TITLE: Role Switch

SUMMARY: The Elders had discovered Kushina's pregnancy and demand that she aborts the child in fear of the Kyuubi's seal weakening during childbirth. Minato is determined to save their unborn child even if he has to carry it himself! Mpreg.

DISCLAIMER: Naruto is property of Kishimoto© obviously because if I owned Naruto, one of Minato's or Kushina's friends would have adopted Naruto after their deaths. Seriously, how can two people grow up in the same village (has friends and family there) and NO ONE takes in their kid? What ingrates…

WARNINGS: this contains male pregnancy or mpreg and NO yaoi. Heterosexual couples only.

Prologue: The switch

Just hours ago, the young Namikaze couple were dancing around in joy but that was before the elders, Homura Mitokado and Koharu Utatane found out. They decided to pay the Namikaze couple a visit the following hour. Kushina thought it had to be a joke, a very bad one at that. These old fossils wouldn't dare to get in the face of the Yondaime Hokage and order his beloved wife to abort their miracle, but they did. They either had the stupidity, the gall or the arrogance to do so. Perhaps all it was all three.

"You two can't be serious…!" Kushina reasoned.

All she got in response were two aloof stares.

"I'm afraid we are, Kushina-sama" Homura said, though his tone was anything but apologetic. "You must see your pregnancy is too dangerous to allow" he said with a glare from behind his spectacles.

Kushina slammed her fist angrily on the table. Causing it to split in half and crumble to the floor. "YOU WILL NOT KILL MY BABY!" she bellowed with her eyes flashing scarlet.

"Easy, Kushina…easy" Being the voice of reason, her cooler headed counterpart pulled her back in her seat. "Please be reasonable!" Minato said more diplomatically than he felt. "We can find a solution that will not involve terminating our child…" Kushina took some deep breaths to calm down as Minato continued, "…Perhaps a cesarean section can be performed instead?" he asked.

"That's even more foolish! The Kyuubi will not allow it!" Koharu said, now speaking up. Opening up a scroll she had, she said, "Written testimony of the Shodaime Hokage, N. R. year 38. '…The Medic-nins have tried to perform a cesarean section upon Mito Uzumaki in her ninth month of pregnancy, however it was unsuccessful. The Kyuubi no Kitsune's healing capabilities made a cut ineffective and then used the chakra cloak jutsu to permanently hinder any following attempts'…" Koharu looked up at the couple.

Homura pushed his glasses up the bridge of his crooked nose. "The rest you know is history" he said. "Mito Uzumaki's seal nearly broke when she gave birth to her child. The only reason it didn't break was because our Shodaime Hokage used his wood jutsu to restrain her!"

"Yes, and unfortunately the moku is now all but spent" Koharu said. "Other ways to control the Kyuubi, if the seal should weaken, are nothing but reckless theories!"

"DATTEBANE! If it was sooo dangerous to have children then why were we not told about this sooner?" Kushina demanded. "I married Minato, surely you should have know there will be a chance for me to conceive a child from him!" She bellowed.

"No we didn't!" Homura all but shouted back. He was growing red in the face from anger and frustration. "You honestly think we would let a Jinchuriki reproduce willing!" he was on the verge of screaming 'you fool' but bit his tongue. He took a deep breath before saying, "Your family had deceived us when they had first sent you here to Konoha!"

Minato and Kushina were both taken aback at his statement. Kushina then stuttered in disbelief, "M…my family deceived you!" she asked furiously. "How so!" she demanded.

Koharu frowned. She didn't like the way her teammate Homura was handling this meeting, "…Homura-" she warned.

"Quiet!" Homura snapped before rounding back to the Namikazes. "The Leaf was hesitant to allow Kushina to become the Kyuubi no Kitsune's second host at first because she was female. We feared if she was to have children, it would wreck havoc upon us! Then the Land of Uzu reassured us that Kushina was safe because they had spayed her before the transfer!"

Koharu sighed. Tossing a light glare in Homura's direction, she hissed, "Hysterectomy is the correct term to use"

Kushina shivered. She had never heard of such things but had a horrible feeling deep down that what that jerk Homura was saying was true…she did remember undergoing a surgery before she left for Konoha. Nobody ever told her what the procedure was about.

Minato himself was now sporting a royal scowl. "Careful, Homura-san…" he said icily. Homura spoke of his wife as if she was a beast. He understood the Kyuubi was a demon but they had no right to treat Kushina this way.

Ignoring the Yondaime, Homura continued his rant. "And now Kushina, years later, was somehow miraculously able to conceive? Well, well… it just get's better and better!" he said sarcastically. "It's obvious that the Kyuubi must have re-grown your reproductive organs!" he accused. "Because here stated in Kushina's medical file is that she had a full hysterectomy at age six! Or is this report forgery?"

He handed the document over to Minato. The blonde man wordlessly took it and began to read through the folder with Kushina looking over his shoulder. The documents seemed un-tampered and everything that was written just as Homura had said.

Kushina bit her lip so hard that it bleed. Everything…everything they were saying was true…Being the tomboy she was, she didn't even notice! In fact she didn't get her first period until she was 22 years old! It happened ironically the following month right after her and Minato's honeymoon. Kushina felt afraid at the idea of the Kyuubi deliberately trying to get her pregnant on purpose!

"Now…do you understand why we cannot allow this pregnancy?" Koharu reasoned softly. "By the 12th week of pregnancy the fetus will be permanently connected to your chakra coils and it will become impossible to remove! You must do away with the child before then…"

Just for a moment Koharu's beady eyes softened. Perhaps it was maternal instinct or empathy, "… I am sorry, Namikaze-samas" she said sincerely before quietly leaving the home with Homura at her side.

The Namikaze couple remained in a stunned silence as if they had been frozen in time. Minato rubbed his temple. This was a mess! He felt horrible and he couldn't even begin to imagine how Kushina felt. She had always despised the Kyuubi. In her eyes, it had ruined her life—practically it had!

Turning to look at his wife, Minato saw she looked as miserable as he felt. "Kushina…?" he asked carefully.

That's when the Red Hot-Blooded Habanero broke down into uncontrollable sobs. Kushina's whole frame shook as the tears rolled down her cheeks. At the sight of his wife so broken, it broke Minato's heart. Quietly he slipped his arms around her and pressed his cheek against hers. His action seemed to only make it worse as the redhead began to cry even harder.

Minato remained silent as he let Kushina use his Hokage robes as a giant tissue. It couldn't and it wouldn't end like this. He was the damn Yondaime Hokage! Over his dead body an abortion would happen!

"… Don't worry, our child will not die. This I promise you" Minato said in a soft voice.

Kushina looked up at Minato. Her tears dried up at once. She knew that when the Minato said something, he would do all in his power to make it come true and she believed in him.

"In order to satisfy the Elders, go to the hospital and schedule for an appointment in three days. I will be back with a solution by then" Minato ordered.

"Okay…" Kushina agreed. She got up and started walking toward the kitchen. "Will you…" Kushina wiped her running nose on the back of her arm. The corners of Minato's mouth turned upward. Kushina had grown into a beautiful woman but she still had her tomboyish ways. "Will you be home on time for dinner? I'm making chicken teriyaki tonight" she said it with a brave smile. "…your favorite"

Minato smiled and winked. "Everything you make is my favorite"

Kushina beamed. "You big flirt! Tee-hee!"

Minato pulled Kushina into his arms. "Save me a plate, okay?" he whispered into her ear. He then tenderly kissed her cheek. "I'm afraid that I'll be working late today…probably into the night"

The dust irritated Minato's nose. His face scrunched up a little bit before he released a…"Achoo!" a quiet sneeze. It has been hours since he had began his search. Carefully balancing himself on the tall ladder he was on, Minato slowly made his descend to the floor with a large stack of books in his arms.

For the remainder of the afternoon, all of Minato's appointments had been canceled. Instead the young Kage could be found locked away in the Hokage library. Minato paused a moment to pop his back and before getting back to work. As he flipped through each book he felt as though he was getting nowhere. He thought he could find a stronger seal to reinforce the Kyuubi's seal but unfortunately the seal that was already on Kushina's belly was the strongest one available so there was no way to add to it without unbalancing it further.

After another hour of wasted time, Minato closed the book and tossed it into a large pile of other useless manuscripts. Minato clenched his teeth and pulled his long blond hair in a silent scream. 'Okay, calm down, stay cool. Just changed tactics…' he thought to himself. Calming down, the recently elected Hokage decided to go get a drink.

The best solution…wow…

As Minato made his way down the street he hung his head in silent defeat. He knew that drinking booze was not the answer but it sure was a good relaxer. He promised himself to have just one sake cup. And it sure did not help to see pregnant women waddling pass him down the street with their swollen bellies and a glowing satisfied look on their faces. His wife should be among them, Minato reminded himself.

The sake house Minato went to was a homey pub located not too far away from the main intersection. It was not too pricey and the furnishing was comfortable and decently clean. The atmosphere was pleasant and well lit. The owners didn't allow boisterous parties or fist fights. They also refused to serve more than four servings per person. Yep. It was the perfect place for a depressed fellow with enough of his dignity intact to get wasted only five points passes the legal limit.

The bar tender came up to Minato and bowed his head respectably before asking, "What will it be, Yondaime-sama?"

"Just a white russian" Minato answered before taking a seat on a barstool next to some man who was staring ahead while absent-mindedly nursing his drink.

The man nodded. "Coming up" he turned his back to prepare the drink.

Minato turned his attention. To his right was a Konoha ninja. Minato assumed he was Chuunin level or higher because he was wearing a Konoha vest. Minato wasn't sure who he was exactly. Being Hokage, he assigned nearly one hundred missions a day. Keeping track of names and faces had become a daily practice.

"Stupid vitro fertilization!" the man grumbled suddenly. He took a swing of sake.

"…Vitro fertilization?" Minato questioned softly. The wheels in Minato's head were already turning. Wasn't vitro fertilization a procedure to fertilize a woman's egg and plant them in her uterus? Wait… what if-

"Ah!" the man turned to Minato in surprise. He squinted at him a bit before recognizing him as his Hokage. "S-Sir!" he said, now more alert. He shot up from his seat a little clumsily. "My Hokage-sama! Do you wish to see me? Or do you have an assignment for me?" he asked.

"At ease" Minato said. "I have no assignment for you…so what were you saying about vitro fertilization?" He said with interest. Minato felt almost giddy; he would've never thought of an idea like that. Why won't he just simply find a capable woman of having the child for him and Kushina?

The ninja shook his head. Humbly he said, "Please! I wish not to burden you with my problems!"

"It's no problem at all, really" Minato said soothingly. He patted the man's shoulder and eased him back down in his seat. "So, how is it working out?"

The man sent Minato a dejected look. Reluctantly he answered, "Its hell… it was great at first, I'll admit but now it's a nightmare! A circus in fact!"

Minato was taken aback. "Wha-what happened?"

"Hey, Jack! Another long island iced tea!" the man yelled instead.

Jack looked back over his shoulder at the man with a frown. "Sorry, but that's your limit here for today. You need to be able to walk home ya know. Here is your order, Yondaime-sama" he brought Minato his drink.

"Come on, be a pal just this once!"

"No"

Minato slid the man his drink. "Is a White Russian okay?" he offered.

"Thank you kindly!" the Chuunin said before snatching it and taking a swing. Jack looked disapprovingly at Minato but didn't say anything. "Ahh! A little too much cream, but fine it is!"

"So…you were saying something went amuck with the vitro fertilization?" Minato asked, trying to get back on the subject.

The man wiped his mouth on his sleeve before looking back at Minato. "Yeah. Me and my wife finally saved up enough money for the procedure and paid a civilian lady to have our child but when my daughter was born the bitch decided she wanted to keep her!"

Minato paled. "But didn't you pay her for the service? How can she have a right to do that?"

The man snorted. "That's what I say! You should tell that to the judge! But because that woman is the birth mother, she has the right to keep my child too!"

"But…is she even biologically related to the child?"

"No! That's what makes it so bad!" the man complained.

Minato then saw the huge backdrop to this. What if the woman backed out at the last moment or worst she planned all along to take the child away? Minato knew for a fact, not arrogantly though, that many women would give up an arm or a leg to bear the child of the Yondaime for good or ill purposes.

"We did not make her sign any contracts so she's not legally bound to just hand over my daughter…" the man sighed despairingly. "Man I can tell you, Hokage-sama, I wish I never met the woman! If I coulda had my daughter myself I would've!" Without waiting for a response the man finished his drink, got up and left.

The wheels in Minato's mind were turning. 'Have it myself…?' He knew the man was speaking figuratively but that did not discourage him. Letting another woman or adding a third member, period, would just complicate things. In order to keep things simple…he somehow had to reproduce and carry the child between himself and Kushina. But because of the nine tail fox it was dangerous for Kushina to carry offspring to full term… so that meant….

Minato swallowed hard as he raised a shaking hand and placed it on his tight muscled stomach. Suddenly the Yellow Flash of Konoha felt really, really sick.

Returning to the dusty library Minato had a new search. Unfortunately just as with the seal enhancement search, nothing was turning up. Before he knew it, three more hours had gone by and the time was nearing toward eight o' clock. Minato ran his hand through his spiky locks impatiently. Suddenly a light blub went off inside Minato's head. Seeking answers from the Medical library at the Konoha hospital was probably his best bet.

Nodding to himself he began to heave and put away the files he had been searching through when a page suddenly slipped out of a book. Minato bent down to pick it up while wondering which folder it slipped from. Scanning it with his tired blue eyes over it, Minato noticed it was a written record of honorary shinobi discharges under the reign of the Nidaime. Minato's eyebrow quirked upward at how strange for it to be stuck in the wrong compartment in the first place.

To satisfy his curiosity he read it and it stated, '…Hideo Juudai, 7th division of team Rokujin relieved of duty due to injury…Yuji Hyuuga, 3rd division of team Kazuko relieved of duty due to maternity leave… Mimiko Natsu, 13th di—what?'

Minato blinked. He reread it and blinked again. "Maternity leave…?" He muttered aloud confused.

Maternity leave was a common thing among Kunoichi but Yuji's gender was listed as male! Minato decided to investigate. Going into the Shinobi records he found Yuji Hyuuga's name in the files. Taking out the ninja's whole record, Minato feverishly searched for something similar.

When Minato did find the confirming truth, he nearly fell off of the chair he was sitting on! Yuji was a pregnant male? How was that even possible? His heart started beating a little faster just thinking about the bold possibilities! He then researched the child Yuji supposedly bore. It happened to be a son named, Asashi, who just happened to be the father of twin boys (and his comrades) Hiashi and Hizashi Hyuuga.

Minato dropped the folder in shock.

This was it… the answer perhaps! Minato took off at neck breaking speed. He didn't even care if he'd look like a fool to the Hyuuga for questioning this. He had to know if this was this just genetic or was it a jutsu. And if it was a jutsu, he would get his hands on it or Kami so help him!

Hiashi was currently working at his desk. He stretched his back a little and cracked his stiff neck slightly. He was newly and ceremonially sworn in as the head of the Hyuuga clan after his father, Asashi-sama had stepped down. The clock on his desk read 9:15 PM. Hiashi looked away from the clock with a sigh. Paper work and more paperwork…he decided just to turn in for the night. He had done a sufficient amount of work for today. Just as he was putting away the records into separate compartments, there was a knock at his door.

"Hiashi-sama!" a voice called.

Looking up, Hiashi recognized that voice. "Yes, Hizashi?" he responded.

Hiashi looked up to see a mirror image of himself step into the room. His twin brother, Hizashi, bowed politely and said, "Quickly, Hokage-sama requests an urgent meeting with you. He is waiting in the family room"

Hiashi's eyes widen slightly. "Shall I call the Elders as well?"

Hizashi shook his head. "No, he has requested a preferably private meeting…"

Hiashi nodded his head. "Very well, then bring him to my office at once"

Hizashi nodded and left. Moments later he returned with the Yondaime himself.

Hiashi immediately stood up and bowed politely in acknowledgement to his leader. "Hokage-sama" he greeted respectfully. Minato returned his bow with one of his own.

"Thank you for having me on such short notice. Hiashi-sama…" Minato said. He took his seat on the futon in front of Hiashi's desk. Hiashi followed suit to sit down. Hizashi was about to take his leave when Minato called out to him, "Hizashi-san, this concerns you too I suppose…"

At hearing this Hizashi nodded and went to sit at the left side of his brother. Hiashi quirked an eyebrow slightly in wonderment at what the Hokage could possibly want with them both. Minato let out an abrupt sigh before explaining the entire situation. He was in no position to beat around the bush tonight. It was amusing to say that the facial expressions on the usually stoical Hyuuga were priceless. Ranging from shock to embarrassment as their clan's history came to the surface.

"…and that's why I come before you tonight. I need to know if this ability is hereditary or it's a jutsu. And if it is a jutsu, I request of it" Minato said.

Hiashi narrowed his eyes thoughtfully after Minato finished his explanation. "Not many know of our grandfather, Yuji…" he said. With a sigh he admitted. "Yes…Yuji was under the enchantment of our secret jutsu, the child bearer jutsu…" He then added. "However, I have no intention of reminding the public of it"

Minato was about to retort when Hizashi spoke up.

"Understand Minato-sama…" Hizashi said carefully. "Following the end of the 2nd great Shinobi war, the Hyuuga clan had staggering loses…especially among our females. To help replenish our clan we… we used the child bearing jutsu. As Hiashi mentioned it's something we don't need reminding of"

Minato shifted his glaze back and forth between the brothers before saying, "So basically you placed your clan's pride higher than the priority of my unborn child?" he said cutting to the chase. "Need I remind the obvious that neither of you two would be here if your Grandfather didn't give birth to your father?"

Hiashi and Hizashi bristled more in embarrassment than uneasiness. "No, Hokage-sama. We understand but…"

"You just prefer to keep it quiet" Minato stated.

Hiashi and Hizashi tried not so show their fear but it was a thin barricade. Angering one of the strongest shinobi in the land was not intended. Pleadingly Hiashi said, "Please be reasonable Minato-sama! The Elders will hear of this and will be angry. We cannot give out our jutsus easily, even if you are Hokage" he explained. "And as the clan's newly appointed Head, I can only do so much…"

"The Elders may allow of this if you were to offer us a fair trade perhaps" Hizashi suggested.

Minato looked up in surprised disgust at the man. "What? My child now comes with a price tag?"

"Don't insult us" Hiashi said. "Money is not lacking in the Hyuuga. What Hizashi said was accurate though... A way to satisfy the Hyuuga Elders is to give a fair trade to the clan that is not of monetary value! We are a clan of warriors and visual jutsus. To us our childbearing jutsu is as sacred as our byakugan!"

"Then tell me what I can give in exchange for your jutsu" Minato said shortly.

He really was disappointed in the Hyuuga. They stooped as low as to bribe him! Not that he should expect much from a clan who enslave their own brothers in order to persevere a bloodline. Minato was beginning to feel a bit desperate. At this point in time he had no choice but to play along, "Very well. I will give onto you anything that does not involve abusing the powers of my Hokage title!" he stated firmly.

The two brothers were silent for a moment.

Minato rolled his eyes mentally. 'Figures they wanted political favors…'

"Sign a marriage contract with us" Hiashi answered suddenly.

"What…?" Minato asked surprised.

"Marriage contract" Hiashi repeated. He knew full well the Hokage heard him the first time but he wanted to get his point across. "The Elders will be more than happy to accept a marriage contract from the offspring of the Yellow Flash"

Minato twitched. He was starting to like the Hyuuga less and less now. "So now if not signing laws, I'm signing my child to you?"

"Need I remind you, that your child may not exist without our jutsu?" Hiashi asked coolly while slyly throwing Minato's words back at him.

Minato was usually a very easy-going man but even now he was on the verge of boiling with clenched his fist so hard they turned white. 'Calm down, calm down…' Minato told himself. Anger would not get him anywhere. He needed this jutsu and the Hyuuga were going to give it to him, at a price, but at least they were going to. He closed his eyes and thought for a moment. He didn't want to imprison his child to the Hyuuga. There was a possibility that his precious baby would not even love its betrothed and even worse; his descendants may be subjected to the curse seal that plagued the branch family! What a mess! If only there were some type of opening or loop hole…any opening…Wait! That was it!

Minato's eyes snapped open. Hiashi grew solemn. Hizashi withheld a smirk. Both of them knew that look in their Hokage's sharp blue eyes. He had a plan…it was rumored that Minato's intelligence could rival a Nara's. That's a perk many wished they could say about themselves.

Smiling softly Minato agreed, "Very well. I will forge a marriage contract between the Hyuuga and the Namikaze heir. However, this contact will be an Open marriage contract. At age thirteen my child and the child of your choosing will become engaged. At sixteen my son or daughter can either accept or refuse the engagement. Do we have an accord?"

"Yes" Hiashi said with a nod.

He reached into his desk and pulled out an empty scroll. He then reached for a pen and began to write a premature agreement between them. What was written was that Minato would return to finish the contract as he promised once he had his child. At the bottom Hiashi signed the document and handed it over to Minato. Minato scanned over it. Everything was written properly. Minato nodded and held out his hand. Without a word Hiashi handed the pen over to Minato and the young Kage signed it as well. Hizashi then did his part by signing as a witness at the bottom of the page.

After that Hiashi rolled the scroll back up. He took out a kunai and lightly pierced his thumb and smeared his blood on the right side of the scroll. He then nodded to Minato. Understanding Hiashi, Minato bit his thumb and smeared his blood on the left side of the scroll, the scroll then 'poofed'. A strong leather seal appeared and wrapped itself securely around the document. The special scroll they had used was a contract scroll. It required the blood of the two recipients to open and close the pact.

Hiashi tucked the document safely into his robes. He was satisfied and he knew the Elders would be too. With this securely signed document, he could hold Minato to his word and even take him to Ninja court if Minato would dare to try and con him.

"Can I have this jutsu by tomorrow?" Minato asked. "It's urgent"

Hiashi nodded. "Of course…In fact, if you allow, we may be able to perform it tonight. Come with me"

The next morning happened to be Rin's day off from the hospital shifts. She was currently busy tending to her little window garden when suddenly there was a knock at the door. She looked up surprised. Rin rarely had visitors, especially visitors before 8 o' clock in the morning. Quickly sitting down her watering can, Rin went to answer the door. She was shocked to see her visitor…

"Sensei!" She asked surprised. She had not seen her former teacher for nearly a month and yet he has come right to her front door.

Minato smiled. It was a plastered and forced smile. He also had dark circles under his eyes and looked a little worse for wear. "Hello Rin, can I come in for a moment?" he asked politely.

Rin stumbled back immediately, "Of… of course! Please come in!"

She led him into the living room. "It's been a while…" she remarked.

Minato looked sheepish. "Ah yeah… sorry about that" He grimaced a little bit as he gingerly seated himself on the couch. Unconsciously he rubbed circles on his abdomen.

Rin smile pleasantly. "Oh it's nothing… so how's Kushina doing?" She asked making small talk.

Rin caught the way Minato flinched at the mentioning of his wife's name. Losing her smile at once, she asked him worriedly, "What's wrong?" At the back of her mind she was snorting, 'Tch, figures he only visits when something is wrong… at least he's not as bad as Kakashi who never comes around nor shows up when things happen!'

Minato's eyes sharpened. Rin gulped. Straight to business it seemed. "Rin, what I'm about to tell you are S-ranked classifies" he said sternly. "Do you understand this must not be repeated?"

"Y… yes" she said with all seriousness back.

Minato then proceeded to tell Rin everything. Rin had to pick up her jaw from the floor several times. She knew Kushina was the Jinchuriki of the Kyuubi no Kitsune but everything else blew her mind away. And when Minato told her about the childbearing jutsu, she nearly had a stroke. Once Konoha's Golden Flash had finished his explanation Rin was practically brain dead. The tension between them was so thick a butter knife wouldn't do the trick to cut it. You needed a chainsaw!

"Uh…Rin?" Minato asked carefully.

Rin blinked as though she had woken up from a nightmare. "Wha…?"

Minato cleared his throat, motioning her to speak.

"…Oh…" she said simply. "I…" the words died at the back of her throat. "I-I will go make some tea!" Rin said suddenly. Before Minato could say anything else she took off toward the kitchen. Once she entered the privacy of her kitchen, Rin banged her head against the dining room table. "Oh shit!" she groaned. "What did I do in my past life to deserve this!"

After promising some tea she had to make it. Rin came back out nearly 20 minutes later carrying a tea tray with cinnamon crackers. Minato thanked her politely as she handed him a cup of green tea. Rin resumed her place in the arm chair and sipped quietly on her tea. Nearly ten more minutes passed and neither one of them said a word.

Minato twirled around the empty teacup of it in his hand. "Rin…" he said carefully. That's when his sweet little student exploded, "THIS IS CRAZY!" the tea pot and crackers went flying everywhere.

"…" Minato flinched back and gave his student a startled look. He honestly had never seen Rin like this before and it scared him.

"I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU ARE GOING TO ATTEMPT SOMETHING LIKE THIS!"

Minato gained back a little courage and stated, "… Well I am… and I need your help to do it!"

Rin stared at him incredulously with her mouth hanging open. Minato cocked his head to the side. Rin was usually a very levelheaded girl but now she seemed a little... overwhelmed…yes…that would be a nice way to put it.

"… Would you help me, please?" He asked politely.

Catching herself, Rin closed her mouth and looked away. Silence again. In a small voice she asked, "… is there any other way? I mean…" Rin sighed. "... That's why there's… you know… girls for this type of stuff…I mean I would even do it for you…" Rin said but then she faltered. "… If I could…" she placed a hand on her lower abdomen.

Minato had closed his eyes. Many did not know this but at the young age of 13, Rin had a hysterectomy because of a rare virus she had caught. He knew how sensitive to she had to be about that. Rin loved children and now she had no way of ever having one.

"… I know you would have if you could" Minato said sincerely with a bright smile. "And I thank you for it"

"…well there's nobody else you trust?" Rin said. "It's one thing to transfer but to grow your own set of organs? It's a bit you know…extreme!"

"Well you see the only other women I trust in this whole village would be Tsunade, Shizune and Mikoto" Minato answered. "Unfortunately Shizune is currently in exile with Tsunade-sama, Tsunade would probably drop kick me, and Mikoto is currently pregnant with her own—"

"Not to mention that she's married and Fugaku-san would probably kick your ass at the mere idea!" Rin laughed.

Minato nodded. Knowing how possessive and overprotective Fugaku was, he agreed with her statement. "Rin, we are getting off the subject" he said. "Please, we must hurry…that's if you're going to help…" he grinned sheepishly. "And you didn't answer me yet…"

Rin took a deep breath before agreeing, "Okay…I don't totally agree with this but I'm going to help you anyway. First of all I need to see that child bearing scroll in order to get a better idea, ok?"

"Well…I don't have the scroll with me. The Hyuuga performed a variation of the childbearing jutsu on me last night…I didn't want ovaries and such. Only what I needed" Minato then winced slightly and began to rub his stomach again. "…I'm still a little sore though…" he admitted.

Rin looked at him with her eye twitching. She walked over to him and inspected his abdomen by using the mystic palm sensory jutsu with her hands. That's when she noticed the changes within Minato's body. Rin perceived that Minato's pelvic bone had been enlarged. He had grown a uterus which included a cervix and a vagina. The vagina opening was located in-between the scrotum and anus and shielded by two folds of skin: the labia major and the labia minor. It was simple, efficient and to the point.

Rin then understood why her sensei had brought this to her in the first place. If his variation of the jutsu did not contain ovaries then he needed to know what hormones should be artificially inserted into his bloodstream to help support life. Once she was finished analyzing, Rin pulled her hands away. "Minato-sensei, this is still crazy!" she said, "I wish there was another way"

Minato sent her a sad smile. "I don't have much of a choice if I want my child to live"

Rin sighed, there goes her day off. "We should go to the hospital library…I'm not specially trained in midwifery and pregnancy but it's never too late to learn"

The two spent the remainder of the morning and most of the afternoon away in the Medical library. Sitting at a white table, Rin was currently surrounded by dozen of articles and reports. She was now making up a plan for the procedure.

With tired sigh, Rin laid down her pencil and looked up at Minato. "I calculate our odds… they stand at 21.3 percent"

Minato face faltered. "Why is it so low?" he asked.

Rin sighed again. She pinched the bridge of her nose as she tried to think of a way of to explain their new dilemma in normal terms. After wording in her head she answered, "Okay, look… growing your own reproductive organs is possible but you didn't tell me at the time that Kushina-chan was already 7 weeks in!"

Minato gave her a half-shrug. "Okay…and so that I did, now what's the problem?"

"The problem is that the baby is already attached to Kushina's uterine wall!" Rin answered in a peeved tone. "An attempt to move the embryo to another host without breaking the amino sac is one thing—which is hard enough—but what is even trickier is to replant the placenta to another uterine wall!" Rin explained and then she asked, "… you know how important the placenta is right?"

"Hmm. The placenta is a fleshy organ that allows the baby to get nutrients and oxygen from the mother…?" Minato questioned more than state.

Rin nodded. "More or less" and then she sighed. "Well the point is that we can't just rip it off; the embryo will die if we do that. I mean… maybe the kid could survive a 10 to 15 minutes but the placenta must be reattached immediately. Up till now the method I wanted to use was the water pore jutsu"

"What is water pore?"

"It's a medial jutsu that allows the user to bring substances in or out of the patient's body by using water as a medium. However it's very uncomfortable and time consuming! I'm afraid the baby won't be able to last that long!"

Minato bit his lip as he silently thought for a moment. Suddenly his eyes widen as an idea came to him, "Shunshin…" he whispered.

"What?" Rin said, not hearing him.

"Rin…is it possible to transport the baby by summoning it?"

Rin blinked and blinked again before exploding, "Yeah….yeah! Now that you mention you can summon almost anything!" she said excitedly but then she died down. "I see no reason why we can't but…this has never been attempted…"

"I guess we'll be the first" Minato pointed out the obvious.

"Okay…if we somehow…" Rin trailed, looking at Minato expectedly.

"I'll work on the seals, don't worry, it'll be flawless" Minato promised.

"…are able to summon the baby inside of you then all I have to do is carefully detach the placenta carefully from within Kushina's uterus before attempting the summon. If it's an instant and successful transfer, I then can focus all my chakra to reattaching the placenta to the new uterine lining"

"But can you do it all in ten minutes?" Minato asked concerned.

"…maybe" Rin said carefully, not making any promises. "You know now that I think about it, it's essential that we built up the lining of blood and blood vessels in your..erm…" Rin winched. "…your uterus…Kami this sounds so weird—before we attempt to transfer the placenta. That will increase our chances of implantation. Injecting you with some progestin hormones will help"

"Okay then. Then what will be our new chance with everything included?" Minato asked.

Rin paused. Her face scrunched up in concentration. "… Well…" she said still thinking. "If everything was included…the thickness of the uterine lining, a successful transfer without breaking the sac and the placenta reattaching to the uterine wall… that will raise our chances to…" Rin rapidly blinked as she tallied it all up in her head. Finally she answered a bit hesitantly, "… 37.2 percent. Still too low I know…"

Minato's face fell as the despair caved in. They only had one third chance of succeeding? Rin felt guilty. Quickly she scribbled down some notes on the note pad and tried to find any loophole she could. After a moment a thought came to her, she gasped.

"Minato-sensei!" Rin said excitedly. "I had calculated our odds if Ihad to do this procedure alone but…" she scribbled down some formulas and recalculated. After she finished she looked up with a smile. "If I had help in the preparations and performing the transfer, it will boost our chances up to 63.7 percent! YIPEEE!"

Minato looked so happy he felt like he could cry.

"And I know just who to ask!" Rin said

Biwako Sarutobi, the honorable and strong-willed wife of the Sandaime Hokage stared at Minato and Rin like they had grown two heads each. "Are you both insane?" she asked blankly.

Minato sighed. Kneeling forward with his hands pressed together in a silent prayer, he pleaded, "Please lady Biwako… we cannot do this without you!"

"Indeed I can use your wisdom, elder!" Rin included, also bowing her head.

Biwako stared at the two for a little longer before turning her head away with a sigh. She pitched the bridge of her nose. Surely, she had lived too long to see this come to pass. If this madness succeeds it would surely cost Konoha more issues in the future. She just couldn't imagine a pregnant Hokage!

If word of such a thing got out they will be the laughingstock of the five great Shinobi nations. Not to mention their enemies may perceive them as weak or weaken because of their Hokage's condition and may try to attack.

Finally she spoke, "… Minato" she said in all seriousness. "You realize the position you're putting not only me or Rin in, but our beloved village? How are you supposed to serve and protect our people if you're… you're…"

"…pregnant?" Minato offered.

Biwako gnashed her dentures together in annoyance. By Kami! She could not even bring herself to say the word more or less making it possible!

"I can" Minato reasoned. "I would not be incapable until my due date. Until then I plan to continue my duties"

"And when you finally become incapable, don't you think our enemies may take it as a sign of weakness and attack?" Biwako pressed.

"Surely they won't be that stupid" Rin scoffed before she could stop herself. Gasping at her rude behavior she quickly apologized but Biwako ignore that.

"Why would you assume that?" The old woman asked instead.

"Well… erm…b-because of Minato-sensei's reputation. It's still too fresh after the war. They saw what happened in Earth country and they wouldn't dare to cross him because as soon as he's capable they will be reminded of why he is known as Konoha's golden flash!" Rin explained. "… And…um…" beginning to pull from straws she added. "We…we could just keep this a secret so no one would find out until after the point!"

Biwako hummed in thought as she sat back on her futon, shaking her head in disapproval. "That was a weak argument, I am sorry to say" she concluded.

Rin sighed. At least she tried.

"The overall point is that we are still going to attempt this procedure even without your approval or help" Minato said stubbornly. He stood up from the table. "I am sorry that we disturbed you, good day to you, Lady Biwako…"

Biwako bristled. "Please, I don't understand, surely you can find a woman willing to bear your heirs?" She reasoned. "Kushina will understand and allow of it I'm sure…"

Minato's back stiffened. Politely but firmly he said, "… Understand me Biwako-sama… I love only Kushina and I will not sire a child with another woman. And at this critical moment there is no other woman who is available that I trust to bear this transfer. You claim I am not thinking of my people and yet my own child is on the verge of destruction because I placed this village ahead of my own happiness and the happiness of my wife. I simply wish to save an innocent life. Isn't that what being a Hokage is about…?"

Biwako was speechless.

Respectfully Minato bowed his head to her. "Now if you please excuse us, we must be on our way..." in the flash he and Rin were gone.

Inwardly sighing to herself, Rin really wished she had the help of lady Biwako. She was a very experienced and retired talented medic ninja who taught even the slug sage, Tsunade. Pushing those thoughts out of her head she began to concentrate on what she was doing. Under clearance of the Hokage himself she was allowed inside the hospital's laboratory. She had to focus on the hormone mixture. She had to start giving Minato a mixture of estrogen and progesterone. They had to trick Minato's body into thinking he was pregnant in order to build up his uterine lining; making it fertile and easier to connect the nerves and blood vessels to the placenta.

As she approached Minato's side she could see him twitching slightly. To think the mighty Yellow Flash was intimidated by needles. Minato's shirt was off, showing off his impressive six pack. A six pack soon to be ruined by pregnancy if they should succeed.

"Don't worry, Minato-sensei" Rin tried to soothe him. "This will feel like a mosquito bite at most"

"I'm not worried…" Minato scoffed lightly, while trying to look everywhere but what was in her hand and failing.

Rin chuckled. She quickly wiped Minato's arm with a disinfectant wipe. "Whoa! Hey sensei what's that?" Rin yelled suddenly while pointing to her left.

"What! Where?—OW!" Minata yelped as Rin hastily shoved a needle into his arm.

"Sorry" she said distractedly. Once the hormones had been injected, she removed the needle and disposed of it in the waste bin.

"That was mean…" Minato practically whimpered.

Rin shrugged. "It worked didn't it?" All she got in reply was a pout.

Instead of responding Minato flashed from Rin's side and transported over to the trash bin located in the corner of the room and retched. Rin winced at the sound. She was actually glad for once that she couldn't have children.

Lady Biwako made her way to her husband's office that evening. As she came from around the corner to enter his room she swore she saw a blur of orange quickly tucked under the desk and replaced with scroll. Her husband, the respectively retired Sandaime, cleared his throat and greeted her, "Ahhha! S-Sweet heart!" He said. "How may I h-help you?" He said smiling a little nervously.

Biwako rolled her eyes. She wanted to comment on him being a perverted old geezer but decided to ask instead, "I need to know something…" She came forward to sit by his side, calmly facing him.

Sarutobi immediately placed down his scroll and gave his full attention to his wife. "Yes?" He asked.

"Was Minato's wife ordered to have an abortion by the Elders?" Biwako asked bluntly.

Sarutobi stiffened. "WHAT…?" He asked incredulously. "When did this madness happen!"

Biwako sighed. "I was hoping you could tell me" she said irately. "Minato had come with Rin to our home this afternoon in a desperate plea for my help regarding the situation…"

Sarutobi was angry. "Why would my former teammates even ask for such a thing?" he asked. 'Especially behind my back!' he thought crossly.

"It seems they feel the Kyuubi may be able to break a free from Kushina's seal if she was to give birth to a child" Biwako answered. Biwako then saw a spark of reorganization pass through her husband's eyes before he hid it.

"Most unfortunate…" he said, his anger deflated like a balloon.

Biwako's eyes widen at the tone he was using. "Do you attend to do anything?"

Sarutobi was quiet for a moment. "… Surely I hate this as much as you do, yet, they have a point…Mito Uzumaki's seal nearly broke when she gave birth to her child… there was an unspoken law written that female Jinchūriki were not allowed to bear children because of it…" he swallowed hard. "I am sorry that the Elders found out about it…"

Biwako couldn't believe her ears. "So are you saying you are going to let them have their way?"

"Well not if Minato had anything to say about it" Sarutobi said. "I have faith in him. I am sure the man will come up with a solution…he is my successor after all!" he said faithfully.

Biwako laughed aloud at the irony of her husband's statement. Hiruzen looked at his wife strangely. "How funny it is for you to say so. Because it is as you say, your successor has come up with an ingenious plan to protect Konoha and still have children…"

Sarutobi waited for her to continue.

"… By having them himself!" she answered with a smirk. Her smirk only widen as she saw her husband choke on his pipe weed. Sarutobi coughed for several seconds before he was able to speak. "You must have misspoken; you shouldn't tease an old man like me, Biwako-chan!"

"Since when do I speak lies?" Biwako asked.

Sarutobi went very still and silent. His skin color went from tan to a hilarious shade of green. Biwako laughed. "Surely I have never seen a man who loves his wife so much!"

Sarutobi bristled. "You haven't huh? Do I not love you?"

Biwako smiled mischievously. "Enough to physically bear MY children in your own body?"

Sarutobi shuddered at the mental picture. Being able to have many heirs without enduring the pain that came with it was one of the best things about being male! "…That is Minato's plan?" He asked instead.

"Yes"

Sarutobi shuddered again. "Good Kami! That's just too…too extreme!"

"At first I had shunned him too…" Biwako admitted. "But now I see that maybe seeing a man go through pregnancy and birth may be a hilarious adventure for an old midwife such as myself! Hahahahaha!" she continued to laugh heartily as she got up to exit the room leaving a very disturbed husband in her wake.

Rin groaned as she erased her latest formula. It just didn't work well enough to her liking. What was she missing? How to accelerate the results…

"You half the wrong mixture" a voice said from behind Rin. Rin squeaked and turned to see Lady Biwako.

"Biwako-sama!" Rin said shocked. "How would you'd know—"

"You would be here in the lab?" The old lady finished her sentence. "Simple, because if you were any kind of an intelligent girl you would know to inject hormones first before attempting to even perform the transfer"

Rin beamed. It was nice to have such a professional to slyly commend her. Then a thought came to her. "… Are you here to stop me?" She asked cautiously.

Biwako sent her a look. "If I had wanted to do that I would have delivered the clean chop on the back of her neck, not greet you, child"

Rin blushed, realizing how silly she sounded. She was about to apologize when Biwako waved her off. "Now, now we don't have time for such petty things! Let me see that mixture!"

It was a little over an hour later when they were able to meet up with Minato. Minato was currently resting in an undisclosed part of the hospital. He had barely managed to choke down some salty chicken noodle soup and some crackers for lunch. He was very nauseated do to all those hormones swirling around in his body.

"I'm back, sensei!" came Rin's voice. As the door to his room opened, Minato was surprised to see Rin with Biwako standing beside her.

Biwako bowed her head. "Hokage-sama"

Minato nodded to her. "So you decide to help me after all?" he said with his blue eyes lighting up.

Biwako snorted. "You were going to do this crazy idea anyway, so I might as well make sure it's at least done right!" Then she added, "I also want a good laugh when I see you bawling your eyes out over having Braxton hicks contractions, ho, ho! If you think this is painful, you got nothing on childbirth!"

Minato didn't bother trying to come up with a come back; he was just happy she was here to help.

Kushina had resigned herself to pacing in her home. Her husband had been missing since yesterday morning and she had every right to be worried. What worried her more was what was going to happen to her baby. Minato was a genius but sometimes there were limitations. With a sigh, Kushina whispered, "Minato...where are you...?"

"Right behind you Kushina-"

"ACK! DATTEBANE!" Kushina as she punched the intruder. Seeing it was her husband, she snarled at him and shook her fist. "How many times have I've told you NOT to sneak up on me like that? Kami! Are you trying to give me a heart-attack?"

While rubbing his throbbing shoulder, Minato said, "Owww, Kushina!"

Kushina sighed in relief. "Minato, I knew you would come home late but, geeze! Two days, Minato? TWO WHOLE DAYS!"

"I know, I'm sorry, Kushi-whoa!" Minato was nearly knocked off his feet as Kushina ran into his arms and hugged him tightly.

"I'm glad you're home" Kushina whispered into his ear. She kissed her cheek and moved back. "Where were you the last couple of days anyway?"

"I was busy working with Biwako and Rin" Minato answered. "Now, hang on, I'm transporting us to the hospital"

In a in a twinkle of an eye, Kushina found herself standing in in a operation room, probably in the Konoha Hospital with Rin and Biwako standing there, waiting for them. "Hello, Old Biwako-baachan and Rin-chan!" Kushina greeted them cheerfully.

Rin smiled. "Hey, Kushina-san!"

Biwako bristled at her greeting. "Biwako-sama if you please!"

"Fine, fine" Kushina waved her off. "So Minato what is this plan you three cooked up?"

Minato went on to explain everything to Kushina. When he was done, he looked at Kushina expectedly.

Unblinkingly Kushina stared at her husband a before she bursting out laughing, "DATTEBANE! BWAHAHAHAHA! OH KAMI YOU CRACK ME UP!" the red head said. She even fell to the floor and rolled around.

Minato watched her patiently with his arms crossed over his chest. It was nearly five minutes later before Kushina was able to get a hold of herself. She wiped tears away from her eyes. Once she was finally able to catch her breath Kushina got up and said, "Seriously now, Minato, this isn't time to be joking, oh Kami! Heh-heh…so what's the real plan?"

Minato looked at Kushina with steely sapphire eyes. "I am serious. Quickly lie down on the bed and roll up your shirt. I have to get this shunshin seal just right" he commanded in a tone Kushina recognized meant no room for playing. She was taken aback.

"…wait, you're…you're actually SERIOUS?" Kushina asked incredulously. "How in the hell are you going to pull this off again?"

"I'll be more than happy to explain later, meanwhile please do what I ask of you" Minato said.

Kushina walked over to the examination tables and laid down on the one on the right. "…You mean to tell me you're willing to walk around with a pot belly?" Kushina said through a snorted laugh. She honestly couldn't imagine her husband hugely pregnant. "Seriously Minato, I knew you were always a girly-girl at heart but this takes the cake!"

Minato rolled his eyes. "Just roll up your shirt already"

Minato actually preferred to be unconscious during the procedure. In his opinion, being awake may cause more harm than good. Especially with Kushina involved. Minato was laying down in the supine position on the operating table. His shinobi ware had been discarded and he was now dressed in a two piece hospital pjs. He whinced a little as Biwako inserted the IV into his arm. "It's like a mosquito bite, hm?" Biwako said with a smile as she patted Minato on the shoulder.

Minato glanced over at Kushina. She was lying on another table on the opposite side of the room. She was already unconscious. Rin was attending to her.

"Ready, Minato?" Biwako askedn regaining his attention. She was standing above him with a gas mask. Glancing at Kushina one last time, he nodded. Biwako lowered the gas mask onto his face. "Count backwards from 100"

"100... 99... 98... 97... 96... 95... 94... ...9-93... ... ... ...92... ... ...9-... ...zzzz..."

Biwako looked to Rin. Simultaneously they nodded to each other. Biwako removed the mask from Minato's face and walked over to where Kushina was lying. "Rin, you believe you can summon the fetus correctly when I detach the placenta?"

"Yes" she answered determind.

"Good. Pray to Kami this works..." Biwako's hand began to glow green. "Chakra scapular jutsu!"

Hours later Minato groaned lightly as he opened his eyes. From his surrounding he could tell he had been transported from the operation room to a regular hospital room. He had a slight headache. He was about to open his mouth to speak when he felt the rush of acid coming up his throat. He swallowed it back down with a gag. He felt extremely nauseated.

"Ah! Sensei! Sensei, you are awake!" Minato only had to blink and Rin was standing over him.

"The transfer, Rin…what happened?" Minato asked.

Rin suddenly looked seldom. "Well sensei, I was wondering how I should tell you this…"

Minato's heart stopped as he sat up too fast. The room was spinning. "What? What happened?" he asked urgently while ignoring his dizziness.

"The transfer…" Rin drawled out.

"Y-Yes…?"

"WAS A SUCCESS!" she cheered happily. "Congratulations, Minato-sensei, you are officially seven weeks pregnant!" Rin's smile was threatening to slice off her face. Biwako swatted Rin on the back of her head.

"Ow!"

"Don't upset him! He's is still a very delicate condition!"

"S-Sorry..." Rin apologized.

Minato was too excited to rebuke Rin for her joke. "R-Really? I'm pregnant?" Minato asked.

"Yes, you are" a voice answered from the side.

Minato turned his head to see Kushina lying in the hospital bed next to him. She looked half drowsy herself but was extremely happy. On wobbly legs Kushina slipped out of bed and stumbled to Minato's side. She had to bat off Rin's and Biwako's hands as she came. She kissed Minato tenderly, "You did it, Koi, thank you… thank you" she nuzzled her cheek against his.

"Let's have an ultrasound to make sure" Biwako said. She pushed over a sonogram machine. While Rin turned it on, Biwako rolled up Minato's hospital top. The faint traces of the ritual summoning circle drawn in blood that Minato was still visible. With a wipe, Biwako cleaned the markings away before putting gel on his lower abdomen. Minato cringed a little at the coldness of the gel. He was relieved when it warmed up fast.

"Turn off the lights!"

Rin ran over to the wall and killed light. When Biwako placed the doppler on Minato's stomach, the screen came to life. It was gray and black. Minato assumed the gray fuzzy stuff must have been his muscles and organs. The black mass in the center...

Seeing her sensei's confused frown. She point to the black spot on the sceen and said, "That's your uterus"

Kushina snorted in amusement. Her girly husband had a uterus... Surprisingly it didn't even faze her. Minato had always been a sissy in her book.

"And this..." Rin pointed to the growth on the inner part of the blackness. "Is your baby!"

Minato blinked. That remotely humanoid looking creature inside of him was his child? Somehow he did not expect his child to look like that.

Kushina pulled a face. "You're kidding us right? It looks like a fat tadpole with legs!"

Rin chuckled. "Well, we all looked like this at one time...isn't it amazing how this is gonna grow into a baby?" Turning to her superior, Rin asked, "How about we schedule a sonogram very week for Minato-sensei!"

The old woman shook her head. "Bi-weekly is enough. Everything seems going on course which is a miracle in itself! Now, let's check the heartbeat..." Biwako said as she swap out the doppler.

Kushina and Minato jerked at the loud booming sound that suddenlly echoed throughout the room. It like the beating of a drum... ba-bump, ba-bump, ba-bump! And it was incredibly fast. It sounded so amazing strong but it was just a little too fast for Kushina's liking, "That's rather fast…is the baby alright?" she asked worried.

"143 beats a minute. That's perfectly normal" Biwako reassured the couple. "To tell you the truth it varies from pregnancy to pregnancy-"

"What have you four done?" a voiced cried out in alarm all of a sudden.

All eyes turned toward the new arrival to see Hiruzen Sarutobi standing there in the doorway.

"I thought this room was off limits!" Rin cried, startled.

"My husband has clearance...a perk for being a former Kage" Biwako explained. She glared at her spouse. "Get in here and be quiet!" she snapped. "And for what has happened, I think that's obvious! We saved a life!"

Snapping out of his stupor, Lord Sarutobi did as his wife commanded. Trying to compose himself and failing, he looked from Minato to the screen. "By...by doing this?" Sarutobi-sama asked. He shook his head. "Surely I've lived too long to see things like this..."

Minato sat up. Wiping the gel of his stomach with a paper towel, he lowered his shirt. "Sarutobi…"

Hiruzen held up his hand before continuing, "I understand your reasoning…" he empathized in a more gentle tone. "But you must also realize the consequences for your actions…"

Minato made a move to get out of bed but Rin held him back. "Please, Sensei, stay off your feet for the next 24 hours just in case…"

"…Alright"

"Minato, what will you do when word of this get's out?" Sarutobi asked.

Minato thought long and solicitously before answering. "Word won't get out. I will carry on my duties as if nothing was amiss. I'll work up to my due date and take off for a six week 'training trip' that's all"

Rin raised an eyebrow. "Won't people get suspicious when you start getting bigger? I think a pot belly on a lanky guy like you would be hard to miss…"

Kushina smiled and patted Minato's shoulder. "You can just say it's a tumor! Or better yet, liver failure!"

Minato's eye twitched. "Actually I was simply thinking about using the Transformation jutsu. It's a permanent henge like the one, Tsunade invented to elude tracking-nins and debt collectors"

Everyone looked at Minato as if he was speaking Xhosa.

Sarutobi's eyes widen. "She uses a henge?" he asked incredulously.

Blinking owlishly at his friends, Minato said, "I can't believe no one noticed but me…" clearly taken aback.

"That's why you are the Hokage and we aren't" Kushina replied.

'Good point and thank Kami!' Minato thought to himself before saying, "I will use it to mask my pregnancy. I will also teach it to Kushina as well"

Kushina blinked. "Why do I have to use it?"

"Kushina... If you don't look pregnant and a baby suddenly appears out of nowhere, what do you think will happen? People are generally too nosy for their own good…" Minato explained.

Kushina's eye twitched as a vein appeared on her forehead. She agreed. People in general were to curious. She was sort of paranoid thinking she was the center of talk most of the time anyway and not in a good way. "Agreed"

"So in order to keep questions down, Kushina, I need you to pretend that you are still pregnant"

Kushina nodded.

Biwako sighed inwardly. "This is going to be a long 31 weeks…just pray to Kami, nothing happens. There's one more problem, Minato-sama, that needs to be addressed…"

"Hm? What is it?"

"The Elders will get suspicious and will demand to know wh—"

"Those old fossils can go somewhere and screw themselves, if they can, because I'm not pregnant anymore and that means I'm not a threat to village security!" Kushina snapped as she crossed her arms defiantly. "So it's none of their business! Hmph!"

Minato smiled at Kushina before looking back at Biwako. "What Kushina, said"

—TBC?—

The next update should be around March 28-31 if you guys are interested. I may update sooner but since I have like four other stories, I won't make any promises!

CM: To tell you the truth I was never really into male pregnancy. The first one I've read was a Naruto one called, 'Selfreliance'. I then did a search on fanfiction . net and was shocked to find that Naruto had the SECOND largest archives of Mpreg on the entire website. Unfortunately the rest of the Mpreg stories kinda lacked compared to the first one I've read before.

I was also disturbed with the fact of how shoving a penis up a rectum could conceive babies without explaining a REALISTIC and plausible explanation why the 'little miracle' happened. In my mind (even if it's a good story line) I was like: NO WAY that could happen…so I got the urge to see if I could write a good one myself. (You know the old saying, don't talk the talk unless you walk the walk'….or something like that…)

I finally got my chance while I was reading the current manga. Kushina explained how the tailed beasts' seals weaken when female Jinchurikis were giving birth I was like…DING-DONG perfect! I got a good reason! Now to make it realistic... Most of the knowledge was already in my head so I just put it on paper. If my assumptions are wrong about the pregnancy hormones and stuff, tell me please. But most stuff checks out to me.

So overall what do you think? I don't waste my time on flops; if you want this story to continue then please let me so. Know this prelude was a little bit intense and long winded but hilarity is sure to follow in later chapters, I promise!

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