Chapter Forty-Nine
Akemi Hyūga had seen the horrors of war and the chaotic stress of childbirth more times than she cared to remember. Right now, she needed to remember all of it as she directed the care team around the broken mass that was Kakashi. "X-ray, what's the status on that chest x-ray?!" she shouted as she stood at the head of the operating table, healing jutsu focused on a skull fracture and some severe burns to the back of Kakashi's head and neck.
"Radiology says posterior rib fractures at multiple levels, no displacement. No atelectasis!" Small miracle, his lungs aren't collapsed. All the same, he was still intubated to keep his airway open.
She turned her attention back to the wound at the back of his skull. Kakashi had a nasty occipital fracture in the back of his skull and had severe burns on his right arm, neck, and the back of his head. He had multiple broke ribs as well as a fracture of his pelvis. One of the support columns for the stadium was the only reason he was still alive. Had he been standing a few more centimeters right of the column, the blast and resultant fragmentation damage probably would have killed him outright.
"Come on, dammit," she strained to stop the bleeding in his skull. Not like this, not after everything our families have been through. Kakashi had been there protecting her before Hinata's birth, had been present for the birth, had mentored Hinata, and he was the Hokage.
"Lady Hyūga," a voice came from the hallway, "You're needed in the hallway, it's urgent!"
"More urgent than the Hokage?!" she clipped back, "He has priority injuries, if we're going to save him!"
"It's the Fire Daimyo!"
Akemi looked up to see Dr. Nakamura standing in the entryway, green scrubs tinged red-black from dealing with casualties. "I thought he was dead?!"
"Rescue teams managed to get a pulse in the ER," Dr. Nakamura explained.
Akemi didn't take her concentration away from Kakashi – couldn't afford to at this critical moment. Just a little more! Just a little more! After leaving Dr. Nakamura hanging and uncomfortable minute, Akemi stopped the bleeding. "Team, get to work on wound care, get these burns cleaned and bandaged, stat! I want brain, chest and abdominal CT scans once that's done. If he starts to crash, page me immediately!" Akemi stepped back, took off her gloves, and walked out to Dr. Nakamura. "Show me!"
They hustled to the ER, a short walk from the operating room. Several medical-nin and nurses gathered around a patient that had once been the Fire Daimyo. The man was a mass of bloody bandages and blackened flesh in the few areas his skin was visible. "Why did you bring me out here?" she asked.
No one said anything at first. It became clear, though. He was going to die no matter what anyone did, and no one wanted to be responsible for saying it. Akemi snatched the chart. "Weak, irregular pulse, oxygen saturation low, even with supplemental oxygen, third degree burns throughout the body, a depressed skull fracture, and several crushed vertebrae." She paused to look up at the crowed, "Ladies and gentlemen, this is an expectant casualty. Give him pain medication and give priority to those we can still save." She put the chart back down. Under normal circumstances, Akemi might have shown a bit more compassion, but the situation was a mass casualty one.
"Lady Akemi," one of the residents spoke up, "your decision kills the Fire Daimyo."
"Is anyone here confident in their ability to save him? If so, please raise your hand," she replied with a sharp rebuke. No one raised their hand. "Unless anyone else wants the responsibility of trying to save a hopeless case and still fail, I suggest you all follow orders and move on to cases that need help, like that pregnant woman with the crushed legs."
"Akemi…" Dr. Nakamura spoke up.
"Yes?" The doctor didn't reply, "Dammit, out with it, we don't have time to be coy!"
"I'm afraid we lost the mother."
"Did we save the baby?" the ghosts of her past chilled Akemi as she asked.
"Yes, but there is no next of kin," Dr. Nakamura explained.
"We'll have to figure that out later! Get back to work helping the wounded!"
Ino pressed the ultrasound head into Sakura's still flat abdomen. On the screen a cone of white, black, and shades of grey illuminated the screen. While Sakura lay naked on the exam table, Ino still wore her white hazmat gear and a black respirator mask– everyone in quarantine had been in close proximity to the Ōtsutsuki except her and Hanabi. Kakashi, Naruto, and Shikamaru had worked out the need to quarantine in the event of another encounter with the Ōtsutsuki. Everyone was subject to twenty-four hours observation and full-body evaluation.
The ultrasound focused, and the image of a tiny bean-shaped object came into view. "Ino," Sakura shivered, "is… is that?!"
"Yes, Sakura, it is your child," Ino adjusted her settings to bring up more detail. A visible pumping motion appeared where Ino had expected. "And it looks like the fetus is healthy." Ino captured several images and printed them out. She handed the images over, "A souvenir for when we are out of here." The door to the private exam room opened, and Hanabi came in, similarly dressed in hazmat gear. "You ready?" Ino asked Hanabi.
"Ready as I can be," the other girl nodded.
"All right, Sakura, if we can have you stand, feet shoulder width and arms out," Ino requested.
Sakura did as instructed. Ino began meticulously checking Sakura inch by inch to look for any sign of the Kama markings Naruto and Kakashi had warned the group about. While it seemed unlikely, no chances could be taken. "Hanabi, anything?" Ino asked her assistant.
"Nothing abnormal I can see throughout her body and chakra network," Hanabi stared with a pale purple glow from behind the faceplate of her breathing apparatus. "I'm willing to call her normal for now.
"All right, Sakura, you can get dressed," Ino handed her a set of green pajamas worn by hospital patients. Ino let out a sigh as she watched her friend get dressed. "Head on into the next room, we all will quarantine once cleared."
Sakura exited, and Hanabi quickly cleaned the table and the sound probe, "We should do Hinata next," Hanabi said, "I've never seen her so nervous in my life."
Ino nodded, walked to the door to the waiting area in the quarantine, and called in Hinata. She sat next to Naruto on a couch in the waiting area. While the sterile room could be any waiting room in any hospital or clinic, the rooms were all self-contained at negative pressure to prevent a potential escape of any lethal pathogen. Hinata nodded to Naruto and joined Ino and Hanabi in the exam room.
"Big sister," Hanabi said, "we need you to disrobe and put all person items in the bag. Hinata reluctantly started with her wedding ring, then the locket Naruto had gifted her when they had been teens. Her outfit peeled away until she was completely bare, except for her hands covering her chest.
"Let's do the exam first," Ino suggested, "we can ultrasound afterwards."
They didn't even need to tell Hinata instructions. She stood with her legs apart and arms out. Ino meticulously scrutinized every bit of skin, looking for any sign that the Ōtsutsuki named Momoshiki had marked her. After checking head to toe three times, Ino turned to Hanabi, "Anything?"
"If they did anything to the baby or her, I can't see it," Hanabi explained with a shake of her head.
"And we're sure this Kama Mark thing would be visible?" Hinata's voice trembled.
"Hanabi, the baby is still viable?" Ino asked, answered by a silent nod from Hanabi. "Hinata, let me put it this way: if this thing does what you say it would do, I'd expect there to be some visible charka anomaly much the way the cursed seal Sasuke had did to him. And…" Ino let her suspicion hang.
"And what?" Hinata asked.
"And if it marked the baby, your body would probably be rejecting the fetus like a foreign invader, and you're not," Hanabi answered for her. "As far as I can tell, there is nothing affecting you or the baby."
Hinata finally stopped shaking with the answer. "O-okay…"
"Hinata, I'm not saying you don't have a right to be worried, but I do think we are in the clear on this one," Ino explained. She gestured to the exam table next to the ultrasound unit, "Let's take a closer look at your child."
"C-can Naruto be here for this?" Hinata asked.
"Big sister, we have to check everyone one at a time," Hanabi shook her head, "I'm sorry, but if he's got something on him that he doesn't know about…"
"You're right," Hinata cut her off, laying back on the table. "All right, let's take a look."
Ino again activated the unit, bringing it over Hinata's lower abdomen. It didn't take long for Ino to find the fetus, "Hello there," Ino said as she adjusted their view.
"B-Boruto!" Hinata placed a hand over her mouth.
"He's beautiful, big sister," Hanabi placed a hand on her sister's shoulder, "like a little peanut!"
Ino captured several images and printed them. "Something to show Naruto when we're done with him," she handed Hinata the snapshots. "Go ahead and get dressed," Ino gestured toward a set of green hospital pajamas on a nearby counter. "We'll try and speed things along."
Kushina sat beside her husband in a crowded conference room. Minato held Akane in his lap. As she stared around the table, Kushina grit her teeth at the arguments likely to be ahead. The heads of the major clans circled the table.
"Lord Kushina, Lord Minato, surely it is not lost on you the gravity of our situation," the leader of the Amekichi Clan spoke up.
"Before we hold a funeral," she spoke, "let's first understand our situation." On cue, Akemi walked into the room. Her teal scrubs were stained with sweat and spatters of blood. "Akemi, thank you for coming on such short notice." Kushina tented her hands, much as Minato did in the past. "Please give us the status on Lord Sixth."
"Everyone," Akemi spoke, somber and grim, "His condition is dire, and his survival long term is not guaranteed."
"How bad?" Minato asked, hugging his daughter. "Akemi," he pleaded, "how bad?"
Akemi locked gazes with Kushina; Kushina nodded in reply, knowing the implications of what she was about say. "He has third degree burns on the back of his head, neck, upper back, and right shoulder, along with surrounding second degree burns on the right arm and leg." Akemi paused as muttering broke out in the room. She resumed talking with great hesitation, "He also has sustained a nasty skull fracture with injury to his cerebellum."
"Lady Hyūga, for those without medical training," Itachi spoke measured, calculating, "What does this mean for his recovery?"
Akemi shook her head, "I have no guarantee when he'll wake from his coma, to say nothing about how long he'll need to physically recover." She paused, as if to contemplate something too terrible, "Even if he does recover, there is the real possibility that some or all of his injuries will cause permanent impairment."
"Everyone," Inoichi Yamanaka spoke, "I believe I'll say what everyone else is too afraid to," he stared at the others long and hard, "We have no choice but to invoke the Succession Laws on the grounds that the Hokage is incapacitated and unlikely to recover during a time of emergency."
Itachi raised his hand and bowed his head, "I will second the motion." Kushina caught the creeping sound of remorse in the young clan leader's voice.
"Lord Kushina," Lord Aburame spoke, "I am afraid we are at your disposal."
"It's not that simple," Kushina replied.
"Kushina," Yoshino Nara spoke, "We cannot be leaderless now."
"Might I remind everyone here about the amendment made to the Succession Laws just prior to Lord Third's death. A Hokage that has retired voluntarily or been removed due to ill-health may only resume office for ninety days as a caretaker Hokage until a new one is elected."
Shikaku Nara interjected, "Kushina, we're in a dire emergency here," he turned his hands palms up on the table, "The Fire Daimyo is dead, Lord Sixth is incapacitated indefinitely," he looked down at his hands, "and we now are up against multiple enemies that could be as strong as Kaguya. We could declare an emergency—"
"No," she raised a hand to stop him, "We can't do that. If we abandon the constitution in the name of expediency, we possibly doom ourselves all the same. Lord Third insisted on that amendment before his death because he didn't want the village to stagnate under an infirm Hokage."
"You're far from infirm," Reo Sarutobi spoke up, "but I agree. Father made that request because he did not want the village to stagnate or possibly face a scenario where a former Hokage abuses sentiment to wrest power back after succession."
"I agree as well," Hiashi spoke up, "disregarding our laws would breed contempt for succession, which is something we cannot afford now."
"Well super…" Shikaku groaned. "Does anyone have a candidate in mind?" He looked down the table to Tsunade. "Lady Tsunade, what about you or your husband?"
"Jiraiya is too old," Tsunade said, "He declined the office multiple times when he was younger because he knew he wasn't up for the responsibility. While I'd argue he's more responsible now, it's a young man's game to be Hokage, and he isn't young anymore!"
"And what of you?" Lady Nara asked.
Tsunade spoke up, "Yoshino, I'm the mother of five in a clan that just came back from the edge of extinction. I am not leaving their upbringing to nannies or my husband alone."
A long, nervous pause filled the room, followed by a sharp, crisp voice, "I nominate Naruto Uzumaki!" Everyone, including Kushina froze and stared at the source of the voice, surprised to see it was Itachi.
"Itachi?" Kushina stumbled over her words, "Make your case."
"Aside from the fact that he has saved the world at least twice and fought multiple Ōtsutsuki, he is well-trusted, well-liked, and been groomed to take office since youth."
"Lord Uchiha," Lord Amekichi spoke up, "He is incredibly young and inexperienced!"
"So was my father," Reo Sarutobi protested. "I'll second the motion."
"Everyone," Hiashi spoke, "I have watched Naruto grow up, lift others up with him as he's grown. He's the reason my daughter is leader of my clan He helped resolve feuds that had existed for decades. Furthermore, you speak of his inexperience – many people thought the same of my daughter when she became clan leader. Would anyone here argue that she didn't rise to the challenge?" No one replied. "I third the nomination, which should be more than enough to put the motion to a vote."
"Does anyone else wish to put forward a candidate?" Minato asked, bouncing Akane in his arms. The room remained silent.
"By show of hands, all in favor of electing Naruto Hokage," Kushina raised her hand, followed by Minato, Itachi, Jiraiya, Tsunade, Hiashi, and pretty soon everyone else around the table.
A stone sank in Kushina's stomach. She prayed she wasn't dooming her son to something he wasn't ready for, "Let the record show the vote is unanimous. Naruto Uzumaki will be the Seventh Hokage."
The day and a half in quarantine had been tense despite efforts to make the space livable. The group had slept on tatami mats that were at least cushioned enough to be comfortable. All the same, I'll appreciate my own bed tonight. The sterile white walls could be any normal hospital room, but Naruto knew better. The room's ventilation was strictly regulated to limit the risk of any unknown pathogen from escaping.
Naruto sat up on his mat and checked his watch, almost 0700. He closed his eyes and sensed the world around him. He sensed an unusual level of unease coming from the building. A check of Byakugan confirmed his parents and several other ranking members of the various clans were waiting in the antechamber outside of the quarantine area. He didn't know why, but their presence made him shiver.
He looked down to Hinata, now stirring from sleep. As he looked at her, he looked at what he assumed was his son. Boruto. It was unreal that he was on the road to fatherhood. Even having seen the ultrasound and the chakra signature with his own eyes, it didn't feel real.
A grim presence at his side distracted Naruto, and he let his vision return to normal, "Good morning, Sasuke."
"Good morning, Naruto," Sasuke was still stony as ever.
"How are you holding up?"
"Oh, you know, anxiety-ridden as hell, not sure which way is up."
"Join the club," Naruto laughed. Sasuke did not laugh.
"Naruto…" Sasuke's voice became strained.
"Yes?"
"I need you to make me a promise," Sasuke looked back over at Sakura then back to Naruto.
"Name it."
"If something should happen to us…"
"Sasuke, nothing is going to happen," Naruto replied.
"But if it does!" Sasuke raised his voice before softening again, "Please, look after our child."
"Only if you agree to do the same," Naruto nodded, standing as he did so. "You look nervous."
"You aren't?" Sasuke gave a huffed laugh.
"I'm probably too stupid to be as nervous as I should be." Naruto replied with a shake of his head. This was uncharted territory.
"Naruto, I've killed two of my children…" Sasuke's voice shook.
"Sasuke, you weren't in control in either case!" Naruto cut him off. "Stop kicking yourself in the ass about it."
"Ladies," Shikamaru's voice came from one of the mats, "some of us are trying to sleep!"
"You're still ugly, go back to sleep!" Sasuke's dourness was replaced with amusement. Shikamaru answered by raising his right hand and extending his middle finger.
Shikamaru let the hand down and groaned, "What a pain," he sat up. "So, how the hell much longer are we in here?"
"They'll be letting us out soon," Sakura said, approaching. Jiraiya, Konohamaru, Gaara, Lee, and Sai all joined the huddle around on the mats.
"Well, we need talk," Naruto spoke up.
"Okay grandson, talk," Jiraiya said.
"We now know what the immovable event they were waiting for is," Naruto looked at Hinata then back to the group. "It has to be something regarding Boruto's birth."
"Boss, no offense, but why didn't they just kill her and the baby? He literally had her by the arm and defenseless," Konohamaru spoke, matter of fact. "No Hinata, no Himawari, and no Himawari means everything goes back to how it was."
"It may not be that simple," Sai spoke up.
"Do tell," Jiraiya added.
"He didn't kill Hinata, and he didn't mark her with the Kama thing, either," Sai remarked.
"That would suggest they want Boruto alive," Sasuke added. "Why didn't he mark Hinata or the baby?"
Sakura spoke, "The mark overwrites the host's genetics, literally everything about them, like a virus."
"And?" Naruto asked.
"And, the human body, particularly the reproductive system has several major defenses against major genetic mismatches. If Momoshiki marked Hinata and began her transforming, her body likely would reject the pregnancy."
"And vice versa, mark the pregnancy and my body would likely attack the aberrant fetus, leading to a miscarriage as well." Hinata's mouth hung low, "but…"
"That implies they want the baby alive," Jiraiya added, "but why?"
A terrifying thought crossed Naruto's mind, "The Ōtsutsuki have some level of temporal awareness; they know time has been altered."
"Yeah," Konohamaru nodded, "they clearly knew about Boruto."
"And yet they didn't kill him," Naruto shook as he spoke, "What if Himawari didn't just come back to give me a happier life than the one I was supposed to have?"
"What do you mean?" Sakura asked.
"She had to know that making the changes she was making would have wide-reaching consequences she couldn't contain," Naruto nodded, "what would make anyone here take that kind of risk?"
"An irresponsible thing called love," Hinata said, horror chiseling into her face, "You mean, they marked Boruto in the future! Momoshiki was talking about events from his future! He was taunting us!"
"Then why didn't Himawari go back to save her brother from being marked?" Konohamaru asked.
"Maybe the world she came from was too far gone at that point," Shikamaru crossed his arms, "Maybe she figured that simply saving her brother alone wasn't enough to save the world. She needed to cause a larger ripple in time much earlier."
"And now we are reaching the point where we find if the ripple was enough to change the course of the river of time or we are approaching the same ending," Sai added.
"For that, I am hopeful," Jiraiya said.
Naruto stared at his grandfather, "How are you so optimistic?"
"Because we are still here – I'm still here." Jiraiya stared thoughtful with a tilt of his head.
Gears turned and pounded in Naruto's head, "Mom and Dad are still alive, meaning Himawari goes back in time regardless of what she changed."
"Uh huh," Jiraiya nodded.
"But, what about Boruto?" Hinata clutched her hands over her still flat stomach.
"That's up to us," Naruto said, "The future isn't fully written, otherwise the photo in the Hokage's desk wouldn't be changing." He stared at his wife, "Jiraiya is right though, Himawari's continued survival long enough to go back does suggest the Ōtsutsuki fail in this time."
"Everyone, head to the main airlock," Ino's voice interrupted the meeting telepathically. "Quarantine is clear, and we have much to discuss."
The group gathered, all still dressed in green pajamas. Thankfully, there were no complications getting out through the airlock. As he exited with Hinata, Naruto took in the sight of Mom, Dad, Akane, Ino, Hanabi, Hiashi, Tsunade, and pretty much the entire council. Oh shit. His heart sank, and his toes turned to ice. Kakashi likely didn't make it.
"Son," Mom ran forward, tears streaming from her eyes as she wrapped him and Hinata in a tight hug. Dad and Akane joined the group hug.
"M-Mom? Kakashi?" he stammered through tears of his own.
Mom pulled back, as did Dad and Akane, "He's going to survive," Dad said, wiping tears, "But his situation isn't good. He was very badly injured."
Naruto looked past his parents and squeezed his wife's hand, "I take it the council is invoking the succession laws?" Mom and Dad answered with a short nod. "All right, what are your orders?" Naruto asked, "I have several suggested courses of action."
"Naruto…" Dad stared, his face looking sad, flat, "… by law, your mom and I would only be able to hold office for ninety days."
"And?" he didn't like where this was headed.
"And," Mom continued, "the council vote unanimously to elect you as the Seventh Hokage."
Naruto blinked twice, fully expecting to wake up still in quarantine. As his eyes opened, his surroundings remained unchanged, and his mouth dropped. "Mom? Dad? I'm sorry?"
"I'm sorry, Lord Seventh. You're not imaging this," Mom reassured, "And believe me when I say, I know exactly what you're feeling right now."
"This is… only until Lord Sixth recovers, right?!" he asked with desperation. The thought of Kakashi being permanently disabled made every muscle in his back tighten.
"Naruto," Tsunade spoke, but her eyes did not meet his, "Kakashi likely is going to have a lengthy recovery period, akin to what Konohamaru went through."
"What about the Spring of Vitality?" he asked.
"Mom is already working on it, but it will be months to make ready," Hanabi answered. "Even that might be complicated now that her two most senior acolytes are pregnant."
Naruto didn't know what to think or say. What should have been the happiest twenty-four hours of his life to date was instead a nightmare he longed to wake up from. The room began spinning, he closed his eyes, and tilted his head downward. Fate rarely calls on use in a moment of our choosing. He remembered Mom saying it more than a few times.
"Naruto, for what it is worth, I'm sorry," Nine-Tails offered.
I can't do this; I'm not ready!
"You and Hinata were not ready for a lot of things that came your way since you were born," Nine-Tails offered what Naruto guessed was an attempt at comfort, "If not you, then who?"
Naruto opened his eyes. Nine-Tails was right. There was no one else – no one else who had the knowledge of the enemy, no one with the potential ability to defeat them. "All right," he nodded. "Shikamaru, if you'd be so kind as to serve as my advisor."
Shikamaru nodded, "Might I recommend we assign Hinata a permanent protection detail in the meantime?"
"I'm ready to serve," Konohamaru offered.
"I'm afraid we have another complication," a shaky female voice came from the back of the room. Everyone turned to see Shizune accompanied by a skinny man in a start white set of robes.
"Shizune, who is this?" Naruto asked, wrinkling his forehead.
"I am the late Fire Daimyo's private attorney," the man answered. "Am I to understand you are the Seventh Hokage?"
"Yes," Naruto nodded, "and our condolences," Naruto offered.
"Thank you, my late employer has put me in an awkward position," the man answered.
"Awkward how?" Hinata asked, taking Naruto's hand.
The man's foot tapped for a moment, "The Fire Daimyo died without an heir, and there is no direct line of succession, either."
"What are you saying?" Hinata asked, still gripping Naruto's hand.
"The Fire Daimyo's will and testament, along with succession laws, dictate if he were to die without an heir or direct successor, the title of Daimyo would transfer to whomever was Hokage at that time and be passed along via his or her line of heredity."
"You're saying…"
"Yes, Lord Naruto, in addition to now being the Hokage you also now hold the title of Daimyo of the Land of Fire," the man confirmed with a bow.
Naruto had been called on to lead his friends in the Chunin Exams. He'd been called on to protect the village from Pain and to stop Madara and Kaguya. He'd helped protect the world from Toneri. Now, he was tasked with not just leading his village, but an entire shinobi country.
A firm hand gripped Naruto on each shoulder. Naruto turned to see Gaara on his left and Sasuke on his right. "Naruto, I know this is a lot to take in," Gaara said.
"Understatement of the century," Naruto nodded, looking to his wife, still holding her hand. "I think we all need to have a meeting." He looked back at Sasuke, "Can you gather everyone for a meeting at the Hokage's office in an hour?"
"Everyone here?" Sasuke asked, removing his hand from Naruto.
"If possible, yes," he turned to Shikamaru, "And can you see about reaching out to Killer B?"
"What a pain, sure," Shikamaru sighed.
"I'll be there as well," Gaara said, taking his hand off Naruto's shoulder.
Naruto stared at his wife, "Hon, I know this is a lot to take in."
"We'll get through," she squeezed his hand. "We always do."
Hanabi was about to leave the hospital when Rock Lee stopped her. "Hanabi, wait!" he called.
"Lee? What's up?" she asked as she turned back to him.
"The pregnant woman I brought here, how is she?" he asked.
Hanabi's heart sank, and she almost toppled over. "Oh, god, Lee, I'm not sure it's for me to discuss…"
"Is she okay? The baby," his eyes became saucer-wide.
Tell him, don't tell him. "Lee, the combination of physical trauma and labor trauma was too much. She died giving birth."
Lee deflated, "No," he braced against the wall.
"Lee, she has serious crush injuries to both legs. Even if you'd gotten her to use immediately, I don't think we could have saved her. It's a miracle we saved the baby."
"Y-you saved the baby!?" he appeared almost manic at the words.
"Yes, although the little guy is going to have a rough start – no mom, no family."
"No family?" he stared disbelieving.
"Lee, the mother had no family. Hell, we don't even have a name to put on the birth certificate!"
"Can I see him?" he asked.
"Lee?" she eyed him, worried about his intentions.
"Hanabi, you know how bad foster care and orphanages are," he reminded her.
"Lee, listen to yourself, this is a baby, a new life! You're not in any position to commit to being a single father!"
"Like hell, my sensei was to me!" he protested. "Do I really have to take this to your brother-in-law?"
Hanabi weighed trying to change his mind. "Lee, if you do this, it is a commitment unlike any other, it is a commitment you can't walk away from."
"A ninja never gives up," he reminded her, raising a finger. "Hanabi, this is no different than any other impossible task. Please, may I see him?"
She nodded, and they walked back into the hospital. After several security checkpoints, they reached the nursery. Mom was there, looking in on the unnamed orphan. "Hanabi?" she asked, looking up from the newborn, "Lee?"
"Lady Akemi," he bowed, "I'm told the child has no family."
"Sadly, true," she said.
"Then I wish to adopt the child as my own!" He pointed a thumb toward himself, "Just like my sensei did for me!"
"Lee," Mom spoke with shock, "Hanabi, did you put him up to this?"
"I tried talking him out of it; he insisted!" Hanabi answered.
"Lee…" Mom stared hard at first, but then softening, taking a long, solemn look at a child with no family, no one to look after him. "… Lee, I will help you submit the application…"
"Thank you!"
She raised a finger to cut him off, "There is a parenting class at the hospital this evening and the next few days. If you can do well enough to pass the class, I'll submit my recommendation to the Hokage."
"Of course," he nodded.
"Mom," Hanabi spoke, "being that we don't have a name for the little guy," she gestured to the baby, "perhaps we can at least do the honor of letting Rock Lee give him one."
"Metal," he said, "Metal Lee."
Hanabi exchanged a look with her mother, and shrugged, "It's unconventional, but I think it works."
Mom extracted the birth certificate and added the name. "1700 tonight, be there or be square," Mom advised Lee.
"I promise!" he bowed.
"Good, now, I believe we all have a meeting with the Hokage…" Hanabi said.
"Hanabi, there is another thing we need to talk about," Mom said.
"What is up?" Hanabi asked, wondering what trouble she landed in.
"Hanabi, the education board reviewed your performance the last twenty-four hours…"
"Oh, come on, I didn't step over any boundaries!" she protested.
"You're right, you didn't," Mom continued. "In fact, the board was impressed how cool you were while under fire."
"I mean…" she shrugged, "… thanks?"
"That said, the board decided there is no point in you taking the clinic entrance exam."
"Mom?" Hanabi raised an eyebrow.
"Report to the intern coordinator at 0600 tomorrow morning," Mom said, "I suggest you get some rest tonight."
"I'm… bypassing the clinic entrance exam?"
"Yes," Mom nodded.
Conflict swirled Hanabi. On one hand, it was a major drag on her life that was out of the way. On the other hand, she was being thrown into the deep end early, and the bar for continuing was surely high. "Mom, I don't know if I am ready."
"Hanabi, an important secret among medical-nin and healers in general," Mom started, "None of us are ready. No matter how prepared we are or think we are, there are always things that come up. Now is the time to learn what you can." Hanabi simply nodded, wondering how the next few months would pan out.
Author's notes: Hello everyone, I hope you enjoyed, and thank you for reading. I do apologize for the confusion regarding Momoshiki in the last chapter. I had several people comment about him marking Boruto and Hinata when he didn't - he was merely taunting in preparation for a future event.
While I am hoping to remain on schedule, I must inform you all that I have a lot going on right now in my life. There may be times when this writing gets interrupted, but I am planning on taking it all the way to the end. All the same, thanks for sticking with me through the ups and downs of this story and the ones that came before.
I'll see you all next chapter. Stay healthy, stay safe!