Night lay black as ink over Konoha Hospital. Only a few emergency lights remained on in the corridor, their dim yellow glow filling the air with the sharp smell of disinfectant.
Tsunade stepped out of the gynecology exam room.
A report was clenched in her hand, her fingertips trembling slightly.
She drew a deep breath, folded the report, and tucked it deep inside the front of her clothes. Then she smoothed down the long hair she had disguised with the Transformation Jutsu.
With her status, if word got out that she had come in for a pregnancy checkup, the entire shinobi world would be shaken.
She braced herself against the wall and slowly walked forward.
The tiny life in her belly had only just begun to sprout. She could not feel anything yet.
But she knew there was already a small seed there, taking root and beginning to grow.
That bastard…
She cursed him in her heart.
Yet the corners of her lips still rose on their own.
She was already decades old, and here she was, sneaking around for a pregnancy checkup like a thief.
"Ma'am?" a doctor called from behind her. "You forgot to take the detailed version of your examination report."
Tsunade did not look back. She only waved a hand.
"Throw it away."
She kept her voice low and her steps steady.
When she reached the stairwell corner, she suddenly stopped.
Up ahead, in the corridor, a familiar figure was walking over from the direction of the gynecology exam room.
Short pink hair. Green eyes.
And that worried, heavy expression…
Sakura.
Tsunade's pupils constricted slightly.
Gynecology?
What was Sakura doing in gynecology?
By instinct, she turned sideways and hid in the shadow of the stairwell.
Through the crack in the door, she looked out.
Sakura had her head lowered, a report clutched tightly in her hand. So tightly that her knuckles had turned white.
Her steps were heavy.
Each step looked as if she were walking on cotton, and she nearly tripped several times.
Tsunade's heart sank.
She watched Sakura disappear at the far end of the corridor.
After a long silence, she turned and walked toward the gynecology exam room.
The door was ajar, and the light inside was still on.
"Doctor."
Tsunade pushed the door open. A ripple passed over her face as the Transformation Jutsu faded, revealing her true appearance.
The female doctor inside looked up and pushed her glasses up her nose. Then she recognized her.
"Fifth-sama? Why are you here?"
Tsunade did not explain. She asked directly, "That pink-haired girl just now. What was she here for?"
The female doctor hesitated.
Tsunade was the Hokage. She had the authority to know the health status of every shinobi in the village.
But gynecology exams involved privacy.
If a patient asked for confidentiality, she could not casually reveal it.
But Tsunade's gaze was too oppressive.
It left her unable to refuse.
"Genin Sakura…" the female doctor said in a low voice. "She's pregnant."
Tsunade's hand clenched hard.
Her nails sank deep into her palm.
Pregnant?
Sakura was pregnant?
She drew a deep breath. Her voice sounded rough, as if it had been scraped with sand.
"Do you know who the father is?"
The female doctor shook her head.
"The patient refused to say. I had no right to ask."
Tsunade did not ask anything else. She turned and walked out of the exam room.
The corridor was empty.
Only the sound of her footsteps echoed through it.
She walked in the direction Sakura had left, then stopped and leaned against the wall, closing her eyes.
Everyone in Konoha knew Sakura liked Sasuke.
Could it be the two of them…
But Sasuke had already defected. He had left the village a long time ago.
How could he have gotten Sakura pregnant?
Unless it happened before he left…
But the timing did not add up.
Tsunade opened her eyes and walked out of the hospital.
The night wind was cold against her face, scattering the irritation in her eyes.
She stood on the steps outside the hospital, looking at the distant sky dyed red by the village lights.
Her heart was a tangle of emotions.
"Sakura."
She spoke softly, sighing.
She was still so young.
…
The next day, Tsunade summoned Sakura to the Hokage's office.
Sakura stood in front of her with her head lowered, her fingers twisting the hem of her clothes.
She looked like a frightened deer.
"Tsunade-sama…" Her voice was very soft, almost like a mosquito's buzz. "You wanted to see me?"
Tsunade looked at her in silence for a long while.
"You're pregnant."
Her voice was not loud, but every word struck Sakura with perfect clarity.
Sakura's body jolted violently.
She raised her head. Her green eyes were full of terror.
Her lips trembled, and her face turned pale as paper.
"Tsunade-sama… How… how did you…"
"I saw you at the hospital last night." Tsunade leaned back in her chair and folded her arms. "Whose child is it?"
Sakura lowered her head and bit her lip without saying a word.
Tears welled from her eyes.
They slid down her cheeks and fell onto the floor, blooming into dark stains.
She crouched down as if begging, covering her face with both hands.
Her voice broke into pieces.
"Tsunade-sama… please… please don't tell anyone…"
Tsunade's heart tightened.
She stood, walked over, and crouched in front of Sakura.
Then she gently stroked Sakura's hair.
"Sakura, I'm not trying to force you. But you're my disciple. I have a responsibility to protect you. Tell me whose child it is. I'll help you."
Sakura shook her head and cried even harder.
"No… I can't say… If I say it, he'll be angry…"
Tsunade frowned.
She thought of that person, that cold-faced, unapproachable boy.
If it was him, then with Sakura's feelings for him, she truly would not dare say it aloud.
Tsunade sighed and softened her voice even further.
"Is it Sasuke?"
Sakura's body stiffened.
She did not answer.
But she did not deny it either.
She only buried her head even deeper.
Tsunade did not ask again.
She took it as confirmation.
That bastard brat. He did something like this and still dared to run.
She cursed him inwardly, then said, "Don't worry. I'll keep it secret."
Sakura raised her head and looked at her through tear-blurred eyes.
"Tsunade-sama… thank you…"
Her voice was hoarse, as if it had sand caught in it.
She thought of what Tsunezawa had said before he left.
"Your new mission. After I leave, if you get pregnant, give birth to the child. Remember, no matter who asks, you cannot say who the father is…"
He had said it was a mission.
She could not disobey.
Tsunade helped her up and let her sit in a chair.
Then she poured her a glass of water.
After watching Sakura finish it, Tsunade finally spoke.
"What do you plan to do? Will you have the child, or…"
Sakura lowered her head and placed a hand over her lower abdomen.
She was silent for a long time.
"I… I want to have him." Her voice was faint, almost like sleep-talking. "He's innocent."
Tsunade nodded.
She said nothing more, only patted Sakura on the shoulder.
"Go back and rest properly. Don't overwork yourself. If you need anything, come to me anytime."
Sakura stood and bowed to her.
Then she turned and walked out.
The door closed softly behind her. Tsunade stood where she was, silent for a long while.
She walked to the window and looked at the sky outside, dyed red by the setting sun.
Her hand moved unconsciously to her own belly.
There, too, was a tiny life, only just beginning to sprout.
She sighed.
A complicated emotion rose in her heart, one she could not clearly name.
That bastard, Sakura's situation, the missing members of the Hyūga clan, and the unaccounted-for Four-Tails…
Everything was tangled together like a knotted mess.
She could not sort it out. She could not cut it apart.
Tsunade closed her eyes.
Fine. One step at a time.
(End of Chapter)
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