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Early in the evening, in the Hyuga compound;
Screams and loud groans of extreme pain emanated from behind the closed door of one of the compound's many rooms.
Few people stood in front of the door.
The clan head, his brother, a few members of the main house, and the branch house, along with two Hyuga elders.
The pained screams coming from the nearby room didn't faze them as they waited patiently for any news.
Although it didn't appear on his face, Hiashi was feeling worried and anxious.
His wife was in there giving birth to their second child since before sunset, and he felt that something was wrong.
The first time she gave birth, there were screams of pain, but not to the extent that he was hearing right now.
He hopes that it's his anxiety talking and that everything was fine.
A few minutes later, the door opened, making the sound of pain more apparent as a midwife walked out before closing the door behind her.
She turned to look at Hiashi, who felt a pit form in his stomach seeing the look of alarm, panic, and hurry on her face.
"What is it? Is everything going fine?" Hiashi asked with his usual blank tone and face, masking the growing discomfort he felt.
He and the others looked at the midwife, waiting for an answer.
The white eyes of the midwife trembled for a second before looking down at the ground and opening her mouth to speak.
"Hitomi-sama's situation is dire." She started shocking those hearing her, while Hiashi's form trembled ever so slightly, and his eyes widened slightly.
"The unborn baby was breech when her contractions started and was brought here. The baby then started to rotate with her increasing contractions, but now she is stuck after rotating only 90 degrees. That, along with Hitomi-sama starting to bleed internally and her chakra going haywire." The midwife said with a slightly panicked tone
What she said caused tense silence to spread among those present, with Hiashi's fists clenching while shaking slightly.
"What is the course of action now?" Hizashi asked, knowing what his brother's thoughts and emotions are like right now.
The midwife seemed to hesitate, still looking towards the ground, before speaking again.
"We (midwives), along with the medics, see two possible courses of action. We focus on delivering the baby, giving it the best chance of survival. Or we can try to save both mother and child, but... that has a very high probability of... losing them both." The midwife said, her voice getting smaller and smaller with every word.
The atmosphere grew more tense with everyone looking at each other, trying to process and find a solution to what was just heard, while Hiashi looked at the door behind which his wife was dying before looking away.
Even as an experienced shinobi and the clan head of one of the most infamous shinobi clans in the ninja world, he thought he would never be asked to choose between saving his child while letting his wife basically die or gamble with both their lives.
For a few moments, silence dominated the place as all eyes glanced at Hiashi to see what he would say.
"I..." Hiashi was about to say something before he abruptly stopped as his mind thought of something. As the thought got a strong and desperate hold on his mind, he thought deeply for a moment before looking at the midwife.
"Ca...can Hitomi hold on for some time?" Hiashi asked while trying to maintain his usual demeanor
The others blinked at the question, trying to figure out its purpose.
"Well, we are doing all we can to keep Hitomi-sama alive using medical devices and chakra, but she is barely stable and in enormous amounts of pain. Her situation can deteriorate to the point of no return at any moment." The midwife replied
"Just keep her stable for a bit. I will go and get the best medical nin I know," Hiashi replied, making the midwife and the others blink in surprise.
"I... If the situation turns for the worse before I return... Sa... Save the child... I know Hitomi would want that..." Hiashi said that with great difficulty, hoping that it wouldn't come to that. The others stayed silent upon hearing that.
The midwife nodded after a moment before reentering the room to relay what Hiashi said to the others.
"Let's go," Hiashi said to Hizashi, who nodded, before the two disappeared in a body flicker, leaving the others silently wondering what was going to happen.
...
A minute later, in the Hokage office:
Hiruzen sighed as he looked at the few remaining tasks and paperwork he needed to complete before he could retire for the evening.
The thought of going home made a small smile appear on his face. A type of smile that has been seen on him after losing his wife about five years ago.
Why?
His first grandchild was born about two months ago, and he has been happy to go home ever since so he can spend time with him.
Konohamaru, as Hiruzen had named him, was a blessing to the aging old man after the loss of his wife a while back. Making spending the evenings with the infant a lot more enjoyable for Hirzen than the silence that he had to endure after the Kyuubi attack.
His eldest son and his wife, Konohamaru's parents, had tried to be there for the old man, which he appreciated, but they, too, are busy with their duties.
Now his daughter-in-law is staying for an extended time, taking care of her son. This made Hiruzen start to look forward to going home, unlike before.
Don't get the old man wrong; he sees Naruto and Mito as his grandchildren, too, enjoying the time when he meets them or when he and Naruto chat outside Anbu duties, but these two have their own home and lives, meeting him a few times a month or when Ryuu comes to take missions directly from him.
But it is something different for the old man to come home to his grandson's laughs and giggles after almost five years of silent evenings and quiet mornings.
Suddenly, the sound of arguing was approaching his door, making him pause his thoughts and what he was doing.
He looked up from the papers in front of him and towards the door as the sound grew closer and closer until it was near the door.
Knock x3
"Come in," Hiruzen said while deep in thought. What was this about? He wasn't expecting anything else for tonight.
The door opens, allowing Hiruzen to see the Hyuga twins, who were being prevented from entering by the Anbu guards and his secretary.
"I deeply apologize for the sudden interruption, Hokage-sama. But this is very important," Hiashi said, his usual demeanor absent as Hiruzen could see panic on his face.
"Let them come in. You all wait outside." Hiruzen said
The Anbu guards nodded, allowing the twins to enter before closing the door.
"What is it, Hiashi?" Hiruzen asked, looking at the Hyuga clan head.
"May I know where Tsunade-sama is, Hokage-sama? I asked for her in the hospital, and they said she is on leave and out of the village," Hiashi said with a voice akin to desperation.
"She is out of the village, on a mission to the fire capital. Why?" Hiruzen replied only to see the color drain from Hiashi's face and tremble slightly.
"Hitomi-sama is giving birth, and it's not going well at all. We were told that we could lose her, the child, or both, so we were looking for Tsunade-sama to ask for help. "Hizashi was the one to reply as he steadied his brother, gripping onto his arm.
"Oh..." Hiruzen breathed out as he looked at the pale Hiashi with a complicated expression. Before blinking at an idea that appeared in his head
"You can go ask Naruto for help. He should be home in the Senju compound after leaving my office an hour or so ago," Hiruzen offered, making the twins look at him. Naruto had come to brief him on Yugao's situation and to tell him that she had woken up.
"Naruto? Tsunade-sama's son?" Hizashi inquired, to which Hiruzen nodded
"Yes, your best chance is asking him. His medical prowess is nearing the same league as Tsunade's; it might as well be the same." Hiruzen praised with a small, proud smile, surprising the twins.
"Then we will take our leave, Hokage-sama. We apologize for disturbing you." Hiashi said with a small amount of hope returning to him as he and Hizashi bowed slightly to Hiruzen before disappearing in a body flicker.
"Hope everything turns out fine," Hiruzen muttered to himself as he returned to his work, while making sure to remember to ask about the outcome later.
...
At the same time, in the library of the Senju main house:
Naruto sat behind a desk with a scroll between his hands on the office desk. He was reading its contents while writing notes on the side. He was surrounded by books, scrolls, notes, and other things as he focused deeply on what was between his hands.
This was one of the several projects and concepts that he was working on in his spare time.
In his week off, he trains in the morning alone, with the Uchiha, or with Guy. Spend part of his day with his little sisters and Akari if she isn't busy in the hospital. Then spends the rest of his day working on his personal projects, jutsu, and his plans.
A minute or two goes by as Naruto focuses on a certain part of the scroll before writing down notes.
The moment he looked at the scroll again, he got interrupted.
Knock x3
Naruto looked up from what was in his hands to the library door with his eyebrows raised slightly.
"Come in, Akari-nee-san," Naruto said, sensing who was behind the door.
As the door opened, Akari stood in the doorway with an uncertain look on her face.
"Sorry to disturb you, Naruto-kun. But there is someone who says his name is Hiashi Hyuga, and he came to ask for your help with his wife's delivery complications." Akari said with a bit of uncertainty in her voice. She didn't know who those people were who came knocking on the Senju compound. She just delivered the message, and it is up to Naruto now.
Naruto's eyebrows rose even higher as he turned to look in the direction of the compound gate, with his senses already locking onto two familiar chakra signatures of the Hyuga twins. He could sense the panic, worry, fear (of loss), and desperation. More so from Hiashi.
Naruto could picture the twins standing there, blank-faced and composed. But emotions don't lie.
No regular complication in delivery would make the Hyuga clan head come to his home and ask for help.
"I will be leaving for a bit, Nee-san. Take care of yourself and the girls." Naruto said as he looked back at Akari, who nodded.
Naruto stood up from his desk before disappearing in a body flicker.
...
At the gate of the Senju compound;
It has been a minute or so since they talked to the red-haired woman. A minute that felt like an hour for Hiashi.
Time felt as if it were running out, from going to the hospital to going to the Hokage's office to coming here. It felt like an eternity. Even though it was a few minutes, it felt like a few minutes that stretched for hours, yet ran out incredibly quickly at the same time.
Hiashi's thoughts, which were running wild with possibilities, were interrupted by a handful of leaves that appeared in front of him, with Naruto appearing in the middle of the still-floating leaves.
"Let's go; give me the details on the way," Naruto said as he was still securing his jonin vest.
Hiashi nodded without saying anything before all three disappeared in a body flicker.
...
In the Hyuga compound;
"Is Hiashi-sama back yet?" The midwife said with an almost defeated, frightened, and panicked tone.
She was peeking out from behind the door, looking at those waiting in front of the room door, who were looking at each other, not knowing what to say.
What was frightening was the lack of painful screams coming from behind the slightly open door. All that could be heard were faint, hoarse, breathless wheezes of pain.
The midwife looked at the people near the door, waiting for an answer, but got none.
She was about to go back inside and close the door, intending to do what the clan head ordered, when three people appeared.
"Please," Hiash said with a barely measured voice as he pointed at the door. To which Naruto nodded.
"You listen to what he says," Hiashi said to the midwife, who wordlessly nodded before she closed the door behind her and Naruto.
"Who is that?" One of the elders asked
Hiashi didn't reply as his eyes locked on the door in front of him.
...
In the delivery room;
The moment Naruto's eyes fell on Hitomi's form, his face darkened.
Her situation was more dire than Hiashi described, with her face being so deathly pale, making it seem so.
He pushed aside a medic and a midwife on Hitomi's right side and had two fingers pressed against the side of her neck.
"Who are you and what are you doing here?" the oldest Hyuga midwife also shouted at Naruto, while the others muttered heatedly to each other.
A shinobi who isn't a Hyuga seems to have barged into the delivery room of the Hyuga clan head's wife.
"Hiashi-sama brought him here." The midwife, who brought Naruto inside, said, making the others go silent.
"From now on, this is a surgical operation. Anyone who doesn't have extensive medical experience, please leave. I need to sterilize this setting," Naruto said as he unsealed a large medical bag and started putting on gloves.
Those who were present were still processing when they saw Naruto form two shadow clones and start working on Hitomi.
They glanced at the midwife who brought him, as if asking a question.
"Do as he says. Hiashi-sama's orders," the midwife said.
...
A bit after midnight;
Hiashi stood with his brother near the door alongside the others, still waiting for what was inside to conclude and to know what the outcome was.
The last few hours were a turmoil of emotions.
Just a minute after Naruto went inside, Hiashi and the others were surprised by a few midwives walking out of the room.
That made Hiashi expect the worst until one of the midwives explained what happened inside, making him calm down slightly.
Then, almost an hour later, the sound of a newborn infant crying came from inside.
At that time, relief and happiness washed over Hiashi, mirrored by his brother and the other.
But the unknown fate of his wife almost killed the happiness that he felt.
And since then, he has waited by the door, waiting and hoping for good news.
The sound of the door opening made his eyes snap onto who was coming out.
As soon as he saw it was Naruto, he braced himself for what he was going to hear.
"The child and the mother live," Naruto said with an even tone.
"And congratulations. It is a healthy baby girl." Naruto said with a small smile, looking at Hiashi.
There was a moment of silence before the atmosphere turned celebratory, as much as Hyuga would do, with congratulations directed at Hiashi, who finally breathed a sigh of relief.
"Have you got a name prepared?" Naruto asked Hiashi
"Yes. Hitomi and I agreed on naming the child Hanabi if it were a girl," Hiashi said with an ever-so-small smile.
"Hanabi Hyuga, huh. very nice name." Naruto replied
"Thank you," Hiashi replied. Feeling eternally grateful to the young Shinobi in front of him
"Can I see them?" Hiashi asked, looking at Naruto.
"You can see them briefly, and only you, medics, and nurses can. Others could visit when Hitomi-san wakes up." Naruto said
"Come inside to see them. I also need to talk to you alone." Naruto said, to which Hiashi nodded
As Hiashi entered the room, followed by Naruto, his eyes fell onto his wife's form covered with a hospital gown, lying on a bed with machines and a breathing mask on her, along with multiple solutions and a blood bag connected to her.
Near her was a small bed on which a newborn slept quietly.
Hiashi approached the newborn quietly before picking her up softly to not disturb her sleep.
For a minute or so, Hiashi silently looked at his newborn daughter, taking in her features and how she looked.
Then he looked back at his wife before looking at Naruto.
"What happened? Why is she in such a state?" Hiashi said in a low voice.
"That is what I wanted to discuss with you." Naruto started with a low voice
"Can you tell me if anything out of the ordinary happened during her pregnancy? Anything that seemed different from her first one?" Naruto asked in a low voice.
"Not that I can think of. Hitomi has basically retired from being a shinobi after getting pregnant with Hinata. Other than spending time with our daughter, she didn't do anything that I could say was out of the ordinary. She did train after giving birth to Hinata, but that was paused when we found out she was pregnant again. " Hiashi said in a low voice.
Naruto stayed silent for a moment after hearing that as his mind raced between different thoughts.
"Then I have no choice but to wait for her to wake up to ask about her side of things," Naruto muttered silently.
"As in?" Hiashi asked, looking at Naruto.
"Hitomi-san is lucky to be alive." Naruto started, making Hiashi's brows tighten.
"Her abdominal area and her reproductive organs are a mess. I am still trying to find a cause, as all the ones that come to mind are incorrect. There are no traces of poison, malnutrition, or visible external causes." Naruto said with a low voice while Hiashi listened silently.
"While she did survive and gave birth to a very healthy child, that is how far good news goes. Even though I healed her, there is a possibility that she can't return to shinobi life even if she wanted to. The damage that her abdomen sustained from the stress, internal bleeding, and childbirth complications is extensive. Even with her healed, it's not the same as before." Naruto said
"I see," Hiashi said as he looked at his wife
"That's not all," Naruto said, making Hiashi look at him once more.
"I advise against her trying to get pregnant again in the future," Naruto said in a low voice, making Hiashi's eyes widen.
"This birth has done a lot of harm to her reproductive organs. If she gets pregnant again in the future, there is a high possibility that the fetus won't survive. And if it did, Hitomi-san and the child might not make it next time." Naruto finished in a low voice.
Hiashi stood silently for a moment, thinking about what he had just heard.
His line of thought was broken when he felt a tiny movement in his arms, making him look at his newborn daughter.
Two sets of white eyes looked at each other for what seemed like a minute before the little one started to fuss.
"Here," Naruto said
Hiashi looked at him, only to be surprised by being handed a feeding bottle with warm milk in it.
Hiashi took it and looked at Naruto, trying to figure out where the bottle came from, only for Hanabi to fuss even more and be about to start crying, making Hiashi put the tip of the bottle to her lips, which the newborn drank from vigorously.
"I will be leaving now. Make sure to take care of both of them and have someone come and tell me when Hitomi-san wakes up." Naruto said, to which Hiashi nodded
"Thank you. My family and I are eternally grateful for your help." Hiashi said
"You are welcome. Take care." Naruto said before disappearing in a body flicker, leaving after he had kept the now-family of four complete.
To be continued.
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