Chapter 9: Expecting.

Author Note: Nothing of importance, just enjoy the chapter, and if you have any questions, make sure to comment!

I fixed the chapter numeration in patreeeon. So, now the number of the chapter here matches with the one in patreeeon.

And like always, remember if you want to read up to 10 chapters ahead go to https://www.patreón.com/cornbringer

I'm currently updating the novel 2-3 chapters a day in patreeeeon.

Discord invite: https://discord.gg/XHduApz

Enjoy you sexy bastards.

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A few months had passed since the end of the Third Shinobi War, and life in Konoha had slowly begun to return to a semblance of normalcy. The scars of the war were still very visible, but things were getting better; everyone was determined to rebuild and move forward.

Today, like most days, my mother and I were making our way to the Uchiha compound for training.

Training had been more intense since Fugaku had returned to the clan full-time, giving me the opportunity to hone my skills even further.

"Are you excited to see Itachi again?" my mother asked, her voice breaking through my thoughts.

I nodded, a small smile tugging at my lips. "I suppose, though I'm mostly excited about the training."

My mother smiled warmly, squeezing my hand. "Whatever you say, honey."

I raised an eyebrow at that. Was she doubting my words? I mean, sure I enjoyed Itachi's company quite a lot, but I enjoyed training even more.

Hmm, I wonder if that makes me a bad friend?

As we approached the Uchiha compound, the large gates loomed ahead, the Uchiha crest right in the middle. Instead of the usual guards by the gates, we were greeted by Lady Mikoto, who stood at the entrance with a warm smile on her face. Her belly was noticeably large, a clear sign that she was nine months pregnant, and that Sasuke was on his way.

"Mai, Takeshi, welcome!" Mikoto greeted us, her voice filled with warmth.

"Hello, Mikoto," my mother replied, returning the smile. "It's good to see you."

"A pleasure to be back, Lady Mikoto," I added, bowing slightly.

"Always so respectful," Mikoto sighed, shaking her head. "I've been trying for years to get him to drop the 'lady,' but he never listens."

"How are you feeling, Mikoto?" my mother asked, glancing at her friend's swollen belly.

"I'm doing well, thank you," Mikoto replied, her eyes shining with happiness. "I'm due in two weeks."

"That's wonderful news," my mother said, her smile widening. "You must be so excited."

Mikoto nodded, a beaming smile on her face. "We are. Itachi is especially excited to have a younger sibling. He's been very attentive and protective."

Very attentive and protective? That's the understatement of the century. In the last few months of Lady Mikoto's pregnancy, Itachi had turned into a brooding hen, not letting Lady Mikoto do anything that could be considered even remotely tiring.

During our last training session, I spent most of the day cooking for Lady Mikoto while Itachi massaged her swollen feet and ankles. Though, I suppose I did learn a few things that day, one of them being cooking.

"Where's Itachi?" I asked. Usually, by now, he would have been out here already, eager to start our training. Or, considering Lady Mikoto's condition, he would be around her protecting her.

"Oh, he's inside with Fugaku," Mikoto replied, waving us over to follow her. "He's having some lessons about the clan's economy and such, but he will be out in a few minutes."

Oh right, I had almost forgotten Itachi now has those types of lessons. They sound rather boring.

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As we settled into the garden and my mother and Lady Mikoto started chatting about mom-related things, a loud sound was heard in the distance. Uzumaki Kushina came striding into the compound, kicking doors open. Quite literally.

That woman was loud. No matter what she was doing or where she was doing it, she would make it loud. I wonder if that's the reason she and her husband bought a house on the outskirts of the village… you know, to avoid disturbing the neighbors during their marital activities.

"Mikoto! Mai! It's so good to see you both, you know!" Kushina called out, her voice booming across the courtyard, making the few birds around flutter away in fear.

"Kushina!" Mikoto replied, her face lighting up even more. "What a pleasant surprise!"

Mai laughed, being the first to embrace Kushina. "It's been too long, Kushina. How have you been?"

Too long? You all had tea two days ago.

Kushina grinned, placing her hands on her hips. "Busy as always, but you know me, I can't stay away from my friends for too long, you know!"

I still remember the day we first met, which is also the day she first kidnapped me. To this day, I still find the event quite strange, and even more so the fact she made a habit of kidnapping me to eat ramen together.

Mikoto smiled and gestured towards the table in the middle of her garden, which was filled with an assortment of dishes, snacks, desserts, and drinks for them to enjoy, each item pregnancy-safe, of course. "Well, you have good timing, Kushina. We were just about to start lunch."

"Well, it's not ramen, but I suppose it will do," Kushina remarked, heading straight for the table with an enthusiastic grin.

"How's Minato?" I asked as Kushina took a seat between my mother and Mikoto.

"Ah, that man is as busy as a bee," Kushina replied with a roll of her vibrant violet eyes, though there was a sign of a smile on her face. "He's swamped with all these meetings and missions, but he's holding up well."

"I'm glad," I replied.

Namikaze Minato, or as his enemies call him, Konoha's Yellow Flash, the fastest ninja in the world. I still remember the first time I met the man in person. It was during one of Kushina's weekly kidnappings. I don't know why exactly, but that time he happened to join our table at the ramen joint Kushina likes to frequent, Ichiraku's.

Since meeting Kushina, I've been asking myself a lot of questions about what little I know about this world and what is supposed to happen… but after meeting Minato, those questions just answered themselves, at least the questions revolving around the two.

It was clear as day that they were, or would be, Naruto's parents.

That revelation, however, brought a peculiar question to my mind. How had no one ever connected the dots about Naruto's parentage in the anime? There was absolutely no way everyone in the village had that low of an IQ. I understand that after Naruto's parents died, they had to keep his connection to them a secret as a protective measure, meaning that legally speaking, only a handful of Konoha's high-ranking shinobi were aware of the truth, including but not limited to the Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen, and his council.

But even if the rest of the village wasn't privy to that information and the ones that knew about it weren't spreading the word, how in the actual hell had no one connected the damn dots? It wasn't that difficult of a puzzle. I mean, all someone needed to discover Naruto's parentage was a history book. Even if the book was edited to avoid giving it away, the only Uzumaki in our village was Kushina, and Minato was the only blonde in the entire village whose hair looked like it was colored by a yellow highlighter.

And I can already hear someone saying, "But Takeshi, there's an entire clan of blondes in the village, the Yamanaka." And to that I say, no. The Yamanakas were more along the lines of silver blond, while Naruto and his dad were more along the lines of radioactive blond.

I sighed. I suppose there's no point in trying to find the logic in something that hasn't even happened yet. Maybe after Naruto's birth, they use a jutsu to make everyone dumber, and everything just makes sense. I don't know, something like Kinjutsu: Extra Chromosome, or something like that.

That would explain a lot of the things I did remember, otherwise I had no idea how things like this could even make sense.