The fatigue from his Shadow Clones came flooding back, and Naruto still had to care for Satsuki in every little way, every day. His body might not have been tired, but his mind was exhausted.
It was like a high-performance computer. It could run for a month or two without trouble, but the person operating it would be worn out long before then.
His Shadow Clones could process paperwork tirelessly for more than ten hours without a break. But when they vanished, all their fatigue piled onto Naruto's mind.
He woke each morning with his head already full, and it was still full when he closed his eyes at night.
Several months passed. At first, Satsuki had shown no sign of pregnancy. Now her belly had grown unmistakably round.
The old lines of her waist had disappeared. Her belly rose in a gentle curve, her practical clothes had given way to loose clothes for wearing around the house, and she no longer tied her hair back as neatly as before. Most days, she simply tucked it behind her ears.
Today, after finishing the housework, Naruto planned to spend some time with Satsuki before making dinner.
He had just mopped the floor, hung the washed clothes out on the balcony, and tidied the dishes in the kitchen. Standing in the bedroom doorway, he wiped the sweat from his forehead with his sleeve.
Naruto tried to straighten his back so he would not look too worn out.
"Satsuki, I'm about to make dinner. What would you like tonight?" He pushed the door open, quickly put on an energetic face, and sat beside the bed.
Satsuki lay on the bed. These days, her only exercise was walking; the rest of the time, she either read or watched dinosaur movies. She put down her