As she was thinking her eyes fell on the top corner of the phone. Specifically on her phone, Kushina saw it was already 5:30 pm.
She walked toward the wardrobe, pausing as she looked at the discarded jeans and shirt, realizing she could use them again.
'I have my room at the office. I can change there if needed. Let's hope I don't run into either Jin or Yami,' she thought. As she quickly changed into jeans and the shirt. She noticed how hard her nipples were and while changing the thoughts from the forum kept playing in her mind..
As she came out of the bedroom her gaze shifted toward the living area.
Minato was sitting beside Naruto, helping him with his homework. Papers were spread across the table, and Naruto looked only half interested.
Minato pointed at the notebook. "Alright, listen carefully. Find the slope of the line passing through the points (1, 2) and (3, 6)."
Naruto frowned. "But, tou-san, why do I even need a slope? I can't even see the line."
Minato sighed lightly, though a faint smile tugged at his lips. "Naruto, don't joke around. Pay attention. It's not that hard."
He leaned forward and began explaining.
"Look. The slope is just how steep a line is. We use this formula." He wrote it down clearly:
m = (y₂ − y₁) / (x₂ − x₁)
"Now plug in the values. For the points (1, 2) and (3, 6), we take 6 minus 2 on top, and 3 minus 1 at the bottom."
He wrote it step by step.
m = (6 − 2) / (3 − 1)
m = 4 / 2
m = 2
"So the slope is 2. That means for every one step forward, the line goes up two."
Naruto blinked, staring at the page. "Oh…"
Minato nodded. "See? Not so bad."
Naruto scratched his head. "Still feels like magic."
Kushina watched them for a moment, her expression softening. There was something grounding about this scene.
'No way he knows…and no way Mina-koi…is C… shadduppp Kushina…don't speak that word…'
"Mina-koi," she called gently.
Minato looked up.
"I'll be leaving for the office," she said. "I should be back soon since I don't have a shoot today. I'll let you know when I leave, and maybe we can have dinner together somewhere."
Minato nodded. "Of course."
Kushina smiled at the father and son duo one last time before turning and walking toward the door.
As she stepped out and closed it behind her, she noticed the elderly couple next door.
"Konbanwa, Yamamoto-san," she greeted politely.
"Ah, Kushina-chan," the old man said with a wide grin. "I told you to call me Kousuke-kun. After all, we are practically the same age."
His wife immediately smacked him lightly on the back. "Ignore him, Kushina-chan. This old man has forgotten he is not young anymore. But he is right about one thing. Just call me Shizuka. No need for '-san' or '-chan,' haha."
Kushina smiled warmly at the lively pair. They had always been kind to her, often helping keep an eye on Naruto when needed.
"So, heading to the office?" Kousuke asked as they walked together toward the elevator.
"Hai," Kushina replied with a nod.
"You looked quite impressive in those pictures," Kousuke added casually.
Kushina blinked.
'What pictures…?' she thought, and then it hit her. 'Don't tell me… he saw those pictures from the shoot in Uzushio? No way. He couldn't be following me on Ninjagram could he ?. Does he even have a Ninjagram account ?'
Her cheeks warmed slightly.
Before she could respond, Shizuka hit him again. "Act your age, Kousuke-kun. You're embarrassing the poor girl."
"What?" he protested. "She looked so stunning. I'm just speaking the truth. All wet and se.."
Shizuka cut him off. "Kushina-chan, forgive him. It seems I still have to teach this old man how to behave."
Kushina shook her head quickly, smiling despite the embarrassment. "It's alright, Shizuka-san."
Then she glanced at Kousuke and added politely, "Thank you for your kind words too, Kousuke-san."
Her face was still slightly flushed as she stepped ahead toward the elevator.
Behind her, she could still hear them faintly.
"See? She didn't mind my compliment," Kousuke said.
"Kousuke, be quiet," Shizuka replied sharply.
By the time Kushina reached the elevator, their voices had faded.
She pressed the elevator button and stood there waiting.
Her reflection stared back at her from the metal doors.
For a moment, she just looked at herself. Thinking about the conversation just now and what she had read in the forum. And then the elevator arrived with a soft chime
"Oh, Kushina-san, are you back already?" her thoughts were broken by the voice. It took her a second to put a face to that voice and identify one of her other neighbours.
"Akemi-san, good evening." Kushina greeted her politely. Akemi was a woman about two years older than Kushina who lived in one of the apartments a couple of floors away from hers. She seemed to be coming home, as she was well dressed.
A long-sleeved, pale blue linen jacket with no buttons or zipper, which she kept intentionally open to show off the pink shirt she wore underneath.
She paired it with a pencil skirt that fell a few inches below her knees. It was the same design and color as the jacket and not very tight, so it didn't show off her figure much. She completed her look with a leather handbag, semi-sheer pantyhose, and simple black stiletto heels.
It was a modest outfit, but it had style. Something she would wear in public to look good but not particularly seek attention.
Similar to what Kushina used to wear before she started changing her wardrobe at her boss's suggestion.
"Good evening. I haven't seen you in a long time. I was starting to think you were avoiding me," Akemi said jokingly.
"Yeah, well, work doesn't give me as much free time as it used to." It wasn't that Kushina was actually avoiding her, but since she had gone back to work, her routine had changed and her casual encounters with Akemi, who was a housewife, in the elevator, the hallway, or at a nearby store had been drastically reduced.
"I can imagine. I saw the photos you posted on your Ninjagram. They're quite beautiful."
"Really? Thank you." Kushina blushed a little in a similar way she did with the old Kousuke-san. She was somewhat accustomed to receiving such compliments on social media, but it was still somewhat embarrassing to receive them in person even from the same gender "It was my first time doing a photo shoot like that. I was very nervous, but everyone said I did well."
"Well, you looked good in those swimsuits." Akemi said with a smile and a suggestive look that made the 'good' sound more like 'sexy'. "Ah, I'm a little envious, you know?. I'd also like to go to a resort like that and wear a cute bikini like you did." She sighed as if lamenting some kind of personal injustice.
"And why not? I'm sure your husband would love to see you in a swimsuit."
"I'd love to, but unlike you, I no longer have the right figure to wear something like that."
"What? Oh, come on, Akemi-san, don't be silly, your figure is..." Kushina's words froze in her mouth halfway out when she glanced at her neighbor's body and found that she was indeed somewhat different from the last time they had seen each other. "...you look good." Kushina said in a stiff, mechanical voice, not as convincing as she would have liked.
"You mean I look fat?" Akemi glared at Kushina as if she had just declared a 100-year war starting right there in the hallway.
"What!? No, no, no, no," Kushina hastened to say, shaking her head and waving her hands defensively. "I would never say something like that to you." Chubby would be a softer and more accurate word that the redhead would have used.
Akemi stared at Kushina with a cold, piercing gaze, creating an overwhelming tension for Kushina, who didn't know how to get out of it without running away.
"Fufufu, relax, Kushina-san, I'm just teasing you." Akemi couldn't resist any longer and began to laugh at Kushina's still confused face, who had fallen for the joke. "Of course I'm fat, I'm pregnant."
"Oh... Oh! Congratulations! I didn't know you and Taiga were still trying to have more children." Kushina began to recover from the shock and rejoice for her neighbor.
"Thank you. And no, we didn't actually plan it," Akemi replied, scratching her cheek a little embarrassed to confess that detail.
"Really?"
"Yes. Taiga and I were celebrating our anniversary, things got very passionate, and well... it's obvious we weren't very careful," Akemi said, her cheeks red with a mixture of embarrassment and excitement from that night. "Ha, who would have thought that letting your husband cum inside you would end up with you carrying a child?" Akemi said, shrugging her shoulders with playful sarcasm.
"Akemi-san." Kushina called her attention to the somewhat risqué joke, but without finding it totally inappropriate, as she herself was capable of making such jokes. "How far along are you? Three months?"
"Four, actually."
"That's great. How are you doing? I remember when I was pregnant, there were days that felt like a real challenge." Kushina said, remembering some of the disadvantages of being pregnant. It was nice to have a child, and seeing Minato love her round belly while carrying their baby was fun.
"Yes, I know what you mean. Haru also gave me trouble at the time." Akemi said, also remembering the pregnancy of her first daughter, nodding with empathy and total understanding with Mrs. Namikaze. "But hey, they say the second time around is always easier, and so far this baby isn't giving me as much trouble as the first one."
"Really?" Kushina asked curiously if it was true. "...And how is the baby?"
"Very well. I just got back from a doctor's visit and it looks like this little one has been growing very healthily." Akemi replied, caressing her somewhat swollen belly, looking at her stomach with a kind of affection and happiness. She had a very warm and maternal air about her.
'Fufu, she looks very happy.' Kushina was somewhat touched to see Akemi like this, looking at her belly as if it contained some kind of treasure. She wondered if she had felt the same way when she had Naruto growing inside her.
"That's great. I hope Haru-chan likes the idea of having a little brother or sister."
Just as the talks between neighbours come to end as Elevator reached the ground floor
"I hope so too. But well, we've talked too much for today. I have to go, Kushina-san, and I think you might as well. Talk to you later." Akemi said goodbye to Kushina as she slowly walked to the parking lot while Kushina made her way to the pickup spot where she noticed Katzo's car. She had messaged the man earlier about pick up.
-----------------------------Primetime-Reloaded------------------------------------------------------------
"Konbanwa, Kushina-san," Katzo greeted her with a smile, like always. The man, though, had been a little disappointed not seeing her in her usual mini skirt outfit, but he didn't complain.
"Konbanwa, Katzo-san. Everything good?"
"Yes, of course. By the way, you looked so beautiful in the Uzushio pictures," the man complimented.
She flushed a little but smiled. "Thank you, Katzo-san."
She spoke as she took her seat in the back while he turned the ignition of the car.
As the car started moving toward the gate of the society, Kushina's mind returned to her recent conversation with her neighbor.
'But who would have thought that Akemi was going for another child?'
Kushina knew that Akemi was maybe 3-4 years older than her and was not exactly young. Aand They were was already close to the recommended age limit for not having children. Although perhaps it was the idea that they were not as fertile as before that made her so careless. 'Even so... is it true that the second pregnancy is easier?' Kushina thought, placing her hand on her own flat stomach with a touch of nostalgia and a very slight feeling of envy. But very slight.
It was true that not everything about her pregnancy had been rosy and that being pregnant had certain disadvantages. But that didn't mean she hadn't enjoyed it. Any negative aspects were overshadowed by the joy and sense of self-fulfillment that came with having a little life growing inside her. The day Naruto was born and she saw his cute little face was one of the happiest days of her life.
'...having another child now… ' Kushina caressed her belly as she let that idea float through her mind. She could almost picture herself with a small bump on her stomach like Akemi's, and that made Kushina's lower abdomen tremble in agreement. It was as if it were some kind of female instinct to reproduce.
Kushina wasn't against the idea of having another child, and she knew Minato wasn't either. In fact, they both wholeheartedly supported the idea of having another child. But it wasn't as if either of them had done anything to actively try to have one.
It was difficult to explain. But when Naruto was born, it was also born out of a kind of unspoken agreement between them to take a break and not have any more children for a while. The truth is that even Kushina didn't understand why they had never tried to have children before and were protecting themselves to avoid a second pregnancy.
'If it had been before, maybe, but now is not a good time… with a teenage son already ... .what would sochi think…' Kushina shook her head as if dispelling a cloud of fantasy. A year ago, when Kushina was a full-time housewife, there would have been no problem. But now that she had a job at KVT and a rising career, a pregnancy would not be a small problem. '...Akemi-san is older than me, but she still got pregnant... Maybe we should be careful too….' She and Minato had just had sex, and Kushina could still feel his little swimmers inside her womb searching for her egg to fuse with and make a baby. It would be very bad if any of them found it.
...Wait a minute.
'Minato came inside me!' The recent conversation with Akemi set off alarm bells for Kushina. Akemi had literally told her about a passionate encounter with her husband in which she hadn't been careful, and Kushina had done exactly the same thing less than an hour ago. 'Today was a safe day, right!?' With the passion of her long-awaited encounter with her husband and how horny she was from her foreplay with Jin, Kushina had completely forgotten about the risk of getting pregnant. Unconsciously trusting that nothing would happen. But then another revelation hit her as a cold water cube. 'Oh, by the Kami!! Shiro came inside me too! That too more than 24 hours ago…'
What could be worse than getting pregnant at this point in her career? Getting pregnant by her ex-boyfriend when he fucked her raw instead of her husband after casual sex.
Kushina's face turned pale, her expression shifting into pure horror and rising panic.
'To hell with this…'
"Katzo-san, can you stop at any nearby pharmacy? I'm having a mild headache… must be from the flight," she spoke, trying to keep her voice steady.
The driver looked at her through the rearview mirror.
She had seemed perfectly fine when she got in the car.
But now he noticed the slight redness on her face, the faint sheen of sweat near her temple despite the cool air from the AC.
"Of course," he replied immediately.
Kushina nodded and turned her gaze toward the window, trying to steady her breathing. As the car came down from the expressway and entered the quieter streets closer to central Konoha, her mind kept circling the same thought.
Timing.
Days.
Risk.
Mistakes.
She pressed her fingers lightly against her forehead.
'Stupid… so stupid…Baka…Stupid Shiro…'
Outside, the familiar streets rolled by. Small shops, convenience stores, quiet cafés, neighborhood clinics. This area was not far from her apartment. She knew it well.
Then she spotted it. A familiar signboard.
Green lettering with white kanji.
Nohara Pharmacy
She had been there before, once or twice, buying cold medicine and fever syrup for Naruto.
"Katzo-san, there," she said quickly, pointing. "That one."
The car slowed and pulled over neatly by the curb.
"I'll be quick," she said as she reached for the door.
"Take your time, Kushina-san," Katzo replied.
She stepped out, adjusting her jeans and shirt instinctively before walking toward the pharmacy entrance.
The little bell above the glass door chimed softly as she entered. The smell was instantly familiar. Clean floors, antiseptic air, shelves lined with medicine, supplements, skincare products, and everyday necessities.
Behind the counter stood a man in his late forties, glasses low on his nose, reading something before looking up.
He blinked. Then straightened.
"Kushina-san?"
She recognized him too.
Shigeru Nohara, the owner. A pharmacist who had inherited the store from his father, from whom she used to buy medicines when she had first arrived in Konoha, before Shigeru-san took over as his father had grown too old to manage the store. She remembered he had a daughter as well. Back then she had just been almost Naruto's age running around behind the counter. She should be a young woman by now.
"Ah… Nohara-san. Konbanwa."
"Konbanwa," he said, clearly surprised but polite enough not to stare too long. "You look a little pale. Are you alright?"
She forced a small smile.
"Just… travel fatigue. I needed to pick up a few things."
"Of course."
He stepped aside politely. She moved toward the shelves first, pretending to browse headache medicine, giving herself a moment to breathe.
Her heart was pounding far too loudly. Even now, asking felt mortifying.
But worse than embarrassment was the alternative.
She walked back to the counter.
Lowered her voice.
"Nohara-san… I need emergency contraception."
There.
She said it. Normally she wouldn't have been like this. Normally she would have bought them casually like she usually did. But today was different. This was not a normal situation was it ?
Even speaking the words made her ears burn.
The pharmacist must have recognised or she did not know but Shigeru did not react dramatically, which she silently appreciated.
He only adjusted his glasses and nodded professionally.
"I understand." His voice stayed neutral.
"We have levonorgestrel-based emergency pills available, and also ulipristal acetate, though that one is prescription-restricted depending on timing and consultation. How long has it been?"
Kushina swallowed.
"No need to say that actually"
"This" he pointed to a couple of strips " levonorgestrel is commonly used. Ulipristal can also be considered depending on the situation, but I would advise proper consultation if needed."
She nodded quickly, "I'll take both if possible."
Shigeru studied her for only a second, then turned to retrieve them. No questions she didn't want. And with professionalism, she was grateful for he placed the discreet white box and the smaller packet on the counter, he added quietly,
"Take the levonorgestrel as soon as possible. Do not delay. And please read the instructions carefully."
"I will."
She paid quickly, keeping her face calm even though internally she still felt like she was standing on the edge of a cliff.
Shigeru packed them into a small plain pharmacy bag.
As he handed it over, he spoke. "Travel fatigue can be troublesome. Make sure you rest too, Kushina-san."
Kushina looked at him. He had a small plain smile on his face. She gave him a small smile as well. "Thank you, Nohara-san."
Then she turned and left before the embarrassment could settle deeper. She knew he meant more. The bell chimed again as the door closed behind her. 'Kami… what could he be thinking about me….' she wondered, her cheeks still faintly warm.
Inside, the pharmacist watched the door for a second longer before adjusting his glasses and returning to the counter. A faint smirk touched his lips.
"Pretty little wives coming back from trips with urgent worries…Nothing new in that…Pretty little wives getting banged on trips…Nothing new in that…" he muttered to himself under his breath. "Nothing new in that…"
Back outside, the evening air felt strangely colder. She held the small bag tightly in her hand and walked back to the car.
"Katzo-san, let's go," she spoke as she took her seat.
Katzo nodded. "Kushina-san, shall I take you back home? If you are not feeling well, you should call off work today…"
"No, no, don't worry, Katzo-san… I don't have a show today. It's just meetings. I should be free soon," she said with a small smile.
Katzo nodded again as he started the car and made his way back onto the expressway toward the KTV office.
-----------------------------Primetime-Reloaded------------------------------------------------------------
Reaching the KTV office, Kushina almost rushed out of the car without looking back at Katzo. 'What could it be… why is she in such a hurry? Is she really ill… or is she late for some meeting?' he wondered as he watched her disappear toward the entrance.
Kushina hurried toward her room in the KTV office as fast as she could without outright running. The urgency to take immediate action was written all over her face. She had already fished out the key to her room, holding it tightly in her fist.
She smiled politely at the people who greeted her along the way, but barely slowed down, heading straight for the office elevator.
She nearly missed Shizune calling after her.
"Kushina-san…"
But before she could properly turn, the elevator doors had already closed, and the lift began making its way to the fourth floor where her room was. Kushina let out a slow breath inside the elevator, her fingers tightening around the small pharmacy bag still hidden inside her purse.
The mirrored walls reflected her back at her. Composed on the outside.
Panicking underneath. As the elevator reached her floor with a soft chime, she stepped out quickly and moved down the corridor where her room was located. The hallway was quiet and well lit, lined with polished wooden doors and soft overhead lighting that made everything feel almost too calm compared to the storm inside her chest.
She reached her door. Her nameplate was fixed neatly beside it.
Kushina
Without her marital name. She pushed the key into the lock, turned it quickly, and stepped inside. The room was exactly as she had left it.
Well maintained by the housekeeping staff. Clean desk. Neatly arranged couch near the window. A private washroom attached to the side. Fresh flowers in a small vase someone had placed that morning.
She closed the door behind her and locked it. Only then did she finally exhale properly.
She looked at the small refrigerator and opened it. It contained sealed water bottles. She took one out, twisted the cap open, and sat down on the sofa with the package she had bought from the pharmacy.
If she had been at home, she would have rushed straight to the bathroom in her room. She would have rummaged through the drawers for the little lifesaver she used for situations like this, the birth control pills she had kept for herself and Minato.
She remembered taking a few after Naruto's birth and the start of the baby-free break that was extended indefinitely, when he was still only a few months old, and she and Minato used to fuck around constantly, barely able to keep their hands off each other.
But now, she wasn't even sure if she still had those emergency pills at home or not. Usually, she and Minato were careful. They mostly slept together on safe days only.
And these last two days… she was pretty sure they were safe days too.
But pretty sure that was not enough.
Not for this.
Not when the consequences could destroy far more than just peace of mind.
She didn't want to take any chances.
Condoms were fine. But they weren't exactly her favorite; the plastic prevented her from feeling Minato's warmth, and she enjoyed the sensation of having semen inside her too much. And since they were married, there was no problem if they had sex without protection.
She was reluctant to use more invasive methods such as IUDs, since she and Minato had never expressed the idea of not having more children. And she wasn't entirely comfortable with the idea of using them either.
Maybe the pills weren't exactly the safest option. But they had served her well for the last 12 years whenever she needed them. Now she could only pray that they would continue to work.
She tore open the package. "Okay, it was levonorgestrel within 24-72 hours, the one with light brown packaging. And ulipristal within 5 days this one was in a purple color pack," she said to herself as she chose the box of levonorgestrel, light brown capsule packet and took out a pill, washing it down with a glass of water from the kitchen.
Kushina drank a full glass of water, as if that would make the pill more effective or help her swallow her sorrows.
"Aah~" Kushina let out a heavy sigh when she finished the whole glass.
Her head was bowed, her hair falling down the sides of her head, covering her face like a curtain. Her hands clung nervously to the edge of the sink. She was worried about whether she was safe or not now. But above all, she was scared that if she ended up with a baby in her womb, it wouldn't be Minato's.
Almost 24 hours had passed since the incident with Shiro, so she could do nothing but trust that the pills would do their job. Those things were effective but not foolproof.
Her heart was beating wildly like a rabbit's, and her legs were shaking a little at the thought that her little adventure had gotten out of hand. She tried to calm herself, telling herself that everything would be fine and that nothing would happen. She still couldn't calm down.
"To think that I'm in this kind of situation again," she said reproachfully to herself. It had been many years since Kushina had experienced the fear of an unwanted pregnancy. That was when she was still living in Uzushio with her family and before she met Minato. Her period hadn't come when it usually did, and Kushina feared that her boyfriend at the time had gotten her pregnant.
Neither of them were ready to be parents at that time, and they were very scared until Kushina took a pregnancy test that came back negative. It was just her period that arrived late.
She had felt a great relief at not having a baby. But those moments of tension and fear had only heated things up between them, leading first to a disagreement, then an argument, and finally to her and her boyfriend breaking up after a slap.
As she drank more than half the bottle of water, she heard a knock on the door.
"Kushina-san…" she knew who it was…
TBC
Ok, here's chapter 28 of Primetime.
Again sorry for being late I will try to be faster for next one.
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