kushina checked the rice then put it on one side of the bowl. It steamed as she set it in front of Naruto. It wasn't his favorite meal, she knew, but the boy ate it anyway.

"He is," she replied as she made herself a bowl. "He's also picking you up today right after so you know what that means, right?"

He gave her a blank stare. "No."

"It means," Kushina said, "that you can't do any extra training after your classes. You're to come directly home with Kakashi, do you understand?"

Naruto nodded slowly and dropped his gaze. He picked at his food. "Is Dad going to be okay?" he asked.

"Why do you ask?"

"Kakashi and his ANBU team are here but Dad's gone. That means he's on a mission, right?"

He's sharp when he wants to be. "Yes, your father's on a mission. But, he told me to tell you that he'll be back." Kushina smiled when she said it, but Naruto didn't return it.

"Will we be okay?"

"Naruto, of course we will. The ANBU are only here under the Hokage's orders. There's no need to worry." She could tell that he didn't believe her.

"Why us, though? When other shinobi leave, their families don't get bodyguards. Why are we special?

Kushina tried her best not to show any emotion on her face, but she knew she was failing. Her mind went to the night of his birth. Red eyes shone in the night around her and the Hokage watched as Minato worked on her. She remembered how he'd looked at her and then their baby boy, his thoughts swirling behind his deep blue eyes. Even though they'd discussed it at length and the idea had been approved by Lord Hiruzen, it was still difficult to follow through with.

Nevertheless, Minato had. He sealed within Naruto the Yin half of the Kyūbi's chakra and put the Yang halfback inside her. With his normal Eight Trigrams Seal to hold the more cooperative nature of the beast, Naruto would be safe for many years to come unless he found some way to control it. Meanwhile, Kushina held the more vindictive half of the fox. It's hatred and malicious intentions for mankind all sealed and locked down inside of her with her own fūinjutsu. Fugaku and Mikoto had been there after with others of their clan that simply stood guard.

She'd promised herself that she would wait until he had at least become a genin and facing real danger during his missions. But we're facing real danger now, she thought. Kushina rubbed her stomach and sighed softly. I have to tell him...

But when she did, she saw something small and black flutter above her head. She raised her eyes to the ceiling and saw bugs gathered in a corner. The same ones that had been released by the Aburame ANBU. Her first thought was that they had to be all over the house. She tried to convince herself that they were only scouts to make sure noone entered the house, but a small part of her brain whispered to her like it had a dark secret.

He's watching and listening to you.

She looked at Naruto, and he blinked weirdly at her. "Are you alright, Mom?"

The smile came immediately. "Yes, sweetheart." She stood up and walked to his chair. "Look, just get ready for school. We can talk about it together with your father when he gets back from his mission," she said.

Naruto looked more confused than disappointment, but he listened to her nonetheless. Kushina watched him get up from the chair and walk back to his room. She bit her lip and tried to relax as her son returned from his room fully dressed. She kissed his forehead and led him to the front door. Their yard was covered in a thin topping of soft snow. The grass peeked beneath like mountaintops.

"Remember what I said." She gently poked Naruto's nose. "Come right home after class." When the boy nodded and disappeared into the snowy mist, she heard multiple whooshs above her head. Kakashi's ninken. So he was staying here. Her heart slowed. She just had to be patient. Nothing would happen. All she would have to do was press her hand to her stomach and let some of her chakra leak, Minato would be wherever she was in an instant.

After she'd finished clearing the stone and washing dishes, she sat down on the couch and pulled out a book from the shelf. The Tale of the Utterly Gutsy Shinobi, the book that Minato's sensei had written that inspired Naruto's name. She wondered if her husband had told Master Jiraiya about this new pregnancy.

As she opened the book and began to turn the pages, she saw a black speck crawl on her hand. Before she could react, she felt a sharp pain between her index finger and thumb. She flicked the bug with hThen she didn't feel her fingers.

Or her hand.

Or her wrist.

Or her arm.

And soon, she didn't feel anything all.