Sakura sat on the edge of her bed; she was three and a half months pregnant and every one in Konoha knew. They knew she was pregnant; they knew Hinata was the other mother but they all held their tongues. They all held their tongues for one reason only and that was because Hanabi did the honors of claiming herself as the other mother.
Prior to the wedding, Sakura had met up at the Hyuga palace. There she had a meeting with Hanabi, the Lord, and her soon to be wife, Ayame. Guards stood at the entrance of the room as well as in each of the corners. The previous Lord, Hanabi and Hinata's father, sat to the far back of the room, alert and watching.
"I don't know how people figured it was Hinata's?" Sakura spoke softly, a bit embarrassed.
Hanabi smiled; it was warm and inviting. "Apparently someone in our clan has a big mouth. Once the other members began to see the baby in you...they put two and two together, I suppose." There was a pause as a maid brought in some fresh tea for all four of them. Sakura was too nervous to drink but Hanabi and Ayame sipped theirs.
"Hinata is the Hokage's wife. If it is confirmed that she is in fact the mother of this child then not only will that taint her name, the clan's name, but your's as well." Hanabi exclaimed. "They will think, 'what woman cheats on the Hokage...is she not grateful'? She's already disinheritate with very little if at all status." Hanabi placed the cup down on the small plate and sat it on the short tray that sat in between them. "During the wedding ceremony, I will make an announcement declaring myself as the mother of this child. I save Hinata's face; I shall restore the honor that was tempted to be lost. People will have sympathy for you because you're the wife of an Uuchia who killed dozens of people, who threathen the Konoha village, who almost killed you. They will see you as an abused woman who needed solace."
"They'll feel sorry for me," Sakura confirmed.
"Yes."
The women were quiet; the guards kept to their positions and the father's shadow sparkled on the wall because of the dim lights of the fire that brewed in the fire place.
"Will the child be apart of this clan?"
"Of course," Hanabi said. "I am the mother after all. The child will have rank, status, and even will be able to run in competition with my own child," Hanabi placed her hand on Ayame's stomach, "for placement of the Lord once I'm retired."
Sakura sat on the edge of her bed. She got up after thinking back to the conversation she had with the Lord. In the living room, the television was on and on all the major news stations were videos of the weddding. It was a big event of Konoha and all the most known political figures and celebrities were attending.
It was a beautiful area; hundreds of flowers, helpers, and those looking fabulous in their outfits. Sakura wished she was there but during the circumstance, she just couldn't show herself. She simply sat on the couch and waited for the inedviable.
Naruto's clone and Hinata were in attendace of course; probably one of the few times Hinata wore make up but she was gorgeous in the black gown she wore. Her son Boruto and daughter, Hima, were in attendance along with Sarada and Mitsuki, Cho Cho, Inojin, Shikadai and the others. Sakura only hoped Sarada would be okay after the announcement.
After dinner, speeches, and cheers, it was time for the newly wed couple in their traditional Hyuga gowns to walk forward and say their words.
"When I first met Hanabi, I was anamoured by her beauty." Ayame started. "I thought there's no way she would be interested in a almost 40 something year old woman who smells like ramen." The crowd laughed. "But she was. And within the short amount of time, we began to date. And now..." she rubbed her stomach. "Thanks to the Orochimaru's Experiment, right, who would have thought I'd be thanking him." Again, the crowd laughed. "Thanks to him, I'm with child." There was a beat of silence, a couple of tears formed at the corner of her eyes and made their way down her cheeks, only for Hanabi to catch them. She looked at Hanabi, her wife. "We're with child."
The crowd erupted in cheers.
It was now Hanabi's turn to speak and she did. She spoke of her love for her new wife, of the life they will lead together, their child that will bring forth a new day for the Hyuga clan. She then became quiet and was stern. "I must make a declaration," she told the audience. "There are rumors surrounding Mrs. Haruno Sakura and I want to address these rumors." The crowd fell silent. "The child that she holds is my child. Prior to me dating my wife, me and her had a moment of weakness, of lonlieness."
Hinata's mouth fell open a bit. She turned to Naruto's clone; he was smiling with his eyes closed.
"We ask that you give her privacy as she goes through this pregnancy. We ask that if you have any questions, you come to me. These rumors must come to an end and I will not let them slander the name of the clan. If these rumors persist, you will be tried in our courts." She looked over the crowd. "Thank you."
Although Konoha obviously had their own police department and court system, each clan that was prominent also dealt with internal affairs. What would happened is basically, they would file a complaint. Present the complaint to the clan and if granted, proceed to the Konoha courts.
Naruto, the real Naruto, laid in bed with an empty bowl of ramen in his lap inside the hide away cave. He watched the TV and he felt the tears come from his eyes. Another was able to do with Sakura he only dreamed of himself.