Naruto, You're Not Pregnant!

Naruto, You're Not Pregnant!


Chapter 7: Parenting 101


Naruto sat with Masashi on his lap, looking at him in wonder. Now that Sai and Sakura had left, he was left to deal with his son by himself.

His son.

Naruto took a deep breath and exhaled, his eyes glued to the face of his son. It would take some time to get used to the idea of being a father. Currently Masashi was sleeping peacefully on his lap, and Naruto didn't want to move in fear of waking Masashi up. Babies slept a lot; it was one of the things that had been mentioned in the baby manual. He was also loathe to move because he didn’t like the thought of waking Masashi and making him cry. There were things he needed to do, but Masashi took priority now. It was one of only many things he would have to figure out with Masashi now in his life.

Obviously his life was about to change a lot. He would no longer be able to go on missions without first making sure Masashi had someone to take care of him. Idly he wondered if part of the reason Sasuke gave Masashi to him was because the baby would be too much of a burden traveling. He hoped whatever reason Sasuke had for giving him up it had been a hard decision for the bastard. If he had just come back with Masashi, they could have been able to work out a schedule together of who went on missions while both taking care of their son…

Naruto stopped his thoughts. This was Sasuke he was thinking about. The bastard had refused to come back for years. Even now that it would have been the most logical and best thing for Masashi for Sasuke to come home, Sasuke still stayed away.

As he looked at his sleeping son, Naruto looked at the face of the child he and Sasuke shared. Masashi was a miracle. He had no idea how Sasuke could have gotten pregnant. He had no idea how Sasuke had given birth. Masashi shouldn’t have been possible, yet here he was. Shouldn’t Masashi’s miracle of merely existing showed Sasuke that it was a sign Sasuke should come back home to Konoha?

Okay, so maybe it would have been completely awkward because they were two men who had a son. And Naruto wasn’t deluded into thinking that Sasuke would want to move in with him and start a family…

In fact, Naruto had never really considered what the relationship between them was any more. After all, having sex didn’t equal forever, but it didn’t quite mean just friendship. Naruto cared about Sasuke a lot, but he hadn’t actually thought about them together romantically.

Naruto blushed as he thought about kissing Sasuke and touching him sexually. It was hard for him to think about; he wondered if Sasuke-bastard had thought about them together like that. Or maybe he had. And maybe he was so repulsed with Naruto that he would never want to see him again…

Sighing to himself, Naruto decided he didn’t want to dwell on that at the moment, so now would be as good a time as any to practice his sage chakra. Since he already had to sit still in order not to wake Masashi, he merely let the sage chakra flow through him. Immediately he became aware of the chakra sense surrounding his son. Even as a mere infant, he exuded a sharp and distinct signature, making Naruto's face split into a wide, proud grin. Taking another deep breath he felt the nearby chakras, ignoring them for the most part as he gathered more chakra into his being.

However, with Masashi sitting on his lap, it felt as though Masashi's chakra were echoing back to him. It was a strange sensation, and one that Naruto had never felt before. It was as though he could feel a faint, almost but not quite, identical chakra signature far out reaching.

It could be that since Naruto had never practiced his sage chakra while holding someone, it could just be that there was an added effect with the way he sensed someone else's chakra while he touched them. Yet Naruto, growing excited at the thought, wondered if maybe it was Masashi's connection to Sasuke that he felt. After all, Naruto had been sure that he'd been pregnant. He had gotten sympathy pains around the same time Sasuke must have. Clearly Masashi had been connected to him for Naruto to have sensed that.

Perhaps the echo was Masashi's connection to Sasuke. Maybe he could use that to his advantage and use the echo from Masashi's chakra to find Sasuke.

Now that Naruto was focusing on it, there was even a bit of difference to it. Then again, it seemed very, very far away. He couldn't quite sense Sasuke's chakra, but at the same time, it was definitely very similar to Masashi's. So many possibilities came to Naruto. There were things that he could do now to find Sasuke.

He couldn't leave Masashi, not yet, but he would figure out a way to use this new found connection between Masashi and Sasuke to confront Sasuke. Naruto couldn't fathom why Sasuke would give up their son. Why had he gone through so much only to give up the little guy?

Naruto held Masashi closer to his chest.

"I'll find him for us. I promise," Naruto said. Masashi cooed in his sleep.


- - - - - - - - - - - -


Several weeks prior...


"Sasuke is due today, and I don't have the book ready," Karin said as she looked through all of her completed pages, rifling through her notes and did her best to compile unfinished pages into a semblance of order.

"Chill. Sasuke doesn't need a textbook for parenting 101. He'll be fine as he goes. Then again, I think you should add in some instructions on what to do if the baby gets sick because that’s usually what parents don’t know," Suigetsu mused as he flipped through the note cards Karin had been making.

"Oh no! I completely forgot to add that in!" Karin fretted as she flipped through one of the many baby books that she had gotten in order to help obtain information.

Juugo watch on amused as his two other teammates flipped through the books that they had borrowed from the local village library to compile information on this stupid baby manual Karin was putting together. He had a feeling that Sasuke wouldn't use it anyway.

They'd been in the same village for over two weeks now. It was clear that Sasuke was unable to travel very far in case he "went" at any minute. But as no one was quite sure how he would go into labor, or even if he could, they decided to find someone they thought would be competent enough to give a man a cesarean section. They'd scheduled it for today.

Sasuke was currently at the doctor's and had forbidden them to come with him for the time being. In the meanwhile, Karin was darting about doing her best to keep busy so that she wouldn’t start freaking out. Juugo mused that so far she was failing.

Suigetsu seemed nervous as well. They were all a bit put out that Sasuke didn't want them there with him, but at the same time with how stressed out he'd been, it might be a good thing just in case he accidentally-on-purpose crushed one of their hands if they suggested holding it for support.

"I should be there with him," Karin said as she huffily grabbed the cards from Suigetsu's hand. He sneered at her but didn't try and take them back.

"It wouldn't do much good. He's unconscious for it," Suigetsu noted.

"What? He decided to go under anesthetics? I'm surprised he didn't have us there to back him up. He'll be vulnerable! Is he stupid?" Juugo noted, worried. Suigetsu shrugged.

"I think it's due to that problem of his where he doesn't like people to see him weak. Sometimes his genius fails him when his pride gets in the way," Suigetsu said thoughtfully.

"Why are you so perceptive and yet still such an ass?" Karin asked him. Suigetsu grinned, showing her his pointed teeth.

"It's a gift."

"I still don't like the idea of Sasuke being there alone. Letting someone experiment on him without being conscious is how he got into this mess in the first place," Juugo said worriedly.

"Actually, I think having sex is how he got really into trouble," Suigetsu pointed out. Karin glowered at him. He turned to look at her. "Karin, what will it take to get you to realize he's not gonna ever like you like that?"

"He's just going through a trying time. He will come to his senses eventually, especially when he sees the baby needs a proper mother," Karin said defensively.

"That rules you out," Suigetsu countered.

"I'm going to check up on him," Juugo said, ignoring both Karin and Suigetsu.

"He said he didn't want us there! We need to respect his wishes," Karin said.

"If he is unconscious, he won't be able to stop me," Juugo pointed out.

"Oo, good point. I'm coming with you!" Suigetsu volunteered his company. He turned to look at Karin. "You can stay here and Sasuke can know you were the good girl and did as he told you to."

"I can't let him see that I didn't want to come though!"

The three of them ended up marching over to the small clinic where Sasuke was undergoing his “procedure.” The medics were competent. Not to mention they had found out that the head medic was a missing nin from the Mist, and they would use that to lord over her head if she threatened them in anyway or tried to reveal Sasuke’s identity. Their money was also an added benefit, the majority of which she wouldn't see until after a successful delivery.

When the three of them came to the door, the head medic who met them looked grim.

"Is he okay?" Karin asked, concerned.

"Physically he's fine. Mentally..." the woman trailed off, letting them come inside.

"The procedure didn't go well? Is the baby okay?" Juugo wondered. If the baby had died, then all of that turmoil that Sasuke had gone through would gnaw at him. He didn't take well to death, and if his own child had died after he had been so careful for so long, Juugo couldn't imagine how Sasuke would react.

"Everything went perfectly, especially considering the bizarre situation," the doctor said, a tilt of her chin to show that she wouldn't have let anything bad happen to either of her patients. "It just went a bit…unexpectedly."

The woman led them from the waiting room down a corridor where all the patient rooms were located. Karin looked behind a door and whispered to her teammates.

"Sasuke's in there, and he seems to be in anguish," Karin relayed, reading his chakra. They were all a little perturbed when the woman led them down the hallway instead of into his room.

"We’re heading to the nursery," the head medic explained.

Karin's breath hitched, and she realized before either one of them what had happened.

Juugo swore softly upon entering the nursery, immediately realizing why Sasuke was having such a hard time emotionally.

Suigetsu cocked his head to the side.

"I don't get what the problem is."

"Suigetsu, can you count?" Karin snarled.

After Juugo explained what exactly Sasuke's dilemma was, they headed in to see Sasuke.

He was sitting up, staring off to the side. He looked pale and exhausted, but overall okay, yet his eyes were focused downward, his fists clenched. No one knew quite what to say, but Sasuke uncharacteristically did not stay silent.

"Twins," Sasuke hissed. "Brothers. Two boys. One was fine. But to have two Uchiha brothers it's tempting disaster. I can feel it to my very core. They will grow to hate each other. That’s how Uchiha brothers work. It will be just like Itachi and me all over again."

Sasuke closed his eyes. His body was utterly exhausted after the unprecedented procedure. His chakra supply was low, and his body was reacting strangely to just having had twins.

"Yeah, that really does kinda seem a bit cruel after all you went through with Itachi," Suigetsu said a bit tactlessly. Sasuke ignored him.

"Really though, what does it matter?" Karin said, trying to be upbeat. "If you raise them, then it will be fine. It’s not like it’s written somewhere that all Uchiha brothers hate each other. You and Itachi did end up liking each other even if you didn’t know about it. You'll be able to-"

"How would they not find out about the horrible link our bloodline has? How would they not know about my history if they grow up with me? How would they not know they could become insanely powerful by getting the mangekyou and taking their twin’s eyes? They will ask questions. And if one develops the sharingan slower than the other, even the mere jealousy and temptations...I need to rest and think things through." He looked away before changing the topic. "Now that there are twins and we know their gender, I need you three to go and get the rest of their supplies. More boys’ clothing and more diapers and formula."

The rest of his team didn't speak as they exited his room. He laid back on his pillow, letting out a deep, worried sigh. Fate was cruel. He'd been excited thinking that he would help repopulate his clan. A small part of him had hoped for a girl because they usually seemed more docile. He also had rather liked the idea of having a daughter who was a daddy's girl. On the other hand, he'd be able to relate easier to a boy. But he'd never imagined having twins. He'd expected that he'd only have one shot.

But the medic nin had explained that the babies were identical twins, and that they had split from one egg.

It should be a happy day. Instead, he had to immediately worry about what to do in order to prevent disaster in the future.

Certain that he had given his teammates enough time to leave, Sasuke got out of the hospital bed, feeling strange without the weight of the baby – babies rather – in his stomach. He righted himself, refusing to show any more weakness than he already had, and strode down the nursery where the babies had been put.

The medic nin frowned at him but didn't stop him as he entered, looking at the two sleeping babes in their own separate cribs. Something in his chest constricted in both joy and pain at seeing them. He wondered if it were truly possible for him to raise them as brothers should be raised. He'd heard twins had a special connection that bonded them together.

As he watched his two completely helpless and innocent infants sleep, it seemed foolish to project their future as though they were already threats. He smiled as one twitched in his sleep, his tiny fist bunched up and jerking around. He had to have been the one that had kept Sasuke awake some nights with the way he twitched.

Naruto came forcibly to mind. Sasuke's smile vanished as he wondered how Naruto would feel knowing that he and Sasuke had conceived two sons. Sasuke shook his head. It was never a conversation that Sasuke had been able to see himself having with Naruto. Part of him knew that if he were to ever let Naruto know they had a child, Naruto's obsession to find him would increase a hundred fold – at least.

Then again, Sasuke had never anticipated having twins.

The thought of separating the two of them was strangely appealing as much as it was cliché: twins separated at birth. He wasn't sure how his sons would feel if they were separated and met years later. Angry, most likely, but perhaps it was a good idea. Sasuke didn't trust the idea of two Uchiha brothers growing up together. The jealousy and discord that it could create if one felt inferior or if one tried to lord his higher power over the other was nothing to scoff at. Sasuke could clearly remember how horrible it had felt not to have reached the same standards Itachi had as a child. Not to mention Itachi had been so certain of his ability to control Sasuke that the good he thought he had been doing had instead done so much more damage to Sasuke’s mentality.

Not to mention that if he and his teammates traveled with twins many complications would arise. Having one infant with them would be bad enough, and it would more than double their problems with another child because if one started to cry, the other was likely to start crying. It would be harder to calm them down. They’d also be carrying close to twice as many supplies.

Plus, it seemed as though having twins had presented him a solution to the slight guilt he felt about keeping their child from Naruto. If he kept one and sent the other away to Naruto…

On the other hand, it seemed almost foolish to separate them just because of the fear that they would one day in the distant future develop the same twisted relationship most other Uchiha brothers had shared. If they were separated and met up later, there was no telling how the two would react to each other. It could even be worse.

Yet if he did give one to Naruto, Naruto would raise him happily and with so much love, he doubted that twin would become hateful and resentful. Sasuke would be able to talk to the twin he kept about how much his brother had done for him (leaving out the bad), and perhaps make the other twin almost envious, wishing for a brother.

And yet his heart burned at the thought of giving one of them up.

Even so, he felt beyond all reason the right thing to do was to separate them to keep them safe. It was a gut reaction. If he kept his sons together, something bad would happen. And he knew he should go with his gut.

It was what a really good parent would do; do what was best for the sake of the child without any thought of his own desires. It should be an easy decision to sacrifice what a parent wanted for their child’s needs.

Sasuke wished he weren't so selfish.

Next Chapter: Double Trouble

And here a lot of you were thinking Sasuke just gave up poor Masashi because he didn’t want him.

Anyway, did anyone catch the hint in chapter 5 that there would be twins? No? Well, I’ll tell you what the hint was, and perhaps that will help you to know the name of the other twin. The hint: Masashi’s name. Masashi Kishimoto has a twin brother, hence one of the reasons I went with the name Masashi since I knew he was a twin.

Hope you enjoyed the chapter! ~ Jelp