Birth night.

Naru shivered as she walked back inside the house they called home for the past three months. She pulled her gloves off and rubbed them before shedding her jacket and shoes. She looked down at her distended stomach under her shirt and smiled.

"Have a nice walk?" Shizune asked, holding sheets in her arms, Naru nodded.

"Despite being here for months I'm not used to the cold yet."

"This damn-" Tsunade's voice called from the hallway making Shizune give a silent chuckle before walking down the hall.

"Everything okay?"

"This damn crib is being difficult!" She snarled, pushing the wood to the side, Naru laughed as she looked around the room they were making the nursery. The walls were a cream color with white trim and a big window that gave a beautiful view of the mountain peaks, a plush rocking chair sat in the corner and a half-built crib lay on the ground with Tsunade seated on the ground glaring at the wood.

"I can try-"

"No, no I'll make Jiraiya do it when he comes home."

"Where is he at anyway?" Naru sat in the chair before taking a blanket and folding it slowly.

"He's finishing up the seals of the location we found for the birth, he wants extra wards and seals to ensure nothing will happen."

Naru gasped, touching her stomach and sending a glare down at it. "She's kicking more and more, she's eager to meet her mom." Tsunade smiled.

"What else do I need before she comes?"

"Changing table, pumps, pads, small things but necessary items."

Jiraiya sighed as he walked in later that day shaking off the snow and shedding his jacket.

"Finished?"

"Yeah, I have multiple wards around the building and four styles of Uzumaki sealings. Plus I added a seal to my own body that will connect with hers and help give control if needed. I'm mostly confident that the seal will hold."

"Thank you, Jiraiya." Naru smiled at him, he ruffled her hair gently before quickly being yanked into the nursery and ordered to assemble the crib.

-o0o-

"These are cute!" Naru cooed at the various onesies laid out. "Look! Little bunnies!" Jiraiya laughed, giving an eye roll as he stood with the heaped basket.

"I think you have enough,"

"You hush!" Tsunade appeared holding more items.

"And who is going to carry all this home huh?"

"You have shadow clone jutsu." Tsunade waved a dismissive hand to him, he scoffed with a smile turning to find Naru walking down an aisle.

Naru hummed quietly as her fingers danced along the clothes. She shivered and turned, feeling like she was being watched. Her eyes slowly scanned the aisles and racks before a blur moved closer making her jolt.

"Jir-" She began to call for her godfather before it died on her tongue, she let out a shaky breath and covered her mouth as she stared at waist-length black hair on a slim build wearing black pants and a cream top, they walked down the adjacent aisle and disappeared.

Naru shook her head going back to looking at the clothes, her fingers danced along the shelves and jolted as a sliver of wood jammed into her skin, she muttered a curse pulling at the piece. A movement drew her attention again and she watched the long-haired figure move closer again, Naru stepped forward trying to peer at their face. A tremor traveled her spine, she swallowed the bile in her throat as she wrung her hands together.

"Naru?" Tsunade's voice called, Naru whimpered as she walked closer to the person, her breath came out in huffs, and sweat slipped down her face and neck. "Naru?" Tsunade's voice echoed far away in her brain. Naru gave a small cry as a sharp jolt of pain raced through her lower stomach and back.

"Naru!" Tsunade grabbed her arm making her yelp in shock. "I've been calling you, what's wrong?"

"T…Ts…he- I saw… I swear I saw- gasp!" Naru stuttered pointing down the aisle to the long-haired figure.

"What's going on?" Jiraiya asked appearing and looking at the person, he dropped the basket stomped up grabbed their shoulder, and yanked them around to find a woman looking at him fearfully. "I - I'm sorry I thought you were someone else, I apologize!" He bowed, she nodded and began to reply before Naru cried out in pain.

"Naru!" Tsunade yelped as the girl collapsed to the ground holding her stomach. "Jiraiya!"

"What's happening?" Naru cried and huffed for air.

"Take a deep breath, easy." Tsunade coached.

"What's happening?" Naru whimpered.

"You got too worked up, you thought it was him huh?" She asked, Naru's lip quivered and she looked down. "It's okay, it's understandable. Let's just get you home okay?" She pulled the girl up to her feet before letting out a small gasp, Naru glanced down finding a small puddle at her feet and her pants darkened.

"What?"

"Your water just broke," Naru shook her head confused as Tsunade cupped her face. "It's almost time to meet your daughter."

-o0o-

Naru took monitored breaths as they escorted her into the large cabin Jiraiya found and had warded. A bed lay in the middle of the room with a table and basin to the side with blankets and towels. "Climb up," Tsunade helped her shimmy her pants down to the floor and lay back before covering her with a blanket. "How's your contractions?"

"Short, painful, I don't know," Naru whined, Shizune pulled the girl's hair up, tied it back, and adjusted the pillows. Tsunade washed her hands and walked up. "I'm going to check how dilated you are," She coached.

Jiraiya leaned against the far wall watching as Tsunade and Shizune helped the girl through her contractions and checked her cervix. Five hours ticked by slowly as Naru sobbed through the spasms and pain, Shizune wiped her sweat from her head and neck as Tsunade checked one more time.

"Okay, you're at 10 centimeters,"

"So it's time? 'Cause I can't handle these contractions dattebayo!" Naru whimpered, arching slightly, Tsunade smiled and nodded her head.

"It's time to push when I tell you." Tsunade lifted her shirt revealing her stomach, the black Kyuubi seal prominent on her skin. Jiraiya rolled her sleeves up and stood on the left side nodding to Tsunade who rolled the blanket up to Naru's knees.

"Ready?" She asked them both, Jiraiya nodded and Naru nodded rapidly and laid her head back. "Naru I need you to do long breaths in through your nose a double pant then a long out through your mouth during your contractions."

"It's like a hee-hee-hoooo," Shizune added, Naru nodded giving her own which Tsunade nodded at.

"I should summon Gerotora," Jiraiya muttered making a sign, Naru stared in shock as a toad practically climbed out of the sannin's mouth and nodded. "It's time, stay ready." The toad grunted with a nod and moved to the side.

"Push!" Tsunade ordered, Naru curled up and yelled as she strained and pushed before collapsing back huffing for air, tears slipped from her eyes. "You'll have to push harder than that Naru,"

"I know." She cried and fisted the sheets.

"Push!" Naru repeated curling up and screaming as she strained and pushed through the contractions.

Naru gasped as she fell back, the seal glowed, and Jiraiya grunted as he held his hand out to the seal and watched it dull again.

"Is he pushing?"

"Yes," Jiraiya grunted out.

"Come on," Tsunade ordered, Naru screamed as she pushed. "You're getting closer, keep trying."

Naru whimpered shaking her head and let out a sob. "It hurts."

"I know it does Naru, but you're so close." Jiraiya encouraged.

"Your baby is close Naru, keep trying." Naru cried out as she strained. "I can see the head!"

Naru gasped as her eyes shifted to red and chakra began to bubble from her seal. "No, you don't!" Jiraiya snarled, chakra glowed over his hand and touched the seal, he grunted as he felt Kyuubi roar and push at the seal.

"Jiraiya?"

"Hurry." He whispered, Tsunade turned and ordered Naru to push.

"There's the forehead … nose … mouth chin!" She yelled out, Shizune stood ready with a towel for the baby. "This is the hardest part, the shoulders are next!" She supplied and felt around the neck ensuring the umbilical cord wasn't wrapped around her throat.

Kyuubi snarled and rammed his shoulder into the gates over and over. Jiraiya focused and appeared before the beast and held his hand out, the fox growled at him. "You won't escape!"

"The fourth said the same!" He snarled and threw himself against the gates again and again, Naru whimpered in pain at the hits.

'This is what Kushina went through too.' Shizune thought watching the girl struggle through the labor and the seal.

"Shoulders are out!" Tsunade yelled with a laugh, Naru whimpered gasping for air before collapsing to the mattress.

A baby's cry echoed in the room, Naru gasped staring at the ceiling as the cries echoed. "I'm cutting the umbilical cord," Tsunde supplied as Shizune held the baby in the white blanket before gently transferring the baby to Tsunade who walked up to Naru's head and bent down holding the wiggling bundle in her arms. "Congratulations, you have a healthy baby girl." Naru sobbed audibly and reached her arm out before arching up, the seal snapped and began to spin slowly opening.

"SHIT!!" Jiriaya cursed and slapped his hands down on the seal. Naru cried out as chakra bubbled on her stomach but stopped at Jiraiya's chakra.

"Naru focus your chakra back on the seal," Naru nodded, he let out a sigh as the seal glowed and began to reclose. "Gerotora!" The toad jumped into action unraveling his seal body, Jiraiya touched the square on the scroll, ink spread along his skin and down his arms. "At the same time Naru!"

Naru whimpered before her head lulled to the side and her skin turned pale. "Naru!" Tsunade yelled, she gave the baby to Shizune and ran to her legs to find the bed covered in blood.

"Tsunade?" Jiraiya cried out.

"She's hemorrhaging! She needs to get to the hospital!" She held her hands out letting green chakra cover them and seep into the girl.

"Her seal is opening!"

"NARU!!" Tsunade yelled.

Naru whimpered as she lay in front of Kyuubi's seal, the water around her thrashed with his movements, she gasped and choked as it splashed around her face and grew deeper, Kyuubi's roar echoed, and Naru struggled to move. 'Gotta stop him…' She thought before burning chakra seeped along and began to cover her body. 'No.'

Suddenly two hands scooped her up and pressed her to a hard chest as Kyuubi's chakra exploded away from her. She moaned as she looked up finding golden hair that framed a chiseled face with electric blue eyes, he glared at the menacing figure of Kyuubi before looking down at her and smiling.

"There's my girl," He whispered.

"D… dad?" She squeaked.

He scooped her up in his arms and held her gently.

"FOURTH!? COME OVER HERE I'LL SHRED YOU TO PIECES!!!" Kyuubi screamed ramming the gates.

"No thanks, now hush!" A clone appeared, held his hands on gates and nodded. "Let's go someplace quieter." He whispered and snapped his fingers, Naru gasped as they appeared in a light room, he lowered them to the ground and smiled.

"Dad!" She cried out and threw her arms around his neck, he chuckled and returned the hug as she sobbed into his shoulder.

"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry." He whispered and twirled her hair around his finger.

"I'm sorry," Naru replied and pulled back.

"What do you have to be sorry about?"

"Are you ashamed of me? That I ended up having a… a baby?" She squeaked.

"Never!" He cupped her face pressed his forehead against hers and stared into her eyes. "I'm proud of how grown up you are." Naru pulled back and wiped her face.

"NARU!!" Tsunade's voice called.

"Let me close the seal, we'll have a few minutes to talk but they need to get you to the hospital."

Naru nodded and watched as Minato focused, she gasped as he touched her seal and twisted his hand clockwise and her seal snapped closed once more. She gasped and held her stomach. "I also removed that pesky seal of his."

"Thank you, Dad I've wanted to meet you for so long and now I don't know what to say." She chuckled and wiped tears from her eyes.

"You don't have to say anything." He hugged her once more, she smiled squeezing him tight

"How are you here?"

"I sealed my chakra and some of your mother's chakra into you for an incident like this, if your seal came open we would appear and stop it." Naru nodded and smiled. "Although Jiraiya had a good grip on the seal, all the energy that goes to a baby makes it much more difficult to maintain, tell sensei he did a good job though, he's sensitive like that." Naru laughed and nodded her head.

"I'm sorry for everything you've gone through, you're so young." He whispered into her hair and kissed her head she smiled and toyed with his haori. "My time is almost up," He supplied, she held him tight once more.

"I don't want you to leave me," Naru cried.

"I won't leave you, I'm always with you. But you need to return and see your daughter." He raised her head smiling at her, she nodded her head and closed her eyes as he began to fade away until she was left alone before the area disappeared and she fell back with a yell.

Naru gasped as she came to, machine's beeped rapidly as she came to, she glanced over finding Tsunade laying her head on the bed, she sat up and let out a cry of relief and hugged the girl.

"Thank goodness!"

"What happened?"

"You hemorrhaged, the seal opened then suddenly closed so we were able to rush you here, any longer and you wouldn't have made it."

"Is she up?!" Jiraiya rushed in and let out a sigh of relief.

"Thank you Jiraiya," She smiled. "And Dad says he's proud of your seal usage." Jiraiya cocked his head and shook it.

"Dad?"

"Yeah! He appeared and stopped Kyuubi from releasing the whole way. We talked for a few minutes." She smiled. "He put his chakra in my seal just in case." Jiraiya let out a noise before rubbing his head.

"I need a drink." He plopped down in the chair.

"Did the baby-" A quiet fuss sounded just then.

"Someone wants to check on her mommy," Tsunade said, turning to the hospital crib and lifting the sleeping bundle. Naru gasped as she sat up slowly before taking the bundle in her arms. She took in her pink skin, chubby cheeks, and onyx hair. "She's beautiful," Naru whispered.

"Did you ever pick a name?" Naru nodded.

"Misaki."

"It's beautiful and so is she." Tsunade squeezed her shoulder.

"Smile," Jiraiya said holding a camera, Naru smiled as he took her photo. "For the old man," He waved the square picture as it developed.

"Thank you."

"Are you up to writing?" Naru nodded. Tsunade laid Misaki down in the crib once more and watched Naru write a short letter and fold it.

"I'll get it to Shizune, she's heading to Leaf."

"Why?"

Both exchanged a look. "Don't get upset, but I want to run her DNA against records, to see exactly what he is planning. Hopefully, it'll give us an answer. We swabbed her mouth while you were out."

"Oh, I understand," Naru nodded and looked at her baby. ' I wonder if….'