Jun hadn’t seen Anko after all this time but met Kurenai during the New Year’s Festival. It was cold, but everyone was out enjoying the ceremony. Hazuki was about eight months pregnant; there was no hiding her condition. Izumi and Jun walked with her like two bodyguards.

“Hazuki! Jun!” Someone called out.

It was Kurenai. She was accompanied by a group of teenagers and young adults. Jun suddenly recognized many of them from his memories of Naruto. Asuma and Gai were with her. He also saw Genma, Raido, a guy with sunglasses who must have been Ebisu and another guy who looked like Aoba. The teenager saw Kakashi in the back, looking like he didn't want to be there.

“Kurenai, you guys, how have you been?”

Kurenai and most of her friends were still chunins. They must have crossed paths with his mother during missions or something. They all greeted her with a smile, except Kakashi who stayed in the back and Ebisu who was making a weird face. Jun glared at him before he and his sister were introduced to the group. He already knew their names but pretended it was the first time he heard them.

“I didn’t know you knew my mother.” He said to Kurenai while his mom was talking to Genma.

She gave him an apologetic smile.

“I don’t know her that well. We only met a few times. Genma knows her better. They went on several patrols together. Your mother is one of the few Uchihas who isn’t on the police force, so most of the chunins know who she is. We threw a party for her when she retired. We had our first real conversation there. She is a very nice person.”

Jun glanced at Ebisu again. The latter was clearly avoiding looking at his mom.

“What’s the deal with him?” Jun asked, discreetly indicating Ebisu.

Kurenai’s shoulders slumped.

“He’s very traditional. He doesn’t like people who break the rules, but he only had respect for your mother when they worked together. He just doesn’t know how to react. He’s dealing with two conflicting feelings, his camaraderie with her and his convictions. Don’t judge him too harshly.”

Jun wasn’t convinced. However, he stayed calm. His mother was having a good time catching up with her old comrades. It made him happy.

“How is Anko? I haven’t seen her in a while.” He asked, changing the topic.

Kurenai looked a little surprised.

“She is doing well. She was assigned to the Torture and Interrogation Division. I didn’t know you were looking for her.”

“I’m not. She was nice and fun to be around. I thought she might want to train together one of these days.”

Kurenai’s expression softened.

“I’ll let her know. She’ll like it. She is very lonely at the moment.”

“Shiba-sensei told me. I know what it is like to be judged by everyone in the village. Well, my situation can’t compare to hers, though.”

Some people believed Anko was an accomplice of Orochimaru. It was akin to calling her a traitor. Kurenai nodded gravely, glancing at Hazuki.

“I know, but the way the Uchihas treated Hazuki is unacceptable.”

Jun was surprised. He didn’t expect to hear those words from someone he barely knew.

“You think so?”

“Yes! We are shinobis before all. We stick together. Your mother didn’t deserve that. And the way the village reacted isn’t right either. It was like she did something wrong.”

Jun was touched by her words. It was refreshing to see people backing his mom. The teenager smiled.

“I know most of the villagers made things tough for her, but a few of us snubbed those who disrespected her. Genma sent a few people to the hospital. Inoji Yamanaka got arrested for contempt by the police after yelling at one of the Uchihas. I also heard that Hizashi Hyuga reprimanded some guards.”

“Yamanaka? Hyuga?”

“Inoji is the chunin in charge of the patrols. Your mother was his subordinate. Hizashi is the clan leader’s twin brother, but he is also assigned to guard the perimeter around the village. He knows your mother as well. They worked together. In fact, he was one of her most frequent partners with Ensui Nara and Genma. I don’t know how close they are, but he has a lot of respect for her.”

Jun realized his mom had many connections with other clans. He was surprised by that fact. The Nara, Yamanaka, and Hyuga were powerful clans in the village. And Hizashi Hyuga was Neji’s father if he recalled well. The teenager sighed. None of the clans openly opposed the Uchihas. As he was thinking, something came to his mind. His mother had told him the father of her unborn baby was part of a clan. Could it be one of these clans?

Jun and his mother stayed with the group the whole evening. Izumi joined one of her friends, but her brother remained behind. Someone needed to keep an eye on their mother. Hazuki was having a good time; everyone was kind to her and had stories to tell. Apart from Kurenai, Genma and Ebisu, the rest had never exchanged more than a few words with Hazuki. However, they welcomed her into their midst without hesitation.

Ebisu eventually sorted out his feelings and stiffly apologized for not being more supportive. Even the silent Kakashi exchanged some courteous words with his mother. All these characters, these people were just a bunch of teenagers, but it warmed Jun’s heart to know they supported his family. The future wasn’t looking so bleak. The Uchiha clan had kicked them out, but they weren’t alone.

Hazuki’s visits to the hospital multiplied in the month she was due. Health care was free in Konoha, and kunoichi pregnancies were monitored with special attention. Babies who could become ninjas were important resources to the village. Hazuki’s age also made the personel treat her with special care. Her pregnancy was considered relatively late. There could be complications. It wasn’t frequent for women to die during childbirth, but it wasn’t impossible either. And the possibility worried Jun.

His mother was calmer than him. She often hummed while caressing her belly with a tender gesture. Jun didn’t fully understand how she could already love the baby so much, someone who wasn’t here yet. He remembered how it had taken a while for him to get used to Izumi. And now, he cherished his little sister deeply. Would it be the same for his new sibling? He couldn’t say for sure. Perhaps a mother’s love was different, more spontaneous, more instinctive.

Medical Ninjutsu was capable of wonders, but it was useless to determine a baby’s gender. Technology wasn’t advanced to find that out either. However, his mother was convinced the baby was a boy. She had started to think of names but kept it a secret from Jun and Izumi. She wanted to surprise them when she would make up her mind.

The end of the month was approaching. Hazuki was rushed to the hospital when the contractions began. Izumi had classes at the Academy, and she couldn’t be present. Jun spent the day running in circles in the waiting room. He could feel his mother’s chakra running wild as she was in pain. Many people briefly came by to get some news.

Everyone was nervous, Yugao, Iruka, Natsumi, Susumu, Shiba-sensei, Genma, Kurenai, and even Anko. They all came to visit. Jun would have been touched in any other circumstances, but he was just worried. Izumi joined him as soon as her classes ended. The siblings waited together in silence, holding hands, and filled with worry.

It was only after ten hours, late at night, that a medic-nin came to get them. Jun could feel his mother’s chakra. It was faint, but she was alive. However, the medic-nin’s grave expression made him uncomfortable.

“Your mother is fine… the baby too. But they are both very weak. Your mother lost a lot of blood, and her chakra pathway system was damaged. She will not be able to have any more children… And she won’t be able to return to active duty.”

Jun’s tightened his grip on Izumi’s hand.

“Can we see her?”

Their mom was barely awake. Izumi rushed towards her, but Jun’s eyes lingered on the bassinet next to the bed. The baby was wrapped in blankets. He was so tiny. He looked fine, crumpled, bald, and asleep. His chakra was weak.

“Jun, Izumi, this is your little brother. His name is Kazuma.”

Jun liked the name. He leaned over and hugged his mom. A knot of anguish was loosened in his stomach. His mother had survived. Everything would be fine. But the medic-nin wasn’t as optimistic. He mentioned it would take at least a week before their mother could go home. He also told them about the necessary weekly appointments and medications to take.

Jun’s optimism gradually decreased in the following days. Kazuma was healthy, but their mom was deeply weakened. The medic-nin warned him that her chakra was going to take a while to return to normal. When they discharged Hazuki, she was barely strong enough to walk. Jun had to carry her half of the way. And it wasn’t all. The children had to clean, cook, shop, watch the baby and change him. Their mother was too weak to do all that. She spent the majority of her time resting. She was pale and suffered from chronic fatigue.

Jun helped with the chores, but he still had to do missions to bring money home. Some missions took him away for several days. And they weren’t even enough for his family to live comfortably. They received a small allowance from the village but raising a baby was expensive. Their mom’s medication was also costly. All that brought stress to the family.

Izumi began taking care of the things at home while Jun was out making money. All the household chores became her responsibilities. She struggled with it. Jun helped whenever he could as well. He didn’t like the situation. It wasn’t the life he wanted for his sister. He realized things could have been different if they were still part of the clan. They could have had help. The financial burden could have been lessened.

Jun was too proud to ask for help at first. He wanted to keep their trouble private and handle them in-house. It wasn’t just him. It was a cultural thing. However, the weeks passed, then a month, and two… their mother wasn’t getting better. Kazuma often cried. Izumi was beyond exhausted, her grades at the Academy dropped. Jun swallowed his pride. He may not have a clan, but he wasn’t alone. He had friends. His mother had friends. He decided it was time to turn to them.