Chapter Nine

The final transition between Hiruzen Sarutobi and Minato Namikaze culminated in the latter's inauguration as the Fourth Hokage at the end of the summer, with unanimous approval from the clan heads, department leads, and the Fire daimyō himself.

Now that the excitement was over with, everything was settling into a relatively boring normal. After how long the Third Shinobi War had gone, Obito found it strange to see so many back in the village on a regular basis, rather than catching glimpses between deployments.

Obito paused from writing kanji to shake out his wrist again, absently flicking some ink onto the paper in front of him.

Behind him, Jiraiya snorted. "It's a good thing that was just regular ink rather than anything chakra-infused."

Obito shot the older man a look, then focused back on his work. He had started reading some of his sensei's scrolls during Minato and Kushina's honeymoon, largely as something to pass time, but his initial curiosity had cracked the door into something a bit more. Not that he really knew what he was doing, but it was something that had piqued his interest.

When Minato and Kushina had returned, it was something akin to being caught with his hand in the cookie jar. His embarrassment was short-lived, with Kushina laughing it off and offering to teach him, starting by dropping a calligraphy set in front of him with an amused smile.

So, here he was. Drawing lines of kanji like he was back in the academy again with Jiraiya occasionally showing up to critique his technique.

"He's right, you know," said Kushina, plopping herself onto the couch. "Fūijutsu is a beautiful art, but volatile as it is versatile. So, as soon as you're done here, you're going to take thirty minutes to run around the village, then come back and start over."

"Kushina-san!" Obito yelped.

"Shishou!" she corrected hotly, then relaxed. "Obito, a misapplied kanji could result in disaster to you and whatever you might be working on. And with reserves like yours and mine, probably the surrounding environment, too. So treat it like it's the real thing."

Obito nodded, numbly, and said, "Yes, Shishou."

"That's better. Think of it this way: you get to practice situational awareness."

While Obito secured his study materials, Tsunade's voice carried into the house from outside. "Jiraiya, when I get my hands on you!"

Obito looked up at Jiraiya, who was presently sitting across the table and equally perplexed. Kushina looked at both of them, and walked to the front room.

"What's that about?" Obito asked.

The Toad Sage scratched the back of his head, squinting. "Um…"

Kushina peered out the front window. "Jiraiya, if Tsunade-sama is out for your blood, this is not really the time for 'um'. What did you do this time?"

"I swear, I have no idea what- specifically what she's hunting me down for."

"Ugh. I'll go see if I can head her off at the pass."

Watching the redhead step out of the house, Obito leaned towards Jiraiya. "Is there something you want to tell me," he asked, "or do I need to stash you somewhere until the storm blows over?"

A useless sentiment, as the door slammed open, the Senju standing in a towering rage, regardless of height disparity. Then again, Tsunade's anger was something one typically avoided, as even Kushina had her hands up, having neatly stepped out of the way of her wrath.

"There you are…" the Slug Princess growled through her teeth. Jiriaya froze like a rabbit avoiding a hawk, waiting to see if it would need to run. Her gaze shifted to Obito, and she smiled. "Perfect. You're here, too." The words were sweet, but her eyes implied murder.

Obito gulped nervously, but stood his ground. "Hi, Tsunade-sama. How can I help you?"

"You know how you oh so kindly encouraged Jiraiya to talk to me a few months back?"

"Huh?" Obito mumbled, brows drawn tightly as he recalled the event. "Oh. Good job, you two. But what's got you in a tiff?"

Tsunade's teeth were bared. "Why do you think?"

Obito looked back and forth between the two Sanin, then at Tsunade's stomach, then it clicked. "Oh…"

"Yes~, 'oh' is right."

"Um…congratulations?"

The blonde looked ready to throttle him, and Obito raised his hands, though even he wasn't sure if it was in defense or surrender.

"How is any of this my fault?" he asked.

"You're the one who put him up to this!"

"While, I am fairly certain that there is plenty of blame to go around, I cannot be held responsible for your current status. No offense, Tsunade-sama, you're too old for me to consider that." Obito blanched when he realized what he said, then added, "You two are the grown adults." Under Tsunade's glare, he stood up and began edging towards the door. "And by that, I mean you can talk through this like reasonable people." Backing away from the two, he avoided any sudden movements. Jiraiya appeared lost in a daze, probably astounded by the turn of events. "So. Unless you need a mediator for your upcoming argument, or plan to name me the godfather, I am going to excuse myself." Before he closed the door, he poked his head in again. "Try not to kill him, Tsunade-sama."

"You brat," she snarled after as he made a hasty retreat. No sense in lingering with the fireworks about to go down.

Kushina sighed, then stepped into the gap Obito left and addressed her two seniors. "Right. You two have an hour. Talk it out. Don't break my house." She closed the door and leaned against the side of the house. "They're probably going to break my house."

[NRE]

Rin pressed her fingers to her temples. "Let me get this straight. You convinced Jiraiya to confess his feelings to Tsunade-"

"Don't restate the whole thing like we weren't there."

"There may have been alcohol involved that night. Forgive me for making sure my information is accurate. Now shush and let me finish. Not only did he follow through on your advice, they actually hit it off well enough to sleep together…and now Tsunade-shishou is pregnant."

"Pretty much. They were talking it out when I left."

"Wait, you left them alone like that?"

"Would you want to stay within reach of an angry Tsunade when her hormones may or may not running haywire and thinks you partially responsible for her circumstances, despite all logic pointing to the contrary?"

The medic blinked owlishly. "Fair enough. But you did alert someone, right?"

"Just you. And Kushina was there, too. Why?"

"What's this I hear about Jiraiya and Tsunade getting together?" Kakashi asked, suddenly appearing.

"A little more than that, but in short: yeah," Obito answered. "Only now there's a kid on the way."

Kakashi blinked owlishly, staring vaguely in the direction of the quarreling couple. "Hm. I think I should offer congratulations."

"Wait until they've finished their talk before you stir the hornet's nest again. She looked ready to tear my head off when I saw her."

"I'm worried we're going to be searching for a corpse when she's finished," Rin interjected.

Obito shrugged. "Eh, she'll bruise him or maybe put him in the hospital, but I don't think she'll kill him. Not with Kushina-shishou there. By the way…" He held out a hand, expectantly.

Kakashi groaned. "And here I was hoping you had forgotten about that."

"You too, Rin," said Obito, tiddling his fingers with a smug smirk.

"Hey, my bet is still in the running," the medic countered.

"Hmph. Just don't be surprised when it comes time to pay up."

"You don't understand a woman's heart."

"And you don't understand the jokers involved."

With a little grumbling, Kakashi fished through his pockets to produce the ryō for the wager, when a little orange book fell out. The jonin quickly scooped it up, playing it off as if it were no big deal.

"Was that what I think it was?" Obito asked, looking at Kakashi, then to Rin, who was blushing furiously. "Why do you still read that stuff, Kakashi? You already have a girlfriend."

"And I love her dearly," Kakashi answered, succinctly. "And besides, she reads-mrphfg!"

Rin stared blankly at Obito, hand clamped over her boyfriend's mouth, daring him to call her out. "Please ignore him."

Obito stared back at them for a second, then, getting the hint, raised his hands. "Forget I asked."

[NRE]

It didn't take long for news to spread around the village, which led to Obito being questioned by assorted persons eager for an inside source.

"So," said Anko. "Tsunade-sama is pregnant."

"Yup," Obito replied, popping the "p".

The two of them were accompanied by the rest of Teams Orochuimaru and Roku on their way to offer Sen well-wishes.

Anko shook her head. "With what I've heard over the years, I thought they were both confirmed bachelors, Jiraiya-san's…exploits aside."

"Hey, it's a time for rebuilding," Yukio said with a snicker. "Now that the war's over, you have all these people working off their stress."

Hitomi cuffed her teammate. "No need to be crass, Yukio."

"Must be something in the water," said Obito. "The Kuramas just had twins in April. The Hyūga clan just welcomed, what? Four children? Hizashi-san's son included."

Rei looked over her book and added, "Shizuka-sama is similarly indisposed."

Yosetsu laughed and pat Obito on the back. "You're strangely fascinated with this despite not having a girlfriend."

"It's just that these are the kids we're liable to be picking up when we become jōnin."

Hitomi side-eyed Obito. "You're already picturing the teams, aren't you?"

Obito laughed sheepishly. "Maybe. I heard something about a bet concerning a possible recreation of the Shika-Ino-Chou combo, so if that pans out, that's one formation already set for the next generation."

"That's still ten years at a minimum, Obito," said Anko, pounded on the door. "Probably more, if the restrictions go back up to pre-war levels."

"Door's open," Sen called out.

Yosetsu opened the door and let the others inside. Sen looked a little tired, but otherwise in good spirits, sitting next to the cradle where the baby was cooing at the stuffed turtle he was waving in front of her.

"Where's Momoe-chan?" Yosetsu asked.

"In here, Yosetsu-san," someone called from the kitchen, then leaned out with to wave and smile at her guest. "Anko-chan, how are you doing?"

"Hanging tough, as always," she answered, hanging weapons on the coat hanger. "I'm pretty sure you haven't met most of this rowdy lot, so from left to right: Nobutoshi Mizuno, Hitomi Hyūga, Yukio Inuzuka, Rei Aburame, Obito Namikaze, and Yuuta."

"It's lovely to have names to the faces," Momoe replied, and returned with a bow of her own. "And thank you for keeping my Sen alive."

"We're teammates and comrades," said Obito, smiling. "Protecting each other is a given."

Momoe was of slight build and average height, gentle features, dark brown hair and similarly colored eyes. Her clothes hid the muscles built by her work, but the callous and scars were noticeable, something she didn't seem to be the least bit self-conscious about.

And then Yukio shot off his mouth. "We were surprised when he told us he had a girlfrie-gack!"

Hitomi shook out her hand from another chop against the Inuzuka's head. "Apologies for my teammate's disrespect," she said. "And thank you for inviting us into your home."

"It's kind of you to say that, Hyūga-san."

"Hitomi, please."

"Of course, Hitomi-san."

Hitomi glanced at Rei, who gave a slight shrug. "Would you mind some assistance?"

"There isn't much left to do, but I could use some help setting the table," Momoe replied, then turned to the rest the guests. "Oh, and a couple of quick rules: weapons off while handling the baby, don't swear in front of the baby."

As far as Konoha civilians went, Momoe leaned towards a brazen audacity that wasn't found in any other hidden village. She didn't so much as flinch as she heard their names. Obito found himself liking the young woman immediately, and could understand how she had caught Sen's attention.

Nursing his abused noggin, Yukio found his way to the baby, stooping over to get a better look, and then declared, "She's adorable!"

"Take it easy, Dog Boy," said Anko, pulling him back by the collar. "Let her get used to you first." She leaned over to get a better look at the baby. "But he's right. She's adorable. What's her name?"

Sen gave a stupid, wide grin. "Tenten."

"Tenten, huh?" Obito joined Anko in leaning over the cradle, only to immediately flinch back when Baby Tenten started crying. "Oh. Shoot. Why is she crying?"

"Probably because she saw your face," Sen deadpanned.

"Why?" asked Yosetsu. "She sees your ugly mug every day."

The new father's face had contorted to mixture of a grimace, a sneer, and a smile. "Ruggedly handsome," he hissed through bared teeth, though there was little heat behind it.

Yosetsu snickered. "You're lucky Tenten-chan is taking after Momoe's looks. Now stop looking at me like that before your face freezes that way."

Obito tried to reposition to watch the baby, standing next to Sen. "So, how's your family taking this?" he asked.

Sen relaxed and his face dropped a little. "Danzō-ojiisama was furious, as expected. I doubt he's going to let her take the Shimura name while he's alive."

"Isn't he obscenely old, though?" asked Nobutoshi.

"He's about the same age as Sandiame-sama, so not as old as you thin, and he's stubborn to boot. Wouldn't put it past the old goat to outlive me out of sheer stubbornness." He smiled as Tenten reached out at Anko's face. "But, I have the two of them, so to hell with that old coot."

"I can sympathize," said Obito.

Sen blinked. "Shit. I had completely forgotten about that."

"No swearing in front of the baby, Sen," Momoe hollered from the kitchen.

"Sure thing, love."

Obito leaned against the wall behind him. "No worries," he said. "Like I said, I can sympathize. I wouldn't know what to do with myself without my team." He paused, smiling thoughtfully. "My family."

Momoe leaned back into the living room. "Lunch is ready."

"Food!" Yukio cheered, and practically bolted to the dining room.

Everyone else followed at a more sedate pace and took places while Sen transferred Tenten to a highchair.

Anko leaned back, eyeing the lot of them. "Speaking of family," she said, a mischievous glint in her eye. "Which one of you is going to be next?"

The side of Hitomi's mouth twitched upward. "Oh, I'm not ready for that just yet."

"You're almost nineteen, 'tomi."

"And? Unless the clan head or branch head says I need to, I don't plan to. Besides, some of us just got our flak jackets."

Anko crossed her arms in a playful huff, then swept her gaze across the table. "Then it falls to one of you to add to the family."

"Do you always plot the expansion of your pseudo-family tree?" asked Obito.

"Yes," answered Sen, Yosetsu, and Nobutoshi in unison.

"Do you not?" asked Anko.

Obito hesitated, then said, "yeah, but I don't actively badger my teammates and friends into getting together."

"I agree with Hitomi-san, Anko-chan," Momoe said. "If there's no rush, let these things happen on their own time."

Anko puffed out her cheeks. "Fine. But if the next one to get lucky is Yuuta, I'll be supremely disappointed in all of you."

Yuuta yipped an agreement.

[NRE]

Team Minato had dropped by the office after delivering their most recent report, and had chosen to crash on the couch while their sensei caught up on paperwork. Kakashi had a bag of dehydrated strawberries and was pitching them into Rin's mouth. Obito was wandering around the room, reading the titles of the books present while eyeing the shadows.

The Hokage shook his head at his students. "So, Obito, what's this I heard about you being named godfather?"

Obito paused, grimaced, and then smiled. "I joked about it when I heard about it, but Jiriaya-sama thought it would be a good idea."

"Congratulations, Obito-kun. I'm sure you'll set a good example for them to follow."

"The brat's going to need as much as they can get," Kakashi added.

Rin leaned over and poked her boyfriend's cheek. "That's rather rude, talking about your seniors like that."

Said boyfriend raised a hand, counting off with his fingers. "One's a shameless pervert and the other is a compulsive gambler. Both are excellent shinobi, but you have to admit they can come up short in some regards. I can see them both wanting a good role model for their kid."

Obito grinned mischievously. "The Great Kakashi says I'm a great role model?"

Kakashi snorted. "I said 'good', not 'great'."

"Not to detract from the good news," Rin interjected, "but how did Jiraiya-sama convince Tsunade-shishou to agree to that?"

Obito waved his hand. "Tsunade figured it would be a convenient loop to involve me with the Senju after all of…" He held out his right hand, staring it. "All of this."

"There are some interesting political implications to consider," Minato added. "Official stance aside, you're still an Uchiha by birth. After the years of strife between the two clans, this could be seen as a reconciliation of sorts. Or at least the beginnings of the process."

"I thought we buried the hatchet years ago."

"In theory, yes, but the Senju-Uchiha rivalry left many scars and grudges that were never thoroughly addressed. And while many on both sides were content set their grievances aside, few are liable to forget the Warring Clans Period, no matter what their clan heads said."

"But that was, what? Fifty years ago?"

"For a conflict that had lasted more than four times that. And unfortunately, there has been some antagonism even after the village was founded."

Obito's mind went back to the demented coot he had to deal with. How far did Madara's reach extend after his supposed death? Even in death, the name Madara carried significant weight. "Did it have anything to do with Madara's rebellion?"

"In part, but there's a lot more to that story than I think any of us have time for today. And as much fun as this history less has been, I'm sure you three have better things to do than hang around the office all day." He paused meaningfully, then added, "Unless you three want to help me with paperwork…"

Kakashi and Rin disappeared, leaving Obito behind.

"Uh…"

Mintao continued working while his student lingered. "Just so you know, I'm not expecting you to tackle this workload."

"I wouldn't mind." Obito shrugged. "All the better practice for when I succeed you, Hokage-sensei."

At this, Minato laughed, pleasantly. "You have a long way to go before you get there, Obito-kun."

"All the more reason to get started as soon as possible."

The Hokage tapped his lower lip. "If you'd like, you can help ferry paperwork as it's completed."

"Right!"

Any grumbling Obito would have in the months to come were displaced by the elation and a sense of pride, his ambition a little closer completion than it was before.

[NRE]

February fifteenth, Obito winced as a renewed wave of imprecations carried from the next room, accompanied by pained, male whimpering. Blowing a strand of hair from his face as he retied the mass behind his head, he wondered how much longer Tsunade's labor was going to last. Mostly for Jiraiya's sake, as he was fairly certain the man's hand was broken by this point. Repeatedly.

Since the senior medic was the patient this time, it had fallen to Ikkaku. Rin and Shizune had been enlisted for their assistance. Obito didn't envy them, especially after the Umino had crashed against the wall, dust himself off, and then trudge back to work.

At long last, the alternations between unintelligible screams and Tsunade cursing out Jiraiya for impregnating her finally subsided, replaced with baby cries.

"It's a girl," said Shizune.

"You can come in now, Obito," Rin called out.

Obito poked his head as Shizune finished cleaning the baby off. Rin was healing Jiraiya's hand. Ikkaku was in the corner, nursing a headache from his brief flight across the room.

His investigations turned to the newborn. Leaning down at a safe distance, he looked a little closer at the faint, red fuzz on the baby's head.

"She's got red hair," said Obito.

"It must have skipped a generation," Tsunade answered. "I wasn't expecting to see another head of red like this again."

"She's got an impressive set of lungs, too." The baby continued squalling while she was swaddled and handed back to Tsunade. "What are you going to call her?"

"Tayuya."

Obito smiled at his goddaughter. Tayuya-chan, you're only a few minutes old, but I can already tell you're going to be a handful.

[NRE]

Rin ducked and weaved around Kushina's bokken. Her hakama had become soaked with her own sweat from a grueling sparring session with her teacher.

"Switch!" Kushina shouted.

Bracing, Rin held her ground and blocked, mustering up pieces of coral shell from the Sanbi, the hardened oak clacking against the material as the jōnin repositioned and struck out again.

"What was it like when you became a jinchūriki?" asked Rin.

There was a slight hesitation as Kushina swung the bokken, but she corrected and followed up with a barrage of thrusts that drove Rin back several steps.

"You're actually a bit older than I was when I was made a jinchūriki," she said, not slowing her strikes in the least. "But for how it was? It was tough. I had to say goodbye to one of the last Uzumaki in the village, and it took all of a few months before the first kidnappers made their attempt on me." The redhead mad a quick thrust with her bokken, and shouted, "Switch!"

Dismissing the shell, Rin went back to dodging and evading the swings and strikes.

"You're pretty lucky, you know," Kushina continued. "Most other villages tend to treat their jinchūriki quite poorly. Reports sounded like Han and Rōshi were blamed for the failures during the siege. A load of hogwash, obviously, but people can be idiots. Taki's jinchūriki isn't treated much better. If he dropped dead, I wouldn't be surprised if they'd celebrate the man's demise. Kumo is sort of better, but they're still treated more like property of the village than actual people."

"What about Suna?" asked Rin.

"Suna doesn't have one right now, so I wouldn't know – Switch! – And then there's Kiri, who don't seem to care either way what happens to theirs."

This time, Rin was the one to hesitate. "Why did they use me?" Her pause earned a strike on the shoulder. "Besides the Trojan Horse angle, they were risking a high-value asset for a gain they wouldn't be able to hold."

"Kiri's been in the dumps for a while now. Their Yondiame has been driving his people into the dirt for years and no one can say why. For what little part they played this last war, their tactics were practically suicidal. If there isn't a civil war in the coming year, I'll be shocked."

Rin mulled it over before focusing back on dodging.

Kushina was looking a bit green, but pressed her assault. "As for the side effects of being a container? My fūton proficiency jumped. I wouldn't be surprised if you're better with suiton jutsu now."

"I was already pretty good with that," said Rin.

"And I already had a strong affinity for wind. The Tailed-beasts infer a measure of their own nature into their containers. No getting around that, but it comes in handy, too. Your coral shell for example."

"A shame I won't be able to use it that much in the field."

"You pick up other skills to compensate. That's part of why I picked up kenjutsu, myself." Kushina suddenly hunched over and held up a hand. "Hang on."

Leaned against the wall, she nearly heaved, then shook her head to clear her thoughts.

"That's better."

"Maybe you should sit down?" asked Rin. "I can't remember you ever getting sick or nauseous."

"I don't. Between my usual constitution and my tenant helping out, most injuries disappear in short order."

Rin stared, blinking at her teacher. "Um…?"

"What?"

The medic wrung her hands together. "I've managed to work up to some diagnostic jutsu. If you don't mind, can I practice?"

Kushina nodded and relaxed.

Running through the hand seals, Rin started at Kushina's head, working her way down.

"Definitely nausea, but…hm?" She shifted her hand lower, hovering over Kushina's stomach when she stopped and squinted.

"Rin-chan? What are you doing?"

"Shh!" Quiet, but a recognizable heartbeat. She looked up, eyes wide with wonder. "I'd recommend you have this double-checked at the hospital, but it sounds like you're going to be a mother."

[NRE]

Obito joined Kakashi and Rin when they were summoned to Training Ground 3, where Minato was waiting for them, dressed in his flak jacket and armor instead of his haori.

Ever since their sensei had taken up the Hokage's hat, Minato still occasionally showed up to watch them train or run drills, but was seldom able to spend more than a few minutes with the workload he managed.

"What's the occasion, Sensei?" asked Kakashi, beating Obito to the same question.

"Oh, just a training session," said Minato.

Obtio blinked. "But you're the Hokage."

"Just because I'm Hokage doesn't mean I neglect training," Minato replied. "And with Kushina's condition, her ability to train you is going to be slightly hampered for the near future." Their sensei smiled absently, before regathering his wits to continue. "Besides, Rin and Obito have been coming along well with their other training, so we're adding some variety to your usual routines."

"Sensei?" Obito asked.

"Yes, Obito-kun?"

"What are the water balloons for?"

Minato gave the bucket an idle glance at the large bucket filled with the items in questions. "Training tools," he said, then turned back to them. "I'm going to teach you three the Rasengan."

Obito's eyebrows shot up, and turn to Rin, who had a similar expression.

"So, again: what are the water balloons for?"

Minato plucked one up and held it out so the three of them could see. "It might be better to start with a demonstration. Watch carefully."

Chakra began to violently circulate through the balloon, contorting and bulging before exploding in the Hokage's hand.

"The first stage is rotation," Minato explained. "Getting your chakra to move in multiple directions at once. Also, this move can't be copied by the Sharingan, so you're going to have to learn this the old-fashioned way, boys."

"I can work with that," said Kakashi, cracking his knuckles

The Hokage shook off the remains his balloon and gestured to the bucket. "Why don't you give it a try?"

The three of them wasted no time in grabbing balloons and attempting to recreate the effect they had witnessed. However, not all were successful in that endeavor, as Obito's immediately shot into the air, bursting before it finished its arc.

Kakashi eyed him while manipulating the balloon in his hand. Minato coughed to disguise his laughter.

"It'll take a bit to get through the beginning steps," said the Hoakge. "Much less completing the jutsu in its entirety."

Pouting, Obito nearly missed it when Rin's balloon burst in her hands, leaving her drenched and blinking in surprise.

"Wow, Rin!" said Obito. "You got the hang of that pretty quickly."

Rin shook her surprise and grabbed another balloon, starting the process over, getting the same results as before.

Minato quirked his lips into a smile. "Impressive. That's definitely a record for passing the first step."

"Wait, how many steps are there?" asked Rin

"Three. This is the easy one."

Obito leaned over to Rin and asked, "So how'd you do it?"

"I…I have no idea."

"You were making use of Mokuton jutsu without hand seals Obito," said Kakashi. "Let her have this one."

"I was hoping for tips," Obito retorted. "I tried doing the rotation thingy and it jumped out of my hand."

"Tone down your output for starters." Kakashi looked up at his teammate's head, then said, "Also, try working it counter-clockwise." Then redoubled his focus on his balloon, bursting it in ten seconds.

A gobsmacked Obito stared at the broken balloon. "How?"

"I'm a genius and a prodigy," he said. "I've got to reclaim my pride somehow with the way you two have been progressing."

"Don't feel bad, Obito-kun," said Minato. "It took Jiraiya-sensei a little over a year to get the hang of it. It took me three years to make a functional jutsu. Even then, I can't call it fully completed."

Obito scrunched his face in concentration. "Bet you I can get faster than he did."

"Looking forward to it. For now, though, practice. And I need to get the next set of training tools."

[NRE]

Satsuki Uchiha was born the 23rd of July, joining Shino Aburame, Tayuya Senju, Chōji Akimichi, and Kiba Inuzuka in the next wave of clan children. Mikoto had taken time to swing by the Namikaze residence with Itachi. Kushina was down to waddling, and Yasuko and Ai Yamanaka weren't much better off, so the redhead had conscripted her husband's students to assist with hosting.

Yasuko had dragged Inoichi's wife along for the ride, the sandy-blonde woman smiling blandly in the corner, as if not quite sure what to do with herself. Ai was a kind woman, but Obito got the impression she had spent time in ANBU from some of her emotionally stunted behaviors. Not that he had worked up the nerve to ask. If that were the case, however, Inoichi really had a strange taste in women.

Navigating the gaggle of pregnant kunoichi, Obito found an open spot next to Itachi and sat down next to him where he was holding his baby sister.

"So, Itachi-kun," said Obito. "What's it like being an onii-san?"

The five-year old stared for a bit, then answered, "It's nice."

"Really? All that brainpower and the best you can come up with is just 'nice'?"

"It's a big responsibility." He paused, looking at his sister. "But it is nice knowing there's someone who will look up to me."

"Eh, I'm sure you'll be great at it. She's really quiet, so that helps."

"Not always," Itachi replied, then looked back up at Obito. "Here. You can hold her."

"…You sure?"

"Just make sure you support her head," Itachi said, gently shifting Satsuki over to Obtio's cautious acceptance, settling her in his arms, rocking back and forth.

"Don't swing too much."

Yeah, that sounds more like the genius I keep hearing about, thought Obito.

Kushina leaned over, precariously balancing on the rear legs of the chair, much to Rin's concern. "Hey, he's doing better than you already, Mikoto-chan," said the redhead.

Still trying to maintain a delicate hold on the baby, Obito looked back and forth between both women. "Wait, what?"

Mikoto closed her eyes and breathed sharply through the nose. "I had sincerely hoped you all had forgotten about that."

Kushina flashed a devious smile at her friend. "As if!"

Obito continued rocking Satsuki. "Uh…context?"

"Don't even think about it," Mikoto said, flatly.

"Aw, Mikoto-chan, please~?" Kushina pleaded, clasping her hands together, then dialed up the puppy-eyes. "I'm sure Kashi-kun can keep Itachi-chan busy if you're worried about your image."

"You're going to recount it a hundred times to my children the moment they ask," said Mikoto. "My image is a guaranteed victim." The Uchiha matriarch sighed and waved her hand, dismissively. "Fine. Tell the story."

Kushina beamed. "Right, Yasuko already knows this, but Mikoto-chan was really awkward when she was younger. Androgynous beanstalk with the social grace of a teaspoon."

The Uchiha Matriarch's eye twitched while Obito tilted his head, skeptical.

Ai sipped her tea. "I think I am with Obito-san in this regard. I can't see it."

"Puberty helped," said Yasuko. "And she's always been pretty fast learner, provided you could get her to focus on subject at hand."

Kushina chuckled. "Anyway, she proved quite talented in genjutsu and had three tomoe for her Sharingan at graduation, and scored herself a spot on the jōnin track, so the Uchiha elders are thinking of matching her with Fugaku, and they're trying to get her more accustomed to dealing with the rest of the clan, so they decide to request her team to help in the Uchiha nursery. Well, your mother is on duty, and she decides to volunteer you as a test subject to see how she'd react."

"She had a high degree of confidence, which I duly repaid." Hearing Kushina laugh, Mikoto's polite smile cracked. "I was fine!"

"You almost dropped him. Twice!"

"Because Teuchi pulled a camera from who-knows-where to take pictures. And Jiraiya-sensei wouldn't stop laughing." She paused and stared to her side. "Kind of like you are now."

Kushina shamelessly guffawed.

Mikoto rolled her eyes at her friend. "And for the record, despite some insinuations, you were never dropped on your head, least of all by me." She crossed her arms, turning her nose up and away, though the effect was ruined by the slight smirk she sported. "Besides, I think it worked out fine."

Kushina's laughter subsided into a pleasant smiled, without the mischievous tinge. "More than fine, I'd say."

"Do you still have those pictures?" asked Yasuko, to which Mikoto groaned.

"Jiraiya has them," Kushina answered.

Mikoto idly scratched her chin. "I may have to look into that. Speaking of which, I'm surprised you and Minato named him your child's godfather."

"Jiraiya's going to be the godfather?" asked Kakashi.

Obito pouted. "Aww…"

Kushina looked over her shoulder. "Don't you already have a goddaughter, Obito-kun?"

"Yeah," Kakashi grumbled. "Save some for the rest of us."

"Don't worry, you'll get the next one, Kashi-chan. Besides, you two are already going to be busybody uncles, so it's not like it matters in the end anyhow."

Obito shrugged and went back to bobbing Satsuki in his lap, when a flash from the upper and far corner of the room caught everyone by surprise.

"Smile," said Itachi.

The young Uchiha was affixed to the ceiling with a camera in hand, Rin feigning ignorance.

"You're supposed to say that before you take a picture, Itachi," said Mikoto.

The boy snapped off another picture.

[NRE]

Something fishy was going on, Obito had decided. He had suspected something was up almost for as long as he had been living with Minato and Kushina, but lately that suspicion had escalated to conviction, only he had no idea what it was, and he trusted there was a reason for said secrecy. That didn't stop him from thinking about it.

A knock on his door snapped him from his musings.

"Obito, can we talk with you a bit?" asked Minato from the other side of the door..

That doesn't sound good, Obito thought.

Walking into the kitchen, he found Kushina waiting with one of her privacy seals on the table, a faint buzz indicating it was active.

"Is something bad happening?" asked Obito.

"No," Kushina answered. "Well…hopefully not. There's just something we need to talk about, you know?"

"Before we continue," Minato added, "This is an S-Class secret within the village. Top secret."

Obito swallowed nervously. "Okay. I can keep my mouth shut."

"We know, but…just stay until the end."

Kushina inhaled sharply, then blurted out, "I'm a jinchūriki." She paused, fidgeting a bit. "You know, like Rin."

Silence held several seconds after that bomb was dropped.

"…Oh." Obito scratched his brow, smiling sheepishly. "I'm cool with it, and I'm happy you trust me enough to tell me, but why now? Sensei?"

"You're familiar with the basics of how demons are sealed?" Minato asked. "At least in theory?"

"Does it work like storage seals?"

"Not exactly, but the basics principles still apply." Minato tented his fingers in his lap. "And in most cases, this isn't a problem, but…"

"Hosts are chosen for their compatibility being a container," Kushina interjected. "Everything else is secondary, including starting families. So when a kunoichi gets pregnant, there's some risks involved."

"During labor, the seal that contains the Tailed-Beast is weakened. I'll be on hand to reinforce the seal, but with your unique talents, we're going to want you on hand for the labor. Just in case."

Obito blinked at the prospect. He was being asked to possibly help contain a manifestation of nature's wrath.

But they wouldn't be asking for help if there wasn't a possibility of danger, he thought. "This is still a secret, right? No one should be coming after her for the Tailed-Beast?"

"There's no such thing as a secret in a hidden village," said Minato. "And while we have no reason to believe that an attack will be conducted, between my enemies and hers, we're covering all of our bases."

Saliva was thick in Obito's throat. Anything potentially capable of threatening a Hokage or jinchūriki on their home turf was something to be wary of. His recent strides were impressive, but he couldn't imagine what he could contribute to such a battle if the worst came to pass.

But this was his family. For all that they had done for him, he was ready to do whatever it took to keep them safe.

Swallowing his doubts, Obito stood up and said, "I'll do it." Looking his at his sensei and his wife, he smiled, giving them a thumbs-up. "You can count on me!"

[NRE]

A/N: Kind of a filler chapter with a bit of time-skipping, but there wasn't much to dwell on when all that's happening right now is training, children being born, and the calm before the storm.

Since I almost forgot while writing this, the ages of Teams Minato and Orochimaru are as follows: Hitomi, Yukio, and Rei are 18, Sen and Yosetsu are 17, Rin, Obito, and Nobutoshi are 15. Kakashi is 14, and Anko is all of 12 years old (and she still outranks most of her team!).

Also, thank Kishimoto for leaving so many characters as effective blank slates. Mikoto, Anko, Tenten, and Ai in particular benefit from this open-ended design (though they are far from the only ones).

Speaking of which, Ai may or may not be partially inspired by Ai Hayasaka from Kaguya-sama: Love is War. Physically speaking, at any rate.

Changes made:

+ The mothers of Ino and Chōji are different than the ones in the anime (as far as I know, neither of them appear in the manga, so my guilt is negligible). Shino's mother is actually named, or rather, is another character pilfered from filler, specifically from episode 235 from Shippūden. Most of her backstory was overhauled, so she's originally from a wandering ninja clan. More on that later.

+ Tayuya is Jiraiya and Tsunade's daughter. Not sure what this means for the Sound Five-minus-One just yet, but given her new background, her personality is going to be somewhat different, as is her power set. Arguably, that much of a change would warrant a whole new character, but this means fewer OCs and an easier visual reference for me.

+ Sasuke Uchiha is a girl in this universe. Wasn't originally the plan, but after shuffling the shipping charts for the hundredth time and other assorted notes, I applied Rule 63 on a whim and it straightened out a good chunk of the mess I was dealing with and cut or consolidated a couple of extra characters, so Sasuke remained Satsuki.

+ The Kuramas mentioned are another filler integration. Main difference here is that Yakumo has a younger twin brother. This may or may not become relevant down the road (hint: it draws inspiration from Déjà vu no Jutsu and Dreaming of Sunshine. Fair warning).

Coming Up:

+ The Tenth of October.

Questions? Comments? Concerns? Gripes about possible SIOCs? Feel free to leave a review or PM. Constructive criticism is always appreciated.