Months had passed since that council meeting, though the three abstainers had not voted, so Danzō's idea was passed. There was outrage, of course - and not just from me. Itachi had been moved out of Team Ro following a promotion to captain of another ANBU team, though I still made a point to visit the Uchiha compound to see him and Sasuke.
Naruto had recently turned seven, and as a gift I got him a little orange and blue jacket, which he wore everywhere now. I found it adorable how he paraded it around.
I was in my garden, digging up pumpkins. The harvest was good this year. I had more than I'd expected, and they were bigger than last year's. There was one in particular that had swelled up so it was bigger than my head, and I'd set it aside.
I drove my trowel into the dirt, and felt roots crumble in my hands. This was a big one. I pushed my hands underneath it to try and get a good angle and was about to pull when I was interrupted by a loud yelling.
"Miyoshi! Miyoshi, help!"
"Teren?" I called, standing and rubbing dirt off my hands. "What's going on?"
"The baby's coming early," Teren gasped, appearing breathless at the gate.
"The baby?" My eyes widened. "I'll be there in a second, let me wash my hands."
I darted into the kitchen and washed my hands with soap, scrubbing as much dirt off my hands as I could while trying to be quick. The baby was due in a couple of weeks, so it should be healthy, but it was always hard to tell.
I grabbed my first aid kit just in case, thinking that I might need to use the rubber gloves in there. "Alright, I'm ready," I said to Teren. "Where is she?"
"Our house," he replied tersely, already running. I hurried to keep up with him, noting the use of the word our rather than my.
Teren was running so fast I ended up needing my Kekkei Genkai to keep up, but we reached the small house in under five minutes, a record for me.
"In my room." Teren raced up the stairs and into the largest room in the house. I followed to find Kanari curled up on the bed, clearly in a lot of pain.
"Alright, Kanari, everything's fine." I hurried over to her, placing my hand lightly on her arm.
"It hurts like hell," Kanari gasped. "Nobody warned me about this."
I grinned. "Oh, I meant to say. Sorry. For now, I need you to lie back. Teren, try and get some pillows to elevate her."
Teren helped Kanari to sit back against a stack of pillows, getting her into the right position. I lifted the quilt over her, covering everything up so she and Teren wouldn't be able to see.
"Why are you doing that?" Teren asked nervously.
"So you don't scream like a girl," I replied, pulling on the gloves in my first aid kit. "Don't pretend it's never happened before."
"Why might I scream like a girl?" Teren's voice trembled a little.
"Trust me, so many guys have done that before. Kanari, you'll be fine," I assured the blonde.
"If this is fine, I'd hate to see 'not fine'!" Kanari winced as another contraction came over her.
"Alright, I have news," I announced after making an observation.
"Good or bad?" Teren asked weakly.
"Slightly alarming but not necessarily bad," I replied. "Teren, I'm kicking you out."
"Why?" he demanded immediately.
"I'm going to have to perform an emergency c-section," I replied. "It's all fine, just that the baby's coming earlier than the contractions are."
"What does that mean?" Teren asked. "It sounds bad."
"It basically means the hole's not big enough for the baby to come through but it's coming anyway," I replied bluntly. "It's fine, I just don't want you around while I deal with this."
"I'm not leaving." Teren gripped Kanari's hand. I wasn't sure who was holding onto who for dear life.
"If you want to stick around while I cut into her womb, be my guest." I shrugged.
"You're not actually going to do that, right?" Teren paled.
"That's how a c-section works. Either brace yourself, or clear out," I replied.
"I'm staying," Teren said, though he sounded a little less certain.
I shrugged. "Fine. But you can leave at any point." I lifted the sheets on Kanari's baby-heavy belly, revealing the bump, and pushed back her shirt so I could access the bare skin. Teren trembled.
"You're just going to cut into her?"
"I'll give her anaesthetic." I rolled my eyes, pulling one of my emergency shots out of my kit. "This might sting a bit."
"THIS MIGHT STING?! I'M GIVING BIRTH, GET A MOVE ON!"
I smiled as I carefully inserted the needle into the base of her spine and injected the anaesthetic. Kanari began to relax as the numbing spread. Now for the operation.
I pulled out a scalpel and with infinite care, made the first incision. Kanari flinched, but didn't cry out, meaning the anaesthetic was doing its job. Teren sprinted out of the room at the sight of the blade.
I carefully continued cutting, making sure to only cut as deep or as wide as I needed to. Finally, I caught a glimpse of the baby.
"Here he is," I said warmly, holding the tiny body up so Kanari could see. "A perfectly healthy baby boy. Congratulations."
Kanari sighed shakily. "Is it over?"
"I'll cut the cord, then all I have to do is stitch you up," I replied, cradling the baby in one arm while I reached for surgical scissors to cut the cord with. They were a little small, so it was awkward, but they were the only sterile blades I had so there was really no choice.
The baby started to cry, opening his pink gummy mouth and wailing the way newborns did. I gently passed him to his mother so I could use two hands while I sealed up the cut. That was the easy job; I could use medical ninjutsu to fix it in about five minutes.
"I heard crying." Teren appeared at the door, looking paler than I'd ever seen him. "Is everything okay?"
"Everything's fine," I replied, finishing the job and removing my gloves. "Come meet your son."
Teren didn't need to be told twice. He came in and knelt at Kanari's side, his gaze fixed on the baby in her arms.
"He look like you, doesn't he?" Kanari murmured to her husband.
"He is genuinely the most beautiful thing I have ever seen," Teren replied in a reverent whisper. "Can I...?"
Kanari silently passed the baby over to Teren, who cradled him in his arms, looking like he'd never seen a baby in his life.
"Do you know what you're going to call him?" I asked.
"We decided on Damaru," Kanari replied. "Damaru Mishiko."
"That's cute." I smiled at the tiny bundle in Teren's arms. "Shall I go find Tsumari and Garake, or do you want space for a day?"
"I don't mind them coming over." Teren handed Damaru back to Kanari.
"Alright, I'll go then. If you need anything, you know where to find me," I said, stepping out of the door. I walked down the stairs and calmly out of the house, closing the front door behind me.
I thought I'd take my time finding Tsumari and Garake. Teren and Kanari deserved at least some time alone with their newborn.