Hello there!

I've been going through a lot lately, including attending the wedding of a family member in Canada. But I'm back, I'm getting into the swing of things!

More exciting…We've only two more arcs to go! It is a surreal experience for me to have stuck with one of my first for so long, even when I've balanced other fics and currently looking into putting out my own original fiction!

In a port on the West side of the continent, trade was booming, ships unloading exotic goods. The captain of one ship looked as his crew brought their goods, stored in crates, to the market. They were gone for weeks at a time. Long times at sea bred tough sailors. Many would start, excited to see the sea and get away from everything. Most didn't make it through the hazing; the crew would treat the freshmen like dirt, increasing their chores and putting them at disadvantages during games. The solitude would get to them, and when a storm hit the reality of sailing would hit them hard.

Not this man though. He was of black hair, with an athletic frame. He wore glasses; the captain could see that he had trouble seeing, but he managed to keep up and perform competently. He also didn't let the crew bully him; he would do what he was asked, but if the crew abused him he himself would make them pay and force them to clean up any new messes. Needless to say, he rose up in the ranks quickly.

"This is the last of them, taichou." He said as he handed the captain the manifest.

"Excellent." The captain said, stroking his chin. "We have another deal coming up soon. Week from now. You in?"

"I must decline." He said without hesitation. "I'm needed elsewhere."

"Another job?"

To his surprise, the young man smiled. He NEVER smiled. "You could say that."

The captain sighed. The one thing that irritated him about this new blood was how guarded he was about his personal life. He reached into his pocket, and tossed the new blood a purse of gold. "See you around. When you're up for it, just come back to this dock the next time you hear we're in town."

The young man sighed, as he made his way home. He had a new complication arriving soon, and he didn't know what to make of it. He knew of the expenses, sleepless nights that would follow. By all logical means, this would become a huge burden. And yet, he couldn't help but feel happy. And it was coming any day now.

Finally, he arrived at his apartment. He wasn't one to announce his presence; she seemed to know whenever he was on his way. But he noticed something; the lock was jimmied. Quickly, he kicked the door open and looked inside.

There was a struggle; furniture destroyed, and blood everywhere. Somehow he kept his panic under wraps, and carefully inspected the area. He found the sword, covered in blood. Good; it likely wasn't hers. He then noticed a cloth on the floor. Picking it up, he noticed its wetness. Giving it a sniff, he felt a bit dizzy. Chloroform. He growled, taking another look. Whoever did this, they left quite a trail.

First, he cleaned off the sword with a wipe. Then, he reached into the closet, pulling out a stick. This was a road he never wanted to travel again.

But it seemed these kidnappers weren't giving him much choice.

"They've made their move?" Maryuu asked his spies as he overlooked the report on his desk.

"Yes sir." One answered.

"This may actually prove to be advantageous." The Kage said, setting the report down. "The bloodline is too dangerous to be allowed to exist, yet too precious to let die out."

"The baby hasn't been born, assuming-"

"Which means we need someone who can assassinate when necessary, and preserve life as well." Maryuu interrupted. Setting his papers down, he leaned forward. "We need a medic to lead this mission."

"Lady Tsunade is retired." One said. "And the majority of our medics are not combat capable."

"There is one." Maryuu said. He rolled a scroll over to his assistant. "Deliver this to her." The ninja bowed, and disappeared. "Thank you all. You are dismissed." The others bowed, and left his office in peace.

Maryuu stood, turning to the back wall. Pulling on a lamp, it opened a passage that he squeezed through. Immediately, the dark hall lit up with candle light. Danzo revealed himself in the shadow. "She will receive the mission." Maryuu assured him. "However, given what she has been through, are you sure she will take it?"

Shinachiku carefully looked from under the bed, only able to see a bit over the floor. He heard Hanami shriek earlier. Would he get him next? He crawled, careful not to make any creaking sounds. He caught the bedroom door opening slightly, and the feet approaching. He froze, careful not to give any signal he was there. He was about to see those efforts were in vain, as Naruto's face suddenly came into view. "Found you!" He smiled.

Shinachiku screeched and laughed, zipping out from under the bed. Naruto lunged for him. If he really wanted, he could easily scoop his son up, but held back to keep the fun going. He made a clumsy lunge as Shinachiku raced to one end of the room, pretending to fall flat. Even so, he tried to surprise Shina by suddenly lunging like a crocodile on land. But instead it was Naruto who was surprised, as Shinachiku suddenly leaped for the dresser, reaching the top and backflipping over him. Naruto looked behind him as Shina ran out the bedroom. "Wha-?"

"Hurry, hurry Shina!" Hanami jumped up and down excitedly as she cheered her brother on. Shinachiku slid down the banister, and landed on the floor like a cat. Naruto was down in a hot minute too, running after him. Seeing that they were running out of room, Naruto threw a kunai that stopped right in front of his son. It immediately henged into a bushin of him. Shinachiku tried to skid to a halt, but the clone scooped him up. 'Caught you!" The real Naruto said as his clone handed his son over before disappearing. Shinachiku only laughed.

"Shina, where did you learn to move like that?" Naruto asked.

"I didn't." Shinachiku asked. "I just did."

Naruto blinked. He shook his head, deciding to pay it no heed. "Come on. I think Mom is almost ready with lunch."

The twins went through their bentos quickly, having worked up an appetite. As they went to watch some tv, Naruto told Sakura what he observed. "No way." Sakura said, bringing a palm to her mouth in disbelief. "I mean, they certainly have the potential. They're our kids, after all. But right now, they're ordinary children. They can barely even run."

Naruto sighed, hands on his hips. "Well, I know what I saw. Iori never mentioned that she had that kind of agility as a kid. You think it's a kekkei genkai neither of us is aware of?"

"It's possible." She said. "But it would probably have to come from you. And I don't think Kyuubi counts."

Naruto thought about it a bit more with his usual mannerisms. "Maybe…I do have something hidden, and the Kyuubi's energy allows itself to manifest early on?"

"That's…" Sakura began, at first looking irritated, then slowly widened her eyes in surprise. "…actually not a bad hypothesis." She sighed. "I actually don't want to know for now. If the wrong people find out anything…"

They heard a knock on the door. "We have terrible timing for this sort of thing." Naruto groaned.

"Mrs. Uzumaki?" A voice said.

"I'll be right there!" She called. Naruto noticed she kept a small cutting knife hidden behind her back. She didn't exude fear, but she was still cautious.

She carefully opened the door to a ANBU agent, still in mask. "Forgive my intrusion, my lady. I am here on urgent business."

They allowed the man with the lynx mask inside. All kneeled at the tea table, Naruto seated next to Sakura while the Root agent sat across from them both. It sounded like a routine mission; they found a fugitive. "He is an S-class criminal. As you can understand, we are cautious to send our men after him."

"Well, I do need to get back out there and go to work." Naruto declared. Smirking, he continued. "This wasn't really what I was hoping for, but I can promise to bring him to j-"

"Maryuu-sama requested Mrs. Uzumaki for this mission."

Both looked at him in surprise. "Me? Why me?" She asked.

"As we said, he is dangerous. Though Uzumaki-san here is powerful, there is no guarantee he won't be hurt, nor can he heal others hurt on this mission."

"I can do this by myself." Naruto interrupted again.

"Maryuu-sama insisted on assigning your wife." The agent repeated. "Though she may not be as powerful as you, she was still Tsunade-sama's apprentice and her medical skills will be essential for this mission."

Sakura looked on, still trying to process it. Naruto, however, was looking rather irritated. "With all due respect, my wife has been through a lot, and she is now the mother of our children. I think this is a mission better suited for me."

"The Hokage requested HER." The agent repeated once again, more sternly this time. "Hokage-sama would not have requested her unless he was certain it was absolutely necessary." He pulled out the scroll, sliding it over to her. "Maryuu-sama is giving you a choice, but you are considered the lynchpin in this mission." He stood, giving a slight bow. "Please, make your decision soon." He then helped himself out.

Naruto snorted, standing and putting his hands behind his head. "The nerve of some people!" He exclaimed as he walked away. He didn't see Sakura unravel the scroll, reading the details.

Naruto finished putting the kids to bed later that night, and walked to his room. He saw Sakura still fully dressed, sitting on the bed, with the scroll in her lap. The two just stared at each other for a long while. "Don't." Naruto said.

"Naruto, I read through it. They need me."

Naruto only paced slightly, running his hands through his face. "You shouldn't."

"The only other person they can depend on is Shishou; not only is she retired, the current Hokage would probably outright refuse her joining the mission for political reasons."

"And what about, our needs!" Naruto shouted. "You're strong, but you were never invincible! You could be killed, or-"

"Naruto! I have to go, and not just for them!" She shouted back. "You think I was able to live here all hunky dory with our kids here?! I barely got by with the support of my Mom and the others! I had to take so many temp jobs where I was paid minimum wage just so they could eat!"

Naruto blinked. "But, you're…" Only then did he get the implication. "They never even reached out for you at the hospital, did they? You even asked." Sakura sighed, looking away. Naruto waved his arm. "That's all the more reason NOT for you to go!" He yelled. "They slammed every door on you until now! They're just using you!"

"I know!" Sakura shouted back. "And if I don't, maybe those other ninja will die! Whatever they may be to us with the current politics, they are still part of Konoha!"

"WHO CARES!?" Naruto shouted, stunning even her into silence. "Do you not remember what put us in this situation in the first place!?"

Sakura's eyes widened…and she just got furious. "You blame me?" Naruto, for a moment, clammed up. "You think what happened with Kabuto DOESN'T scare me?!" She stood, staring up to his eyes. "So, if something happens to you, kami forbid, I should just say 'It was his fault, he shouldn't have gone out on a dangerous mission to earn a living and protect us?'" Naruto just remained silent, trying to counter her arguments, but none came. "Naruto, whatever happened in the past, we are both ninja! Once we put on those hiates, we were trusted to look out for everyone, no matter the hardships! And in spite of whoever is in charge, I'm not going back on my oath!"

"To hell with your oath, you're staying here!" Naruto shouted back.

Naruto stumbled out of the room, carrying a pillow close to his chest as Sakura shoved him out before slamming the door. Naruto sighed. Before they had children, there were times when Sakura kicked him out to sleep on the sofa. They would both need space before reconciling in the morning. But this felt different.

He had a bunch of questions whether or not he came on too strong. Knowing that they both went over the line, Naruto made his way downstairs.

Shinachiku and Hanami were wide awake; they never heard parents fighting before. They couldn't describe it, but it scared them. Shina reached out his hand towards his sister from his tiny bed , and Hanami reached back. They squeezed in comfort.

Naruto stared at the ceiling, hugging his pillow. Did he just make a mistake that he can't take back?

Sakura sat up against her pillows, crying. Was she too harsh? She understood Naruto's point of view, and yet it seemed there was no middle ground for them to meet.

All couples fought, especially married ones. And yet, she worried that they couldn't bounce back from this…

The morning came. Sakura looked to her bed, still empty save for her. She sighed. "Of course, I kicked him out…"

Sakura carefully walked down the stairs. She felt bad for how things went down, but she was still angry at Naruto for not understanding! She didn't even want to talk to him if it meant bringing this up again. Impossible. "Almost ready." Sakura looked to see Naruto at the stove with the rice cooker, Shinachiku and Hanami already in their seats. Naruto turned to see her, almost in surprise. Then, he looked back and got the rice out. Four bowls for each of them, with egg on top. As she took her seat, she could feel the energy from Naruto. Both angry, disappointed, and apologetic all at once.

"Morning, Mommy!" Hanami said.

"Morning!" Sakura walked over to both to kiss them. Naruto then began distributing the breakfasts. Even when angry, Naruto was not vindictive enough to let his wife starve and hand her a bowl too. "Thank you." She whispered, Naruto nodding in acknowledgement.

For a good minute, they all ate in an uncomfortable silence. "What time do you need to leave?" Naruto asked.

Sakura sighed. "I should arrive at the Hokage's office in an hour and a half."

After a moment, Naruto fingered his rice. "When will you be back?"

Shit. He had to go there. Sighing, she said "The mission SHOULD take 3 days. Worst case scenario, a week."

"You're leaving?!" Shinachiku nearly screamed.

Did he do this on purpose to guilt trip her? Best not to jump to conclusions, not in front of the children. "Yes, I am." Sakura addressed her son. "I have to. Both your papa and I have responsibilities that will require us to leave home."

"Can't you just say no?" Hanami asked.

"I could," Sakura said. "But then it will be one less person to help others." Sakura reached out and took both their hands, smiling sincerely. "One day, the two of you will be called to help the people of this village. And I hope you both will understand what an honor it is…and the great responsibility you will have to use your skills for everyone."

Naruto sighed. Sakura wasn't wrong. Best not push this. "We need to let Mommy get ready, so don't pester her. I'll handle you for now."

Sakura got her gear ready and donned her ninja clothes. It was a long time since she wore them; it almost felt alien. She quickly hugged her children, and made her way out. Naruto leaned against the door frame with his arms crossed, but left the doorway itself open enough for her to pass through. The two stared at each other, and Naruto looked away. Sakura was disappointed, but not surprised. She forgot how stubborn Naruto was. A quality they both shared.

Sakura finally made her way out. Just when it looked like she would be leaving without saying good bye, Naruto said "I still don't approve, you know?"

Sakura stopped, and sighed. "I know."

"I'm still mad." He said. "I don't want this feeling to be our last together."

Sakura turned around, to look at Naruto. She understood: he felt bad, but wasn't ready to apologize yet. "Neither do I." Sakura quickly walked up, giving him a quick peck on the cheek. "I'll be ready to accept your apology when I get back." Sakura turned and walked off.

Naruto could only hold his face. He was torn on what to do, but at least he settled some of the bad blood between them. All he could do now was hope they could settle the rest when she got back.

If she got back.

Sakura made her way to the office, flanked by three other jonin she was not familiar with. "Ah." Maryu said as he looked up from his desk. "Welcome, Haru-" He caught himself, clearing his throat. "I'm sorry. Welcome, Uzumaki-san. And thank you to agreeing to my request."

"I understand you are pursuing an S-class criminal." Sakura said, keeping the conversation strictly to business. "I'm sure your men are capable, but a mission of this magnitude guarantees injury. I couldn't turn my back on that." Maryu nodded. "One thing I don't understand. You have not divulged the identity of this criminal."

"Officially, we do not know his identity." Maryu answered. "But his deeds have been corroborated by other villages, all linked to this one individual. And it will not be a simple manner of hunting down prey. It is said that he has a…comrade. Someone he cares about." Sakura stayed silent for a good moment. She didn't like where this was heading; she hoped the Hokage would explain further and put her fears at ease. But he didn't. "I would like your group to intercept this other person, and use him or her as bait."

Sakura held her sigh. She was assigned in the past to due some underhanded missions, but Tsunade made sure it would ultimately lead to delivering justice. With this man, she wasn't so sure. "Understood." One of the men bowed. Sakura followed suit.

"You shall head out to the East coast; we have an informant there. He knows the location of the person of interest. Dismissed!"

The three disappeared.

In a cellar somewhere, a masked man walked in. His men, also masked, were in the room. "I've received word our back up is coming." He said, pulling down his mask to show his mouth and nose. 'How is the bait?"

"Well, she did bite Taka's nose off." One of them said. He tried to sound detached, but the fear in his voice was palpable. "I've heard of hormones messing with a woman's mood, but that…"

"She is not just any woman, even if she is pregnant." The head said. "Has she been fed?" The other ninja froze. He sighed. "She is due any day now. If she is harmed…"

"Sir, she is too violent. We restrained her in every way possible, but she still finds a way to attack us if we get too close." The head looked at his man's hand, the thumb notably absent. "She's close. Surely, a day or two of starvation won't make much of a difference."

In a dark room, a woman was bound. Her hands were tied behind her back, and her ankles were tied as well. And she was gagged and blindfolded as well.

The only thing that stood out was her heavily pregnant belly. She breathed heavily, nervous what would happen to her.

And should her baby choose to come into the world now…

The man briskly walked through the forest, following what little tracks they left. These guys knew what they were doing, and they were traveling fast. At first, he was afraid they would kill her. But he would have surely found her corpse by now. For that he was thankful, and yet he dreaded the real reason for her kidnapping. They were after HIS life…

And the baby.

"Hang on, Midoriiro," He said. "I'm coming."

And that's that for now! Hope you all enjoyed!