Colliding Constellations

Chapter 2: Motherhood

Karasu was born in the winter.

Sakura remembered the day as if it were just yesterday. It was a rare day that snow fell in Konoha, a usually forgiving climate, summer days, and cold morning forest dew.

"I'm sorry, Sakura-chan," only Naruto's eyes could still hold warmth in the peek of sadness, "But that baka, he's stuck in a storm in Frost Country. He won't- he won't make it till the week after.''A heart-wrenching feeling flew across Sakura's chest. For all the times she had prepared for this emotion, this gut turning truth, Sakura could not seem to shake away the freshness of the wound.

"I see," she whispered. He's not going to make it.

"He cares, Sakura-chan," Naruto tried to amend his best friend's actions, "He cares so much."

I wanted him to choose the name.

"I know," Sakura whispered, a tear falling down her cheek, and Naruto moved to hug her close to his chest. She let out a small sigh, before her eyes brightened in a determination of women born from war, "I can do this."

Naruto gave her a cheeky smile, "Of course you can, Sakura-chan." Because it didn't matter if the world fell apart, Naruto would still be so, so kind.

"I know what it is!" Sakura screamed.

"Calm down, Sakura," Tsunade responded calmly, "We need to think about this rationally. You just got out of labor; you absolutely cannot be doing medical work right now."

"Chakra deficiency?" Naruto was stroking Hinata's back, but his eyes were brimmed with worry, "I'm not familiar with the term."

Tsunade sighed, "When Sakura's baby was born, the brain receptors linked to the chakra pathways developed an uneven ratio. A natural shinobi child will be born with simultaneous chakra flow, stemmed from an unconscious brainwave signal that tells it to send the right amount of chakra to the right places."

A blank look across Naruto's face made Tsuande sigh even deeper.

"It means that the baby's brain believes that its chakra pathways are much smaller than they actually are, and when chakra begins to circulate, it doesn't flow to the size of her chakra pathways and creates clogs in the tenketsu of her body. Currently, we have a Hyuuga manually making her chakra system flow, but that will not last, and without manually releasing tenketsu, she will become paralyzed."

"So you're saying Sakura-chan's baby can't flow its chakra?" Naruto summarized. Tsunade winced as if she was overcoming the fact of his lack of comprehension, but she let out a resigned sigh and nodded.

"It can also work as a benefit," a voice resounded from the doorway, Kakashi-sensei in all of his glory, Sakura eyes fled to him.

"If you are born maintaining your own chakra flow, masterful chakra control is guaranteed, even when usually people with larger chakra reserves would not hold that innate talent."

"So she's Sakura and Sasuke, in control and reserves. Isn't that a good thing?" Naruto brightened immediately.

"She is just a child," Sakura said in despair, "She won't even be able to maintain her chakra flow until much later."

Kakashi's eyes squeezed into twin sunsets, "I have an idea." Everyone held their breaths.

"A seal."

"What?" Sakura was looking at him with a mixture of shock and confusion. Honestly, it was a little anticlimactic.

"Creating a seal in which will maintain your baby's chakra flow until she is old enough to be able to be taught."

"That's impossible!" Tsunade was looking at him with disbelief, "Who's ever heard of such a seal?!"

"It's not impossible," Naruto was smiling, "I'll find a way. I'll create one. Kurama's seal held his chakra for the first twelve years of my life until I started to control it."

"The jinchuuriki seal is entirely different," Tsunade admonished, "It regulates extra chakra from tailed beasts, not one's innate chakra."

"All the same, I'll find a way," Naruto turned to Sakura, his eyes shining "Believe it, Sakura-chan."

And for the first time that day, Sakura let out a small smile, sadness just curling on the corners.

"It was successful," was the first thing Kakashi said when he walked into the room. Sakura lifted her head to stare his way, her eyes drooping in exhaustion, yet her body lightening with relief.

"How's Sarada?" Sakura asked, her mind going to elder daughter, two years old, and just beginning to pronounce entire sentences.

"The Yamanaka's are taking care of her with Inojin; she should be just fine," Kakashi comforted, his presence just hanging at the doorway as if he greatly dreaded walking into the room and causing a commotion.

"Kakashi," Sakura said softly, and Kakashi's eyes lifted to her face, "Will you be her godfather?"

Kakashi stiffened, and Sakura watched as his hands fled to his pockets. She couldn't quite see his facial expression from such an angle, but she imagined it would have been with surprise.

"I would be honored, Sakura-chan," he finally said, his face lifting to reveal mirrored crescent eyes.

"Thank you," she smiled tiredly, "Then as her godfather, I want you to choose a name."

Kakashi choked, and Sakura recognized she was asking a lot of her genin teacher, but all the same, Sakura was tired, and she saw no one better fit than Kakashi. It was common in Konoha culture that the godfather would choose the child's name. Though sometimes there were a few exceptions. Sakura and Sasuke had chosen Naruto as Sarada's godfather, and in return, he had given a name with meaning for the both of them.

"Isn't that a bit much?"

"It was your idea to create a seal, I see no one better fit for the task," Sakura eyes shone, before they glinted with danger, "Though if you dare choose a horrific name for my child, I will punch you to no tomorrow. So choose wisely."

Kakashi seemed strained, "Maa, Sakura-chan, no trust. And Naruto was the one to create the seal in the end, not me."

"Just pick something, Kakashi," Sakura voiced in aggravation, annoyed by his antics. He raised his hands in retreat, his head bowing down. A long silence continued, Kakashi shifting with discomfort, and Sakura unrelenting on giving him the responsibility.

He sighed deeply, his hands flying to thread through his silver hair, a tired look glinting from his eyes, one that spoke of the wars he fought in, the battles he had survived.

"Karasu?"

Crow. An animal that had followed the Uchiha to their demise, in loyalty and sorrow. An animal that spoke to even his own namesake. A clever and intelligent creature.

Sakura pondered over his response. It was a little odd, not something one would usually name a girl, yet-

"I like it," Sakura smiled, "Karasu Uchiha it is."