Chapter Text
Naruto came home from a long mission, exhausted and tired. "Hinata... I'm home..."
"Naruto-kun!" Hinata rushed up to him and worked his coat off of his shoulders, hanging it on the hook by the door in their new house. "Dinner should be ready soon. Why don't you go upstairs and take a bath?"
"Ah... Thanks."
He left his shoes in the genkan, one sideways and one upside down. Hinata bent down and fixed them. She took his coat and put it in the wash bin, then looked down at her stomach, patting it with a small smile. She could tell him at dinner.
After a few minutes passed, she turned down the stove and walked up the stairs to gather his dirty clothes. As expected, they were strewn about on the floor without a care. He was already in the bath, yawning and laughing at bubbles. Talking to himself.
"Ah, what a tiring mission. But you know, it really feels nice to come home to a warm meal and a bath... Oi, what was that?! Stupid fox, you better not be lying..."
Or maybe it wasn't to himself. She picked up the clothes off the floor piece by piece, her long hair dropping down in front of her face. She looked at her hair. And then suddenly wondered if it would be easier just to cut it. Tending to it in the mornings took a while as well... But what would Naruto think? She decided the decision could wait.
Suddenly, the door to the bathroom burst open. Hinata looked on reflex and immediately shielded her eyes, face turning scarlet.
"Oi! Hinata!"
"N-Naruto-kun?"
He wrapped the towel that he'd been holding around his waist. "Is it true you're... That you're pregnant?"
"...Ah, that's... I..."
"Well, Kurama was just saying, he sensed another chakra, in your stomach or something!"
"Ah... Well, I was going to tell you at dinner... But you seemed tired, so I thought I would-kya!"
"That's great news!" Naruto went around behind her and picked her up, lifting her into the air and spinning her around.
"N-Naruto-kun!"
"Oh. I guess I should be careful not to squish the kid," he laughed, setting her down.
"M-More importantly," she stuttered, "your... clothes..."
"AH! Sorry, I ripped my jacket... Do you think you can fix it for me?"
"That's not what I was talking about!" She squeaked, covering her face with her hands.
"Hm? Ah. My bad, I forgot to get new ones before I got in the bath. And that reminds me, I still haven't used soap! Ah! But more importantly... I'm gonna be a father-ttebayo!"
Hinata slowly uncovered her face, lifting her slouched shoulders. She turned towards her husband who was in nothing but a towel, dripping water all over the floor, and smiled. "Mm!"
"Haha," he hummed going back into the bathroom. "Do you hear that kurama! You were right. I'm really gonna be a father! Hey, what do you think it'll be? A boy or a girl? Mmm... I can't chose! But you know, it would be really cool if they had Hinata's byakugan. Do you think they could be crazy strong?"
Gentle gaze looking back down at her stomach, Hinata used her byakugan to peer in on the tiny baby's development. Her smile grew even wider. "Your father is excited to see you," she whispered, and then returned to picking up Naruto's clothes, getting a rag to wipe the water off of the floor.
. . .
For the next week, it was all Naruto could do to tell the entire village about their new development. Hinata asked him to keep it a secret until she was at least three months along, but how could he resist telling Kakashi? And Shikamaru, Sai, Ino, Choji, Iruka-sensei... He even sent a message to Sasuke and Sakura by hawk.
And then came the question. What would their name be?
Hinata laughed. How could they decide a name when they weren't even sure of the gender? But Naruto being Naruto, he decided they had to pick names for both, just in case. And then they could change at any point in time.
He went through so many names, presenting them to her at every occasion. Some were ridiculous, some seemed alright. And finally one night, as he lay there, holding her against him, both staring at the ceiling, Naruto looked down. And he smiled. And said, "Hey, Hinata. What about Boruto?"
Hinata blinked a few times, looking up at him. "Boruto?"
"Mm." Naruto turned his head back towards the ceiling, putting one arm under it for support. "It's connected to Neji... Boruto means 'bolt' in English, doesn't it? And Neji is screw. And my dad... The yellow flash. Bolt can be like a bolt of lightening as well, right? Wouldn't it be cool if he was connected to both of them? Your byakugan and dad's teleportation..."
"What if it's a girl?"
Naruto smiled and leaned back into his pillow. "He's going to be a boy... Believe it! I know because I'm his father."
Hinata smiled. "Mm. Boruto... Do you hear that?" She looked down at her stomach. "We've decided your name."
"Mm? You're okay with that?"
"Of course," she smiled. "You thought about it carefully, didn't you?"
"It wasn't easy, reading that book full of English words. But I was too excited to help it!" His laughter gently shook her head, heartbeat steady under her ear. "Thanks, Hinata."
"Hm? Why are you thanking me?"
"For letting me be a father."
Hinata closed her eyes. "I pray that he'll be born healthy."
"Mm." Naruto hummed, yawning. "Me too."
. . .
Naruto rubbed his tired eyes, doing his best to stay awake as he rode on the back of one of Sai's birds.
"Naruto, are you sure you should be doing this mission? Hinata is going to have the baby soon, isn't she?" Sai asked from another bird.
"Ah, it's fine," said Naruto, trying to stay awake. "Besides... She's been a bit weird lately... I needed to get out of the house..."
He laughed. "I understand... Just the other day, Ino asked me to hold her... And then ten minutes later, she said it was too hot and pushed me away. And then ten minutes later, she came back again and said she was cold."
"I understand... Hinata keeps on craving these weird foods. I wouldn't have pegged her as the type to like burgers, but ever since that new place, Thunder Burger opened, that's all she's eaten. It'd be nice to have ramen every once and a while, ya know?"
"Mm..." Sai contented. "But that being said, why do you seem so tired?"
Naruto yawned. "On top of taking care of Hinata, I've been up late at night studying... Kakashi-sensei said that if I want to be Hokage, I've gotta know how to lead the village. Iruka-sensei said I was making progress, but it's not nearly enough... No matter how much I look at the books, it just doesn't want to go into my brain."
"Leave it to the number one unpredictable ninja to save the world as a genin," laughed Sai. "Ah, we're here."
They handed over the documents to the land of thunder, Naruto happily pounding fists with Killer Bee and somehow immediately transitioning into the topic of Boruto. A few quick rhyming words of congratulations later, they were on their way back to Konoha.
But when they landed in the village, Ino was there at the gates, waiting for them.
"Naruto!!"
"Hm? Ino. What's wrong?" He hopped down off the bird and ran up to her. "Is someone in trouble?"
"It's Hinata," she said, turning around and running. "Come quick! She's in labor."
Naruto's eyes widened. He started running after Ino. "Oi, is that a bad thing? Why is everyone freaking out right now?"
"Ugh you're such an idiot! Hurry up!"
Naruto ran, rather confused, until he approached the hospital. And heard screaming. "Oi! Hinata!"
"Wait! Don't go in right now."
"But she sounds like she's dying! I gotta save her!"
"That's part of giving birth," said Ino, holding him back. "Just wait until the baby is out and then you can go in!"
"But I--" His voice was cut off by the crying death screams of his wife. "Hinata!!" He shook off Ino's grip and put his hand on the door.
"Naruto," said Sai, holding him back. "Just be patient."
"HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO BE PATIENT WHEN MY WIFE SOUNDS LIKE SHE'S GOING TO DIE?!"
"Naruto-kun," he heard her grunt from the other side of the door. "Just wait... A little... Longer!"
"Hinata!"
"Almost... Ahhhh!"
Suddenly the screaming stopped. There was shuffling of footsteps, the banter of doctors and nurses about things he couldn't understand. He rested his head against the door, palm flat. And then... He heard the cry of a baby.
"Can I go in now?"
One of the doctors stepped out of the room with a clipboard. "Uzumaki Naruto?"
"You... What did you do to my wife?"
"Naruto!" Sai put up his arm and stopped him from grabbing the doctor's collar. "He helped her. Don't kill the doctor. Just answer the questions calmly. Okay?"
Naruto pouted. He let go of the doctor's cloak. "Fine."
Clearing his throat, the doctor asked him a series of questions. He signed the paperwork with a scribble, and then pushed through the door. "Hinata!"
She smiled weakly at him, all of the strength drained from her eyes. "Naruto-kun."
"Hinata!" He crouched next to her bedside, looking over her face. "Oi... What... What happened?"
The doctors returned to the room with a bundle, blonde hair sticking out the top. Hinata weakly stretched out her arms. The bundle was placed on her chest, the smile on her face wide despite her exhaustion. She reached up a weak and weary hand. And for the first time, Naruto got a glimpse of his son's face.
"Hello... Boruto-kun," Hinata managed to say.
Naruto smiled, tears prickling the edges of his eyes. Blonde hair like his. Bright blue eyes like his. And two little whiskers on each cheek. But his smile... Was definitely that of his wife's. A perfect combination. He was now a father. And he couldn't be happier.
"Boruto!"