Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto (either manga or anime!); the wonderful Masashi Kishimoto-sensei owns all rights. However, the plot and Namiko Uzumaki are mine!

Chapter 62: The Dead Rise

May 14

Namiko sat under the shade of a tree at the edge of the river, letting her feet soak in the cool water as she tried to cool off in the heat of the day. Kumo wasn't quite as hot as Konoha, but the lack of breeze in the Medical Division's 'pit' (as Naruto called it) made the normally mild weather of late spring seem sweltering. Being in the open was much easier than being stuffed up in her tent.

Naruto was testing out his new summoning trick again in HQ today from a longer distance, Sasuke was meeting with Kakashi, and things at medical were mostly calm for the time being, which left Namiko with some quiet time to herself.

She set down the storybook she had borrowed from a Suna medic and took a long drink from her water bottle. From the corner of her eye, she noticed something glide to the ground and hop a couple of times—a small robin. It seemed old enough to fly but not old enough to be scared by a person.

"Sorry, little one, I don't have anything to feed you right now." She smiled as it continued to hop closer to her. It fluttered its wings the last meter or so landing on her lap, looking up at her inquisitively.

She blinked a few times in surprise before she lowered her hand and the little bird climbed onto her hand. "Well, aren't you the cutest little thing?" she gushed, petting the bird's head with one finger.

"Who are you talking to?" asked Sasuke as he walked up behind her, causing her to turn and look up at him, the bird still on her finger.

"This little one," she said as she turned back to the bird, making kissy noises at it.

He breathed out a chuckle. "Maybe you should put the books away for a bit. You're turning into one of your fairytale princesses."

"Ha ha," she laughed sarcastically. The bird leapt off her finger and suddenly landed on Sasuke's forearm, causing her to pout slightly. "See what you did? I was having a moment with it and you ruined it."

"I didn't even ask for it! It came over to me of its own volition." He stared at the bird for a moment before it launched off his hand and into his hair. "What the—?"

Suddenly the bird flew off with a piece of Sasuke's dark hair in its beak and Sasuke was left rubbing the back of his head with a puzzled look on his face. "Still think I stole it from you? I'm pretty sure it just attacked me…"

Namiko stifled a giggle behind her hand. "I think it liked you."

"I mean your hair does look like a duck's butt, so maybe it just got confused?" called out Kiba as he walked up with Akamaru close beside him. Sasuke shot him a glare but Kiba was undeterred.

Akamaru trotted happily over to Namiko, flopping next to her and laying his head in her lap while being mindful of her stomach. Namiko grinned and rubbed a dark ear, earning a contented grumble from the massive dog. "Hey there, I missed you," she murmured in a baby voice.

"Aww, I missed you too…" teased Kiba, mimicking Namiko's tone, and causing Sasuke to growl slightly. Kiba held his hands up in defense. "Okay, okay, sorry…sheesh…you can't take a joke, can you? You're more possessive than a dog with a bone."

Sasuke leaned against the tree next to Namiko. "Protective, not possessive."

Namiko just shook her head with a laugh as she continued petting Akamaru's soft fur. "What are you doing in here anyway, Kiba? Is everything okay?"

Kiba scratched his head. "Yeah, just got a small fracture in my arm when I was out there with Neji. Sakura healed me right up though!"

Namiko frowned slightly, her fingers still stroking Akamaru's fur. "I wouldn't call a fracture 'small,' Kiba."

He grinned sheepishly, rolling his shoulder. "Okay, okay, not small. But it's nothing serious. Just a lucky hit from one of those damn Zetsu."

Sasuke's expression darkened at that, his arms crossing. "How bad is it out there?"

Kiba hesitated, glancing away for a moment. That told Namiko enough. "Today's not bad…at least not where we were, but I heard rumors it wasn't going well along the coast. Neji and I took out most of the ones we ran into," Kiba finally said. "But they're getting smarter. Adapting. Some are even mimicking chakra signatures better than before. We almost mistook one for Hinata."

Panic washed over her. "Is Hinata okay?!"

"She's fine!" Kiba quickly reassured.

Namiko felt a chill that had nothing to do with the river's cool water. White Zetsu clones that could pass for allies? That wasn't good. She exchanged a look with Sasuke, who was clearly thinking the same thing.

"We need to be careful," she murmured. "If they can fool even your nose and Neji's eyes, they could slip into the camp undetected."

Kiba sighed, rubbing the back of his head. "Yeah…that's actually why I came here. HQ wants anyone with strong sensory abilities on high alert. And that includes you."

She tensed, instinctively placing a hand over her stomach. The babies shifted slightly inside her as if sensing her unease. Sasuke's eyes immediately flicked down to the motion, and his posture became even more rigid.

"She's not going out there," he said firmly.

Kiba held up his hands again. "Whoa, I never said that. Medical just wants her to scan for infiltrators when new people are brought in for treatment. That's all."

Namiko let out a quiet breath, nodding. "I can do that. I can't sense very far right now, but I can check people when they're a few meters away."

Sasuke still looked displeased, but he didn't argue. Instead, he turned his gaze toward the treetops, his Sharingan flickering to life for just a moment before fading again. Always watching. Always on edge.

Kiba, seemingly sensing the tension, cleared his throat. "Well, anyway, I should get going. Neji's waiting for me. Hinata was exhausted, so when they recalled our battalion to base, she was all too eager to sleep in her tent once again. She said she'd stop by to see you once she's rested, but I thought that since I needed to be checked out, I'd come to check on you myself."

Namiko gave Akamaru one last pat before he stood and followed after his master. "Be careful," she called after them.

Kiba flashed a grin over his shoulder. "I'll try."

As he walked away, Namiko leaned back against the trunk, her fingers absentmindedly tracing patterns on her belly. Sasuke sat beside her, his hand resting lightly over hers.

"This war is getting intense," he murmured, voice low.

"I know."

He exhaled sharply, his grip tightening just slightly. "I don't like you being anywhere near it."

Namiko turned to him, her expression soft. "I know," she said again, squeezing his fingers. "But I'm here anyway. Ba-chan was right, this is the safest place for me. If I were left in Konoha, there'd be minimal protection."

Sasuke studied her for a long moment before exhaling again, this time through his nose. "You're right…"

"I usually am," she replied with a playful twinkle in her eyes. She nudged his shoulder with hers. "Come on, help me up so I can see if they need me at the main tent."

He quickly got to his feet, offering her his hands to help her feet. After a little bit of shifting and a few grumbles, Namiko was able to stand before looking down, embarrassed and Sasuke raised an eyebrow in question. "What's wrong?"

"…I don't know if I can put my shoes back on myself…"

Sasuke bit back a chuckle, kneeling down without complaint to help her put her sandals on. Namiko was thankful she'd opted for more traditional sandals instead of her usual knee-high ones when she'd reached twenty weeks of pregnancy. They were much more practical and comfortable.

"Thank you…" she replied with a sweet smile, kissing Sasuke on the cheek as he stood.

He wrapped an arm around her waist, bringing her close to kiss her lips deeply. "You're welcome."

The two walked back to the main tent where Sakura and Shizune stood outside, talking quietly. Sakura waved to them as they came closer. "Hey, you two! Everything okay?"

Namiko gave an affirmative hum. "I'm fine, Kiba just told me that HQ wanted any sensory types to be checking for the Zetsu, so I thought I'd see if you needed me."

Shizune shook her head. "Everyone in the Medical Division has been cleared already, so I think we're okay right now—"

"Help us! My husband needs medical attention! Please let us through!" Two shinobi, an Iwa woman with a man leaning on her, stood at the entrance to the Medical Division, being blocked by two members of the Akimichi clan.

"No one enters unless cleared by a sensory shinobi."

The woman sounded frantic, "Please, my husband will die without help!"

Namiko eyed the couple, taking a few steps forward before activating her chakra sensing. Sasuke stepped forward with her and she waved him away. "I've got this. I'm just checking their chakra."

Sasuke didn't say anything but activated his Sharingan as well. He couldn't tell anything different in their chakra colors so he let her walk closer.

Their chakra seemed mostly normal to Namiko, but then, she didn't know these people and wasn't familiar with their chakra signatures. 'Could they be Zetsu?'

Torn between being cautious and helping someone in need, she decided to meet in the middle. "Why don't we take your husband in for now? Someone can come let you know how he is afterward."

The woman glanced at her husband, obviously not wanting to separate from him. "Okay, fine. I just want him to live."

One of the guards took the man from the woman, taking on the man's weight, and walking him toward the main tent. They walked a few meters, just about to pass Namiko, when in the blink of an eye, the man grabbed a kunai and stabbed the Akimichi guard in the shoulder. The 'shinobi's' disguise faded to reveal a Zetsu as it launched toward her.

But he never made contact.

Sasuke blocked the Zetsu from making contact with Namiko using his sword, just a moment before Naruto slammed the Zetsu into the ground which sprouted into a tree.

The 'kunoichi' had also begun to lose its disguise to reveal another Zetsu and the other Akimichi guard gripped its wrist, keeping it from leaving or attacking. Naruto instantly surged forward, knocking that Zetsu to the ground, killing it as it left a tree growing in its place.

Namiko's eyes widened in panic. How could she have made such a careless mistake? She knew something was off with their chakra but chose to ignore it on the chance she was wrong. "I'm so sorry…I—I didn't think I was wrong…" She looked up at Naruto, her blue-violet eyes filled with tears threatening to spill over. "I almost let them right in...they injured someone…they could've killed someone…"

"Hey, hey…don't cry, imouto! Everyone is fine!" Naruto deactivated the kyuubi's chakra before pulling her into a tight hug. He waited for her body to begin to relax before letting go. "From what I understand, I can sense the hatred within the Zetsu due to the kyuubi chakra mode, kinda like I did with Kisame, but no other sensory shinobi can sense the difference, and I guess that means you too."

"How did you even know to get down here?" asked Sasuke as the two siblings separated.

"As I said, my kyuubi chakra mode. Don't you listen at all, Sasuke?" Sasuke rolled his eyes in response and Naruto continued, "I was using it while baa-chan and the other Kage had me testing that summoning jutsu Namiko made on a longer distance. Turns out I can go pretty far with it and there are no side effects. So, once again, my genius sister to the rescue!"

Namiko let out a laugh that sounded more like a sob. "I'm just glad you were here."

"Yeah, I'm going to talk to baa-chan about it, but I think I'm going to leave Shadow Clones with kyuubi chakra mode throughout the different battlefields to prevent more scenarios like this while I stay here so we don't run into this problem again."

Sasuke looked at him skeptically. "Are you sure that's even going to work? It's obvious that it's not safe for Namiko here anymore."

"It will be since I'll be here." Naruto crossed his arms over his chest.

Sasuke narrowed his eyes. "And what if you hadn't been here just now? Yeah, I could've killed those Zetsu too, but the fact is they now know where the two of you are. Namiko needs to be relocated."

"I'm not leaving the Medical Division anymore unless Madara shows up. Baa-chan's orders…so she'll be safe," argued Naruto.

"Sasuke, they'll track me and Naruto no matter where we go. The fact is that the Medical Division still has the best security in the whole base." Namiko was suddenly crestfallen. "It was my fault they got inside. I cleared them even though I wasn't sure. I let my emotions get in the way."

Shizune finally piped up, "Namiko is right, emotions got in the way. From now on, no one comes in unless they've been cleared by Naruto." She turned to face Sakura and several other medics around. "Understood?" Everyone nodded in agreement.

"See, Sasuke? You don't have anything to worry about, Namiko and the babies are safe here," said Sakura.

He let out a heavy sigh as he turned to Namiko. "Fine, but still I'm not letting you out of my sight from now on."

Namiko kept quiet but nodded. There was no sense in arguing with him right now or trying to point out the obvious. She knew eventually that he'd have to go fight. She wasn't thrilled with the idea of him leaving her either, but if it was necessary to win the war, it was a sacrifice she'd have to make.

Naruto's stomach rumbled loudly, breaking her train of thought when he laughed. "Guess I'm kinda hungry. I think I have some cup ramen in my tent. Wanna join me?"

"I guess it is about dinner time," said Namiko as she rubbed her stomach as the twins moved. "I think they're hungry too, and ramen doesn't sound like a bad idea right now."

Later that evening, Sasuke sat at the table in their tent sharpening his sword and kunai while Namiko sat on her futon reading her borrowed book. He glanced over at her, setting down his sword. "Okay, what are you thinking about? Because you've been staring at the same page for ten minutes."

She closed the book, staring at the cover. "…it was my fault. That guard got hurt today because I took a chance and guessed horribly wrong…" She muffled the sniffle that threatened to let the dam of her emotions break.

"Hey…" Sasuke didn't miss her disheartened look and knelt in front of her, taking her hands. "It was not your fault today. Naruto is the only one who can sense them, so you'd never have known."

"But I've always been the one to sense everything…why can't I now? It would've been a better way for me to help—" Namiko stopped midsentence, her hand immediately going to her stomach.

"What's wrong?" He was instantly on full alert, his eyes filled with concern.

"Just a really strong kick…sometimes I feel like they're trying to break my ribs or burst my bladder."

Sasuke's tense shoulders relaxed slightly, though concern still lingered in his dark eyes. He shifted onto the futon beside her, resting a careful hand against her stomach. "That can't be normal."

Namiko let out a breathy laugh, tilting her head back against the pillow. "Apparently it's completely normal. Shizune assures me that due to my size and the fact that we're having twins, they're running out of room quicker and that's why I can feel it more intensely." Another strong kick made her wince again. "Your daughter is relentless."

His lips twitched at that, the corners of his mouth barely lifting, but she caught it anyway. "My daughter?" he echoed, raising a brow. "They're suddenly just mine?"

"Yes…but only when they cause trouble," she poked his chest lightly, a teasing grin on her face. "Your daughter is the one who keeps trying to crack my ribs, and your son is the one who keeps stretching every time I get comfortable."

Sasuke shook his head, the ghost of a smirk still playing at his lips as he rubbed slow circles against her belly. The movement was tender, as though he were trying to soothe not just the restless twins, but her as well.

"You know," he murmured after a moment, his voice soft, "you don't have to push yourself to do so much. Right now, this is the most important thing you can do." His fingers slowed to a stop, his hand splaying across her stomach, his touch grounding her. "Keeping them safe. Taking care of yourself."

She swallowed, her throat suddenly tight. "I just feel…useless sometimes. Like I need to do more."

He exhaled sharply, his forehead resting against hers. "You are not useless, Namiko," his voice low with a tone of finality. "You are the strongest person I know. You're carrying our children, you've saved lives, and you've kept me from losing myself more times than I can count." His voice was quiet but firm. "You don't have to be able to sense everything to 'be useful'."

Namiko's eyes burned with unshed tears, and she closed them for a moment, breathing him in. His scent, familiar and steady, surrounded her, wrapping around her like a promise.

When she opened her eyes, she found him already watching her, his gaze dark and searching. Slowly, she reached up, cupping his cheek, her thumb brushing over his cheekbone. "You always know exactly what to say," she murmured.

Sasuke huffed, turning his head just enough to press a kiss against her palm. "Only when it's about you."

A soft laugh left her, and she didn't resist when he leaned in, pressing his lips against hers. The kiss was slow, lingering—less urgency, more reassurance. When they parted, he rested his forehead against hers again, his fingers tracing gentle circles over her belly again.

"Get some rest," he murmured against her lips. "I'll be here."

Namiko smiled, threading her fingers through his. "I know."

May 20

The following few days were nothing short of chaos. The Zetsu had taken full advantage of Naruto being the only one to sense them and kept his clones busy. Naruto had kept his promise, not leaving the Medical Division at all and opting to spend time training with Sasuke or being with Hinata whenever she could visit.

However, more reanimated shinobi had begun to show up, causing not only physical strain as battles wore on but also emotional and psychological strain as people were forced to fight loved ones who had passed. Ino, Shikamaru, and Chouji had to face Asuma. Gaara had to face his father. Tsunade's former love Dan had been revived. Hiashi had to face his twin brother, Hizashi. People from all five nations had friends and family that had been revived and to say the battles had been difficult was a gross understatement.

Everyone had been on edge, so when a messenger came to grab Sasuke, he couldn't help but be a little concerned as to why he was being called to HQ, and much to his chagrin, Namiko had insisted on joining him.

Sasuke sighed. He would've preferred her to stay where she had protection, but he also didn't want to let her out of his sight. "You shouldn't be walking so much."

"I'll be fine," she said, waving off his concern. "Besides, it sounds important, so I want to be there."

Deciding it was useless to argue with her, Sasuke offered his arm, and Namiko took it, allowing him to steady her as they made their way toward HQ where the Kage were.

They entered, with Namiko standing behind Sasuke, seeing Tsunade standing off to the side, away from the other Kage. His gaze flickered past Tsunade to the two familiar figures standing next to her, shackled and heavily guarded.

Suigetsu and Juugo.

Sasuke clicked his tongue. "Tch…what are you two doing here?"

Tsunade folded her arms across her chest. "So you do know them."

"Yeah, I know them," Sasuke confirmed. "Suigetsu is an idiot, but they're not enemies."

"Gee, thanks for the vote of confidence." Suigetsu, arms crossed, looked as cocky as ever, but his smirk faltered the second he spotted Namiko as she stepped out from behind Sasuke. His deep violet eyes widened comically, and his mouth opened and closed repeatedly like a fish, as if trying to process what he was seeing.

Juugo, more reserved, blinked in surprise, his gaze shifting from Sasuke to Namiko's very obvious, very pregnant belly.

"What. The. Hell…" Suigetsu finally found his voice. "No way."

Namiko blinked at him. "What?"

"What do you mean 'what'?!" Suigetsu gestured wildly between her and Sasuke. "You're—when—how—?"

Namiko quirked an eyebrow mischievously. "You need me to explain how babies are made?"

Juugo cleared his throat, sparing Suigetsu from answering. "We just…didn't know."

"That's because it wasn't your business," Sasuke said coolly, stepping slightly in front of Namiko out of habit.

She lowered her voice, "You don't have to be rude, Sasuke."

Suigetsu scoffed. "Oh, please, you act like you weren't sneaking off with her while we were traveling. That explains why you two were late when we left that cat lady's place," he said with a smirk.

Namiko flushed at the memory, trying to stifle nervous laughter that threatened to bubble up. 'If only he knew the twins were a result of us being late the morning we left Nekobaa's.' She chose to divert the conversation slightly, "We're married now too."

Suigetsu choked on the air he was breathing. "You're kidding."

"Nope," Namiko said, resting a hand on her belly. "And now we're having twins."

Suigetsu looked at Sasuke slyly. "Man, when you do something, you go all in, don't you?" Sasuke glared at him, but Suigetsu just grinned in response.

Juugo, though still surprised, offered a small nod. "Congratulations."

Namiko smiled sweetly at him. "Thank you, Juugo."

Tsunade, who had been watching the exchange with growing impatience, cleared her throat. "As fascinating as this reunion is, I called Sasuke here for a couple of reasons." She turned her attention to him, gesturing to Suigetsu and Juugo. "They walked right up to one of the companies on the outside of base, claiming they have information for us and want to align with the Allied Forces. Naruto already cleared that they aren't Zetsu, but I need you to confirm whether or not we should trust them."

Sasuke regarded his former teammates carefully. Juugo, he trusted. Suigetsu, on the other hand…well, he was known to be a loose cannon sometimes.

"They won't betray me," Sasuke finally said. "Or the Allied Forces."

Tsunade exhaled, clearly not fully trusting but accepting Sasuke's word. "Fine. Since you trust them, you're responsible for them."

Suigetsu grinned as the guards relieved them from their shackles. "Oh, this is gonna be fun." Sasuke was suddenly regretting his decision.

"Now, let's talk about what information you two have for us?" Tsunade asked as she turned to Suigetsu and Juugo.

Surprisingly, Juugo was the one who answered, "Kabuto is behind the Reanimation Jutsu."

"I told you he was," Sasuke said, looking pointedly at Tsunade.

Tsunade shot him a glare before turning back to the duo. "How sure are you of this?"

"One hundred percent." Suigetsu took a sip from his water bottle. "We saw him at one of Orochimaru's old bases. He was getting…samples. You know, the kind that Orochimaru had collected from a bunch of dead people. Soon after, all those reanimated shinobi started popping up."

"We didn't interact with him, and we don't think he saw us, but he's changed," said Juugo warily.

"He looks so much like Orochimaru now, we had to do a double-take." Suigetsu shuddered. "It's eerie."

Sasuke narrowed his eyes. "I knew it."

"That explains a lot," said Tsunade as she exhaled forcefully. "Is that all?" Juugo and Suigetsu both nodded.

"Tsunade-sama, you said you had a couple of reasons for calling Sasuke up here," reminded Namiko gently.
"That I did." Tsunade motioned Sasuke and Namiko away from other listening ears. She took a deep breath before speaking, "Itachi is one of the reanimated shinobi now. It was confirmed less than an hour ago."

Sasuke was frozen in place. He never wanted to see Itachi be used in such a way. He could feel Namiko watching for his reaction but refused to look her in the eye. "You want me to go after him." It was a statement, not a question.

Tsunade nodded. "Logically, you're the only one capable of sealing him. So far, he hasn't attacked anyone, which we're taking as an excellent sign, but he's still dangerous with Kabuto in control."

Namiko laid a hand on his shoulder with just enough pressure to grab his attention. "You should go."

His eyes snapped to her. "No, I can't leave you and the babies and you can't come with me."

"I'll be just fine here, Naruto is still with me to protect me. He's going nowhere." She bit her lower lip as she debated on her next words, "Itachi wouldn't want to be used this way. You need to stop him and set him free."

Namiko was right and he knew it. He ran a hand through his hair before letting out a soft groan of frustration. "I'll go." He paused, glancing over his shoulder at Suigetsu and Juugo. "But I want to take them with me."

"Suit yourself." Tsunade crossed her arms over her chest. "I want you to head out as soon as possible, preferably within the hour. Make sure you keep in contact" She handed him a small scroll. "Inside are the details of his last known whereabouts. ."

"Hn."

An hour later, Sasuke stood with Namiko inside their tent. "You're sure you're okay with me going?"

Namiko pressed her lips in a firm line to keep her tears from falling. "Yes…you need to go."

"You're upset," he stated as he swiped his thumb along her jaw affectionately.

"It's these stupid hormones. You might want to say a prayer for Naruto…he's not going to know what's about to hit him being alone with me for a couple of days." She choked out a laugh, a tear slipping down her cheek. "Come on, you need to go."

"Not before I get one more kiss." Sasuke wrapped an arm around her waist, pulling her as close as he could, kissing her deeply as he kept his hand on the back of her neck to keep her in place.

After several moments, Suigetsu's voice shouted from outside, "You ready to go, boss?"

He broke apart from Namiko. "Be there in a minute." He placed his hands on either side of her stomach. "I love you…and I love them. I'll be back, I promise."

Namiko put on a brave smile. "You better, because I love you too."

Sasuke walked out of their tent. She activated her chakra sensing long enough until she knew he was out of earshot before nearly collapsing on her futon. The twins both squirmed strongly, stretching and kicking. She laid a gentle hand on her stomach. "Don't worry, you two, your papa will be back soon…"

A/N: Whew! That's a wrap for this chapter. Thank you all for hanging in there with me. I was sick, my youngest was sick, and so many things caused chaos. I appreciate every single one of you!
This chapter we got some laughs and yes, Sui and Juugo are back for good. I honestly love Suigetsu so much, he's so much fun to write. Next chapter, we'll see Sasuke's confrontation with Itachi and sibling bonding between both sets of siblings…and maybe a surprise that one of my readers suggested a while back.
Anyways, I will see you all next week!
Love, Eriisu

PS: Comments are my tip jar!