Kushina sat cross-legged near the edge of a cliff overlooking one of Mount Myōboku's many waterfalls, the spray cool against her face. The natural energy here was thick enough to taste- earthy and alive, like breathing in the forest itself. She'd been trying to refine her Sage Mode, but the attempt had devolved into staring at the mist and letting her thoughts wander.
She sensed the familiar chakra signature before she heard the footsteps.
"Lady Kushina!"
She turned to see Honoka making her way up the mossy path, waving with her whole arm, her smile visible even from this distance. Her red hair was pulled back in a loose braid that was already coming undone, strands escaping around her face.
Kushina raised a hand in greeting. Of all her clansmen, Honoka was one of the few whose company she genuinely welcomed- even now, when she would have preferred solitude.
"I brought you something." Honoka settled down beside her, producing a small wrapped bundle from her pack. "Aina made rice balls this morning. She said you missed breakfast again."
"I wasn't hungry."
"You're never hungry lately." Honoka's voice was light, but there was concern underneath it. She set the bundle between them, an offering rather than an insistence. "The children were asking about you. They wanted to show you the seals they've been practicing."
Kushina's chest tightened. She had been avoiding the clan- avoiding everyone, really- and she knew people had noticed. But the nausea came in waves, worse in the mornings, and she was tired all the time. She couldn't stop thinking about the tiny flicker of chakra inside her, growing stronger every day.
"I'll come see them later," she said. "I've just been... busy."
"Of course." Honoka didn't push. She never did. Instead, she turned to look out at the waterfall, her expression softening as she took in the view. "It's beautiful here, isn't it? Strange, but beautiful. The children love the toads. Little Karin keeps trying to ride on Gamakichi's head."
Kushina smiled despite herself. "How's Aina handling that?"
"With impressive calm, actually. She just picks Karin up and apologizes to the toad while Karin screams about wanting to go higher." Honoka laughed, and the sound was warm enough to ease some of the tension in Kushina's shoulders. "Akinari thinks it's hilarious. He's no help at all."
They sat together, watching the mist rise from the falls. One of the younger Uzumaki children was playing near the edge of the pool below, supervised by an elder toad who looked mildly bewildered by the small human's antics.
Honoka glanced at her. "You seem different lately, Lady Kushina. Not bad different- just... different. Softer, maybe?"
Kushina stiffened. "Softer?"
"That came out wrong." Honoka held up her hands. "I don't mean weak. I mean... I don't know. There's something in your face I haven't seen before. Like you're thinking about something important."
She was too perceptive. Kushina had always appreciated that about Honoka- her ability to read people, to notice the small things. But right now, it made her nervous.
She hadn't told anyone yet. Not even Kurama knew she'd confirmed it. She'd been carrying this knowledge alone, letting it grow heavier every day.
Honoka was watching her with those warm, patient eyes. No pressure or demands. Just quiet presence, the way she'd always been. One of the few people who treated Kushina like a person first and a leader second.
Maybe she was tired of carrying it alone.
"I'm pregnant."
The words came out blunter than she'd intended. No preamble, no softening. Just the fact, dropped between them.
Honoka's eyes went wide. Her mouth opened, closed, opened again. For a long moment, she just stared.
Then her face lit up like the sun breaking through clouds. "Lady Kushina... really? You're- you and Lord Kurama are-"
"Keep your voice down, dattebane!"
"Sorry, sorry!" Honoka pressed both hands over her mouth, but her eyes were shining above her fingers. When she lowered her hands, she was beaming. "I can't believe it. This is wonderful! How far along are you? When did you find out? Does Lord Kurama know? Oh, he must be so-"
"He doesn't know yet," Kushina cut in. "No one does. Just you."
Honoka's excitement dimmed slightly, shifting into something more serious. "You haven't told him?"
"I only confirmed it myself a few days ago." Kushina looked down at her hands. "It's... complicated."
"Complicated how?"
How could she explain it? The timing was terrible. They were hiding from Madara in a sacred toad realm, their village destroyed, their future uncertain. She had no idea what a child born from a human and a tailed beast would even be. And she and Kurama weren't married- a small thing compared to everything else, but it mattered to her. She'd always imagined starting a family properly, with vows and ceremony, with her clan's blessing.
"The baby is developing faster than normal," she said quietly. "I can sense its chakra growing every day. I think... I think Kurama's nature is affecting it somehow. It won't be a normal pregnancy. I don't know what it will be."
Honoka was quiet for a moment. Then she reached out and took Kushina's hand, squeezing gently. "Does it matter?"
Kushina looked at her.
"Whatever the baby is," Honoka said, "it's yours. Yours and Lord Kurama's. That's what matters, isn't it? The rest- the timing, the complications- you'll figure it out. You always do."
It was such a simple thing to say. And yet the tension in Kushina's chest eased- the tightness she'd been carrying for days finally giving way.
"You make it sound easy."
"It's not easy. But it's not impossible either." Honoka smiled. "And you won't be alone. The whole clan will help. Aina's already had Karin- she can tell you what to expect. And I'll be here too. Whatever you need."
Kushina squeezed her hand back. "Thank you."
They sat together for a while longer, watching the mist drift over the falls. Kushina found herself breathing easier than she had in days. Telling someone- even just one person- had made the secret less suffocating.
"So," she said eventually, "enough about me. How are things with you?"
Honoka's cheeks colored. "What do you mean?"
"I mean Nagato."
The blush deepened. Honoka looked away, suddenly very interested in the mossy rocks at her feet. "I don't know what you're talking about."
"You're a terrible liar, dattebane."
"I'm not-" Honoka sighed, her shoulders slumping. "It's... slow. He's difficult to read. Every time I think we're getting somewhere, he pulls back. Like he's afraid of something."
Kushina knew exactly what he was afraid of. The seal she'd placed on him burned whenever he harbored disloyal thoughts- and perhaps some part of him worried that caring for someone, letting someone close, would be seen as divided loyalty. The seal wasn't designed to punish love, but Nagato didn't know that. He only knew the pain it could bring.
She had done that to him. She didn't regret it- he had betrayed her trust, and consequences were necessary- but she understood what it cost him.
"He cares about you," she said. "I've seen how he looks at you."
Honoka glanced up. "You think so?"
"I know so. He's just..." Kushina searched for the right words. "He carries a lot. The seal, his past, and everything that happened with his friends. It makes him cautious. But that's not the same as not wanting you."
"What should I do?"
"Keep being patient. Keep being yourself." Kushina smiled slightly. "You're hard to resist when you're being yourself."
Honoka laughed, the sound bright against the roar of the waterfall. "That's the nicest thing you've ever said to me, Lady Kushina."
"Don't get used to it."
"Too late." Honoka stood, brushing moss from her uniform. She looked down at Kushina with that warm, open expression that made her so easy to trust. "You should eat those rice balls before they get cold. And... thank you. For telling me about the baby. I know that wasn't easy."
Kushina nodded. "Keep it to yourself for now. I need to tell Kurama first. And then the clan."
"Of course." Honoka pressed a hand to her heart. "Your secret is safe with me."
She started back down the path, then paused, turning back. "Lady Kushina?"
"Hm?"
"I'm really happy for you. Both of you. I know the timing is terrible and everything is uncertain, but... a baby. That's hope, isn't it? That's the future."
She didn't wait for a response, just smiled and continued down the path, her braid swinging behind her.
Kushina watched her go. Then she looked down at the bundle of rice balls, at her own hands resting on her knees, at the waterfall tumbling endlessly into the pool below.
A baby.
She placed her hand on her stomach, feeling for that tiny flicker of chakra. It was there- stronger than yesterday, unmistakably present. Growing.
Her child.
Honoka was right about one thing: she wouldn't be alone.
Kushina picked up one of the rice balls and took a bite. It was still warm, and the taste of home- of Aina's careful cooking, of her clan's love- spread through her.
Tomorrow, she would tell Kurama.
She took another bite, watching the mist rise from the falls, and let herself imagine what their child might look like.