Chapter 143: Greenhouse

Lifting Riku up from her crib, I moved my daughter over to the bathroom, softly tugging at her puffy cheek as I tried to wake her up.

The sun hadn't even begun to rise yet, but I wanted to get her awake to eat now before I started what I was going to do today.

Changing her clothes, I chuckled softly as I saw her open her eyes tiredly and yawn, all whilst stretching out her cute little arms and languidly looking up at me.

I could almost hear her muttering 'Why'd you wake me up mama?', which made me chuckle again as I bopped her nose.

Clothing her again, I lifted her up and leaned against the counter, letting her suckle as I stared at the mirror, looking at my side profile for a few moments.

Since it had now been a month and a week or so since Riku's birth, my stomach had returned to being relatively smooth and flat again, though I was nowhere near what I used to be at.

No longer could I see my abs poking though just under my skin, instead being graced with a slight pouch of skin that let the world know I had once harbored a baby in my womb.

Of course, I didn't particularly mind this change; I had never been one to care about only my appearance, as I knew what I had that attracted my wives.

While I may be a sucker for the six and eight packs that Anko and Cameia have, I myself knew that they didn't care if I was muscular or not, and I was fine that I had at least returned to being able to comfortably fit in my old clothes.

That was really what I wanted; the thought of needing to buy an entirely new wardrobe angered me, so I was ecstatic to not have to do so.

Anyways, beside my stomach receding back to normalcy, my only other obvious changes were my breasts, which were swollen with milk.

They had grown in size slightly, much to Anko's delight, and I had to admit that I enjoyed the attention they gave me from my younger wife, though I was still rather proud, and smug about the fact that Anko still focused on the rest of me just as much.

Though, I was a little self conscious about how my nipples had changed, which Anko and surprisingly Cameia were part of why they had continued to change.

They were darker and slightly larger now, and I pursed my lips as I glanced down at Riku.

Sighing softly, I muttered "Everything has a price huh...", which made Riku glance at me confusedly.

Falling silent, I watched my daughter lovingly before pulling her away, deciding it was enough for now.

Pouting for a moment, Riku kept her amber eyes focused on me as I covered up, before she turned away as I began to silently exit our room.

Cameia glanced at me briefly from where she was laying, her golden eyes piercing in the dark room, before she closed them again as she buried her nose in Anko's hair.

Slipping out, I walked through the quiet halls and exited the house, taking a deep breath of the warm, slightly humid air, before grinning as I looked towards the newly rebuilt Greenhouse.

The glass paned structure had been refurbished and restored recently, and I had funded the entire thing.

Then I had gone back to the Nara Clan markets to find some medicinal seeds, all of which I could use in cooking to give some small benefits to Naruto, Karin, and Hinata when they visited.

Oh, and Ami and Tenten, since they stopped by once a week.

Besides those, I also bought some seeds for some basil, parsley, mint, oregano, and other herbs so that I could make use of my own seasonings, which would taste just that much better!

Everything was stored inside the Greenhouse, and that was where Riku and I were going this morning.

I was... a little excited to start, and I decided that Riku would enjoy the early morning with me as I began to plant everything.

After all, it was my summer break, and I thought some fresh air would do us both some good.

So, I entered the Greenhouse and approached the central wooden table, gently placing Riku down as I grabbed what I needed.

A bag of soil, some pots, a spade, the seeds...

Riku watched me the entire time, holding her doll as she sat still, observing everything with curious eyes.

Unlike Akari, who needed to always be moving and causing trouble, Riku was tame, and I was grateful for that.

Seeing Kurenai exhausted as she chased her devilish daughter around made me so, so thankful.

Giving Riku a quick pat on the head, I began to organize everything on the table, naming everything out to her, like she would understand.

"Alright, let's start with the herbs. Parsley first, so the seeds go here for now. Grab a pot, open the bag of soil... like so, then pour a small bit inside, up to... hmm... there. Then place a few seeds around... pat them in, then cover with a bit more soil... flatten it out, and a quick little shower of water..."

Making the hand signs for the most basic water jutsu, I watered the plant before placing it aside, beginning the process all over again.

The Nara Clan soil was filled with natural fertilizers, so I hoped that everything would grow beautifully in the pots.

Riku watched everything closely, her attention focused on what I was doing as she sat in front of me.

She never once moved, instead just following along with her eyes, before she eventually crawled over to the first pot.

Looking it over, she gingerly tapped the dirt, blinking as she looked at her stained finger.

Brushing it off, I smiled at her as I continued on, all as the sun slowly began to rise behind us.

When I had finished planting all of my seeds, I wiped a few beads of sweat from my brow as I toweled off my hands, Riku looking over the long line of pots filled with dirt.

Reaching over, I smiled at her as I lifted her into my bosom, saying "Mama finally finished it all... You ready to go inside, Riku~? Hmm~? Are you hungry, or tired?"

Talking softly to her, I kissed her brow as I exited the Greenhouse and entered the main house, bringing her back to the bedroom to join her half sister for their morning bath.