The Seal House was quiet.
Not still — there was always movement here now: the stretching of swollen bellies, the soft moans of early nausea, the shared breathing of eight mothers…
But quiet.
Soft.
Sacred.
Naruto sat cross-legged on the central cushion, hair still messy from sleep, wearing only a thin robe.
Around him, his lovers waited — wrapped in sheer fabrics, bellies exposed, eyes watching him like he was more than a man.
Like he was the father.
The center.
The flame.
Tsunade stepped forward first.
She knelt, took his hands, and placed them over her belly.
Naruto closed his eyes.
Breathed.
And felt it.
Heartbeat one.Strong. Steady. Proud.
He whispered: "She's calm. Like you."
Tsunade smiled.
"Wait till she's born."
Ino came next.
Her belly had grown faster.
Twins.
Two pulses.
Naruto's chakra brushed both like wind through leaves.
Heartbeats two and three.Fast. Mischievous. Tangled in each other.
"They're going to give you trouble," he chuckled.
Ino kissed his head. "Only if they're yours."
Sakura.
Heartbeats four and five.One was steady. The other pulsed wild.
"Boy and girl?" he guessed.
"Or just one Uzumaki and one completely feral."
Sasuko.
One pulse, deep and coiled.
Heartbeat six.
She said nothing.
But Naruto placed his forehead to her bump and whispered:
"I'll protect her from the world… or burn it down."
Karin.
Twins.
Heartbeats seven and eight.
They danced under his touch.
Chakra-sensitives already.
One kicked.
Naruto gasped.
Karin smiled.
"Guess who's a kicker like her mom?"
Hinata.
She knelt slowly.
Her belly round and glowing.
He touched her. The first he ever filled.
And the heartbeat inside… made him cry.
Heartbeat nine.
She took his hand and kissed it.
No words.
Just warmth.
Then… Aya.
Still small.
Still early.
But when he placed his hand low…
He felt it.
Heartbeat ten.
Naruto trembled.
"Ten."
Aya leaned in.
"And they're all yours."