Naruto was almost 18 when the nightmares first began in earnest. Before then, he had such dreams as often as he supposed every young male did, but it was not until a few months before his 18th birthday that Naruto began to wonder if his dreams were different than those of the other boys. After all, Neji asserted that a wet dream and a nightmare could not be the same thing. Even worse, the nightmares were much more frequent than they had been before. He woke in the night sweaty and trembling, not remembering what he had seen or why it had startled him so much. He panted and sobbed into the darkness, flesh flushed and quivering with the force of the arousal and yet cold from the fear coursing through his veins. At first, the young ninja told no one of his nocturnal terrors. After all, why give a village that had begun to truly accept him any new reasons to feel afraid or suspicious? He had things to do! People to save! Sleep was barely a luxury he could afford, much less some stupid dreams! So, every morning, the young man shook his head to clear the red from his vision and threw himself into his work. In typical fashion, Naruto kept the dreams to himself along with the fact that he sometimes awoke with the bedsheets shredded around him. Sakura sensed something was wrong, she always could, but her time was occupied with more urgent things. People lived and died under her hands and she had plenty of nightmares of her own. Naruto was relieved that she chose to leave it alone.
The war raged on around them, an ever present reminder of how cruel people could be. People no longer spoke in the market and Kakashi looked so much older than Naruto ever remembered seeing him. Sasuke's campaign of hatred was draining the life out of his sensei just as surely as Naruto's dreams drained the energy out of him. Sometimes the pale monster came once every couple months, sometimes twice in the same week. Every time the last Uchiha set foot into the village, another council elder was found grotesquely murdered. Revenge against the council for ordering Itachi to murder the Uchiha clan. All sacrifices to Sasuke's anger over the murder of his family, a shrine built in bones to the lies of his brother...Or perhaps they weren't lies. Naruto did not know, but the thought turned his guts.
"He's insane, Naruto. There isn't anything left of him to save!" Tsunade railed, gesturing to the bloodstained staircase where yet another council member lay dead.
Kakashi only shrugged, his eyes dull. Naruto smiled weakly, looking imploringly at his old sensei before turning to the hokage, "Well at least that isn't anything new. He has always been insane."
Tsunade smiled a bit, "Ah Naruto, you really are an odd kid."
Naruto smiled again and with a deep sigh, turned and made his way back to the training field. Kakashi's eyes followed him as he left, drifting over the edge of his book. It was the same book, Tsunade noted, that he had been reading for the past six months. The Hokage sighed as she gave a few more repetitive orders to the group of nin assigned to cleaning up Sasuke's newest atrocity and turned to glare at the instructor. Kakashi ignored her look, his face impassive as usual behind his dark silk mask.
"He hasn't given up on the Uchiha brat." Tsunade hissed, shaking her head.
"Good. When he does...his spirit will have broken." Kakashi said coldly.
"What made you so damn cynical? It isn't like you are the only one forced to watch this shit!" Tsunade hissed, gesturing to the stairwell. Kakashi was silent for a long time.
"You treat Naruto as if he is your own family. Some favorite nephew perhaps..." Kakashi said, his eye distant.
"What of it? You love him just as dearly." Tsunade bristled.
"Oh, no you are wrong about that. I love him even more than you do and I know him better. He may be like your favorite nephew, but to me, he is the son I never had. He is like my own child." Kakashi explained. Tsunade rolled her eyes.
"What does that have to do with Sasuke?" She asked. He might be more cynical, but he was just as annoying and cryptic as ever.
"Sasuke is like one of my children too, and he is hurting very, very badly. Naruto senses this just as I do." Kakashi whispered.
"How? How can you feel pity for that...that...monster!" Tsunade shrieked.
"He is my son and I love him...Kami help me." Kakashi said, visibly deflating. Tsunade was instantly sorry for her tone.
"Kakashi...I...I'm sorry." The Hokage said, laying her hand on his arm. Kakashi closed his eyes, letting her comfort him for a moment. The world was too dark not to accept comfort when it was offered.
"Well, your other son is looking terrible. Perhaps you should go ask Naruto why he looks so damn tired." Tsunade suggested.
"Hmmm." Kakashi agreed.
However, despite his best intentions, Kakashi found himself perplexed by Naruto's problem. The whole issue seemed, at first, nothing more than an acute case of the intense psychological pain that everyone in leaf was experiencing. The boy shrugged, saying that he was sleeping poorly and did not elaborate, but the circles beneath his eyes were as dark as bruises. Naruto had never suffered from insomnia before in his life and Kakashi had a nagging suspicion that the dreams were not so much the cause of the problem, but a symptom of something else. After taking Naruto out for some ramen and learning what little he could of the nightmares, Kakashi summoned a messenger and sent a letter to Gaara. Just in case.
OoOoOoO
Gaara arrived in Leaf with his usual lack of notice or fanfare, simply appearing at the border dressed in simple traveling clothes and demanding to be taken to Naruto. Still, even with his casual appearance, people cleared the streets to make way for the red haired Jinchuuriki. Gaara, and his small sand nin escort passed through Konoha like a wave passes through a lake. Afterall, Gaara was practically worshiped as a Guardian God in some parts of the world and with good reason. The Jinchuuriki, unlike Naruto, had never gone to any effort to hide the true breadth of his power. Not surprisingly, the only one not shocked into awed silence by Gaara's unexpected visit was Naruto.
"Hey Gaara! What a surprise! Hey, good timing too, cuz tomorrow is my Birthday and I was planning to stay home anyway, so we can hang out all day! You know, with the festival and all, not a good day to be walking about." Naruto gushed, herding Gaara into his small apartment.
"Yes, tomorrow you will be 18."
Naruto was not sure if it was a question or a statement, but nodded just in case. Scrambling to pick up some of the Ramen boxes that littered the floor, he gestured for Gaara to sit at the low table. The sand Jinchuuriki folded himself into a seated position with more speed and grace than even Sasuke had ever possessed. It was mildly creepy.
"Happy Birthday." Gaara said.
"Thanks! Wow! This sure beats just staying here all day by myself! Sakura is gonna come over and cook dinner tonight too! Oh, but not until later since she is busy at the hospital til' late." Naruto said excitedly. Gaara moved his face into what Naruto figured passed for a smile.
"Yes, I am glad I was able to arrive here in time. We have much to discuss, Naruto. As for you three, you may leave." Gaara said, gesturing to his escort. The sand nin bowed silently and left just as quietly.
"I have been told of your nightmares. This is very serious. We must talk." Gaara said once they were alone.
"Oh...okay. Can we have cake afterward?" Naruto said, a little disappointed. Gaara blinked.
"Of course. Do you dream now every night?" Gaara asked.
"Uh...yes. How do you know about this?" Naruto asked, suddenly uncomfortable.
"Your sensei wrote to me, but...I know mostly from experience." Gaara replied. Naruto's eyes widened.
"You...you have the nightmares?" Naruto asked.
"Yes, but they aren't just nightmares are they?" Gaara asked, his cool green gaze totally still as he studied the other Jinchuuriki. Naruto blushed hotly.
"N..N...No." He finally replied.
"Naruto, I am a few months older than you and so I managed to go through it first. I came here to help you." Gaara said.
"Help me? Help me with what?" Naruto asked, suddenly very afraid.
"Help you with what I suppose might be considered your first heat." The sand god said shrugging.
"My...my...first...what?" Naruto practically squeaked.
"Of course that is not exactly what it is, there is nothing in the natural world to really use as a comparison. The process is one which demons have some corollary to, but even for them it is not the same." Gaara mused.
"Gaara...WHAT?" Naruto practically shrieked.
"Has it spoken to you yet?" Gaara asked.
"Who? What? What in the hell is going on!" Naruto snarled. Gaara held up a hand to placate him.
"Kyuubi. Has he spoken to you?" Gaara asked.
"Uh, no. I've only heard it speak a few times, and not lately." Naruto replied. Gaara sighed.
"Prepare to get an earful. Apparently there are few things demons care about quite as much as this." Gaara replied pinching the bridge of his nose.
"Gaara, what happened with you?" Naruto asked very quietly. He was not sure he wanted to know the answer. A shadow of pain crossed over Gaara's features.
"At first it was only dreams. Strange dreams, both sensual and terrifying, that I barely remembered. Soon I was having them every night and even at odd times during my waking hours. I felt...hypersensitive. I was almost always either aroused or exhausted. Three days following my eighteenth birthday, I became very sick and started running a fever. Knowing that there was something wrong with me, and sensing the demon stirring in my mind, I left the village and secluded myself in the desert to meditate. Soon, Shukaku began speaking to me. I had come of age you see, we Jinchuuriki mature very late. Shukaku burned inside of me, ready to take a mate. For days I fought with him. He argued for the merits of this female or that one. He would not accept any Kunoichi that was weak or unintelligent. When I refused them all, he demanded I at least take a subordinate."
"A subordinate? What's that?" Naruto asked, deeply disturbed.
"A male whom I would mount to sexually dominate. Preferably one that could also sire powerful offspring that would, through my domination of him, become my own. In essence, a subordinate may sire children to carry his bloodline, but they also carry the chakra of his alpha. In my case, the chakra that is both mine and Shukaku's." Gaara explained.
"Oh yuck! Did you?" Naruto exclaimed. Gaara blushed a bit, looking as miffed as he ever did.
"No! Like I told you, I was alone!" Gaara huffed.
" Well, so I just go on a journey or something for a few days?" Naruto asked, shrugging.
"Uh, that did not actually work out that well for me." Gaara replied.
"What? What happened?" Naruto was standing now, his heart pounding.
"I...I..." Gaara frowned, trying to order his thoughts.
"What? What happened?" Naruto roared. Gaara actually cringed.
"Shukaku tried to force me." He whispered.
"How?" Naruto asked, sitting again.
"He raised my body temperature until I was delirious and then tried to possess me. He promised me that he would choose for me unless I picked for myself. I knew...I knew he would hurt someone. I held him back as long as I could, for days, but the heat makes your mind weak. Eventually, he was overcoming me. In desperation, I threatened to kill myself. Shukaku might have overpowered me before I could take my own life, but I assured him that any pairing he achieved would be at the cost of his own life. In the end, he offered me a deal. I told him that I would choose both a mate and two subordinates by my next birthday." Gaara finished.
"Gaara...I..." Naruto began, shaking his head slowly. The sand god shrugged.
"It will at least be my choice." Gaara replied.
"So, there is no way around it?"
"I just told you the way around it!" Gaara rolled his eyes.
"I mean...well...do you have anyone in mind?" Naruto asked, feeling foolish.
"I...I...have always had much fondness for Matsuri. Shukaku finds her too weak though." Gaara confessed, blushing.
"Yeah, she totally likes you too and Shukaku did agree to let you choose. What about the subordinates?" Naruto asked. Gaara winced.
"I...uh...I am not really sure." Gaara replied.
"I guess that is the tough part. Why did you ever agree to claim two?" Naruto groused, crossing his arms.
"It seemed, at the time, a much better option than raping some random person of Shukaku's choosing." Gaara replied dryly.
"Yeah, I guess so." Naruto agreed.
"Anyway, the best course of action is to speak to Kyuubi and make a deal with him before you become too weak to resist his influence." Gaara pressed.
"Ugh! This is sooooooo dumb! Konoha already thinks of me as a total freak! What are people gonna say when I declare that I have to have a pack, not just a spouse! Are you sure we just have to accept this? There's a war on, you know, and I'm busy!" Naruto whined.
"I'm not sure. My own experiences might not be representative. Besides, aren't you sleeping with Sakura?" Gaara asked.
"Uh...no. We've been dating a while, but..." Naruto shrugged, "What happened with Sasuke really shook her up. She has mostly just been throwing herself into her work. We make out pretty regularly, but Sakura still worries that if she gets too close...something will happen to me too."
"What? You'll turn into a homicidal maniac and declare war on Konoha?" Gaara said, raising an eyebrow.
"Well, it isn't all that far fetched is it? I AM the vessel of the Kyuubi after all." Naruto spat bitterly.
"Yes, I suppose so." Gaara sighed.
"Still, I've only ever loved Sakura. I could not imagine ma...ma...uh...being with anyone else." Naruto finished.
"One other thing. There is a reason that the demons will only want the strongest ninja for mates and subordinates. The sharing of Jinchuuriki chakra is very difficult and if you choose someone too weak...they could die." Gaara said softly. Naruto's eyes widened hugely.
"Maybe it...maybe it is better to take our own lives then." Naruto said somberly.
"I have pondered, perhaps too often. Shukaku does not believe Matsuri will survive, though he does not know anything of a person's inner strength. Once bonded, however, almost nothing could ever hurt our mates. They will be nearly as invincible as we are." Gaara countered.
"That does not make any sense. Why put someone through something that might kill them to achieve invincibility?" Naruto whined, holding his head.
"They are not human. You must remember that when considering the situation, the demons do not do anything that is comprehensible to us. You must remember too, Naruto, we are not human either. Our needs are different." Gaara said, his gaze firm. Reluctantly, Naruto nodded.
"So Matsuri wasn't freaked out?" Naruto asked hopefully.
"Um, she handled the idea surprisingly well. My decision is not final yet." Gaara said, waving a hand dismissively in the air.
"Well, you wanna have some cake?" Naruto asked.
"Sure." Gaara said, and almost smiled.
OoOoOoO
That night, Naruto resolved to take matters into his own hands. He wouldn't wait, as Gaara had, for the fever to weaken him. He would speak to the Kyuubi tonight and force it to acknowledge the fact that he would NOT mate with anyone until he was damn ready! He would show the demon who was in charge and hopefully dissuade it from getting any ideas. Things were far too chaotic already without having to worry about weird Jinchurriki mating requirements. Taking a deep breath, Naruto crossed his legs on his bed and began to meditate. Once centered, he began to reach into his own soul as he had only a few times before.
"Fox...can you hear me?" Naruto projected the call deep into his own psyche.
"Of course, stupid human whelp, I hear most of your worthless human thoughts ." The demon spat.
"What is happening to me."
"You are growing up...finally."
"What are these nightmares I keep having."
"My urges merge with your own in your subconscious while you dream."
"Ugh, no wonder your 'urges' feel like a nightmare."
"Oh, our tastes are not really so different."
"No? How is that?" Naruto asked, annoyed.
"That little rose haired Kunoichi, I know you like her. She is powerful too and obviously as intelligent as any of you human creatures ever live to become. I know you dream of touching her, of taking her, forcing her to think only of you and how well you fill her..."
"Shut up!"
"Hmm, is her flesh as delicious as it looks? As soft? I imagine it could be even more smooth than fire country silk, I wonder how powerful her healing ability must be to keep it free from scars..."
"You are disgusting."
"Oh, are you disgusted then? Imagining her writhing beneath you...all that pale flesh."
Even in deep meditation, Naruto felt his face flush and his body harden at the thought of Sakura moving beneath him, her body soft and yet strong. The taste of her flesh, liker April rain, and the firm softness of her breasts against his...Naruto shook his head. Damn Kyuubi for filling his mind with such images! He knew the fox was trying to distract him.
"Sorry, kit. You did that all on your own."
"I will mate when I choose to."
"The time is now."
"No!"
"Why fight it? The urge is all over you! You are practically ACHING with it!"
"She...she isn't ready! What if it hurts her?"
"She will survive if she is strong enough to be worthy. Your Kunoichi is far stronger than she appears, her body will not be damaged irreparably..."
"NOOOO!" Naruto practically screamed as his mind was assaulted with images of Sakura.
He saw her, down on her knees, fighting him. The brush of her breasts against his fingers as he held her wrists was electric, as was the wild writhing of her naked back against his chest. By Kami, her skin was so smooth, like oiled silk... Her pink hair framed her face in a wild mass, making her look feral. Her efforts were strong, but she was helpless to escape him. Her struggles only excited him more as did the anger snapping in her emerald eyes and then, oh, and then he was inside her...
"Stop!"
"Does it shock you that the idea of forcing her submission excites you so much? Perhaps I am not the disgusting one after all..."
"I would NEVER do that to her!"
"Are you sure? How do you know she wouldn't like it? The girl is strong, but she smells submissive to me. I bet she'd moan for you like a proper bitch taken that way."
"Don't you DARE speak of her like that!"
"I express only admiration for your female. She will make a fine mate."
"She is not ready." Naruto repeated.
"She will be ready when you MAKE her ready."
"That is not how love works."
"You already love her!"
"I...I am not sure she feels the same way." Naruto confessed.
"Peh, like it matters."
"It DOES!"
"Regardless, her affections are clear! She practically lives with you!"
"She spends more time at the hospital in one day than she spends with me in a whole week. She has been pushing me away for a long time." Naruto sighed, frustrated.
"All females desire security, the safety provided by a powerful mate. Where could she find one half so powerful as we are? Her love will come when she is made aware of your true strength..."
"You don't understand humans at all. She will never love me merely because of a show of strength, if anything she will hate me!"
"It is TIME kit! Mate her or choose another! There are females of even better quality anyway, the Hyuuga Princess has a powerful bloodline..."
"NO! Leave her out of this! I don't even like her that way!"
"Pity, she is a far more suitable mate than even Sakura. Afterall, Sakura's bloodline is weak and relatively untested while the Hyuuga clan has produced hundreds of years or powerful ninja."
"Stop talking about Sakura that way! It does not matter what girl I choose, the point is it CANNOT happen NOW. We are in the middle of a bloody war, if you hadn't noticed. Even if you do bully me into taking a mate, our children will not be safe now. The whole idea of kits will have to wait anyway." Naruto reasoned.
"Don't tell me you don't yearn for it too. Kits of your own..." Kyuubi whispered.
Naruto could not deny it. The images in his mind of being surrounded by small, laughing children who loved him for no other reason than because HE was their father was something he had secretly wished for almost all his life. Acceptance he didn't have to fight for, love without fear...how could he not wish? Most of his life Naruto had been the outcast, the pariah, but his children would love him and his heart swelled at the thought. How would it feel to have a family? To not be the only Uzumaki anymore? The old pain of constant rejection welled up within him again as Naruto pushed the thought aside.
"The hokage should not have children." He thought numbly.
"What makes you think you can become hokage in the first place without the connections of a powerful mate like the Hyuuga or at least one as popular and well liked as Sakura?"
"I will never force her. Now is not the time." Naruto held his breath, but the fox was silent a long time.
"Fine. Take a subordinate then. As powerful as you have now become, the Uchiha should be no trouble to dominate..."
"Sasuke? Are you INSANE? Naruto skrieked, his heart pounding.
"I only mention him since you seem to be completely obsessed with finding him...that and he is the LAST. I suppose that holds some appeal. YOU are the one constantly chasing after him. I certainly haven't developed a taste for blood thirsty homicidal maniacs. Personally, I think the male Hyuuga, Neji, is a better choice. If you can bed him without getting a chill, that is. Of course if you could control them both..."
"No! Neji? Euw! No way! And Sasuke is completely unhinged! Tsunade says there isn't anything left of him!"
"But you don't really believe that do you? The Uchiha is an ideal subordinate, just think how strong his blood will make our young! Jinchuuriki kits with the power of the Sharingan, they will be unstoppable!"
"What about the strong tendency for insanity that seems to run in that blood line?" Naruto countered sourly.
"The Hyuuga then with his Byakugan, if you will not mate with Hinata. Both abilities are vastly valuable and a great asset to our young."
"Neji is NOT up for discussion."
"You may always take other subordinates later. For now, the Uchiha. You cannot deny that you have admired him. He is exquisite, is he not?"
"It doesn't matter what I think about how he looks. Sasuke only understands hatred now, not love. Not love of any kind." Naruto argued miserably. He could not believe this conversation was actually happening.
"The Uchiha is a loose canon without the proper domination. He needs an alpha even more than we need a subordinate! He will only find peace with another to control his passions. Think of it, all the power of the Uchiha clan beneath your thumb and his pale beauty beneath your body at night..."
Naruto, despite his best efforts, did think about it. He imagined Sasuke, his face melting from its customary sneer into an expression of stunned arousal as he pushed him down against the mattress. He could see the cool power in the pale limbs moving around him, in the whirling red eyes as the Uchiha writhed beneath him...
"Yes. The Uchiha is a prize many have desired, but only you have the strength to claim him and when you do, when he finally submits to you..."
Images flashed through Naruto's mind of Sasuke safely returned to Konoha, ever by his side, his to protect. He imagined tearing the kimono from Sasuke's shoulders and pushing him against the wall, running his tongue over the damned seal and feeling Sasuke tremble beneath him...knowing that the other man BELONGED to him.
"S-S-STOP!" Naruto yelped.
"I only show you the truth. The Uchiha is dangerous without a strong leader, but won't he be delicious with that proud face buried in you pillows and his body yours to plunder..."
"I...I...It doesn't matter. No one even knows where Sasuke is!"
"Sure they do. He is here, in Konoha, I can smell him..."
Suddenly Naruto was pulled from his meditation by the sound of quickly running feet. At first the sound did not quite register in his mind, but soon Naruto recognized the swift stride of his girlfriend as she hurried to his apartment. Even as he rose from the bed, cursing himself for forgetting that she was coming to make a late dinner, the girl burst through the door.
"Naruto!" She practically shrieked, her hair wind tossed and her chest heaving.
By Kami she was beautiful! Even shaken and obviously terrified, the girl still managed to look graceful and attractive. Shaking himself, Naruto looked into Sakura's eyes and could see immediately that she had been crying. He pulled her gently into his arms and felt that she was shaking.
"Sakura what is it?" He asked softly, running his fingers over her quivering cheek.
"N...Naruto I...Oh Kami!" She stuttered, her voice hitching with sobs.
"What? What's wrong?" He asked, suddenly very much afraid of what she would say.
"Sasuke! He..He's here! Kiba, Shino and Neji just captured him! They're dragging him to Tsunade now!" Sakura hissed, rubbing uselessly at her eyes. Naruto's breath caught in his chest.
"Oh." He barely managed to whisper.
"Even after all he's done...I...I..don't know if I want him to die. I love you Naruto, I do! I know you can't believe me with how...distant I have been, but I love you all the same! I have been trying for so long just to believe that someday we can just be together without the war, without the death!" She sobbed.
"I...I love you too Sakura. I always have." Naruto whispered gently, stunned by the force of her words. It had been a long time since she had been so direct with him.
"They are going to let ANBU torture him for information and then...then he is going to be executed, I know it!" She wailed.
"He has done many bad things." Naruto said simply.
"I know...I know he isn't the same, but I think maybe I am a bad person too."
"You? Are you crazy?" Naruto laughed nervously, genuinely shocked. Sakura's face took on a new look of desperation and Naruto's forced grin faded from his face.
"I have run from you because...because really you deserve much better. At the hospital I can save lives, do some good, but in you arms I always feel like such a failure. I love you, Naruto, but... I never really managed to stop loving him along with you. Even now, even after what he has become...I'm so stupid!" She wailed.
"No Sakura. You are not stupid, love is never stupid. Still, Sasuke will answer for his crimes...one way or another." Naruto said, the fox's words ringing in his head, ' He will only find peace with another to control his passions'.
"I know...He deserves it, I just...I just can't believe it's finally happening and...the thought of him really being dead is so hard." Sakura sobbed.
"Sakura, let's go."
"Go where?"
"Let's go to him, talk to Tsunade..."
"W..W..What? Naruto, they are going to KILL him! Do you really want to see that?" She asked, green eyes still filled with tears.
"No. No I don't. Maybe I'm the stupid one, but I never let him go either...maybe there is another way." He whispered, looking into her eyes in a way that made her tremble.
"What do you mean?"
"I'll explain later, come on!" Naruto said, pulling her onto his back and dashing out the door into the night.
OoOoOoO
Sasuke Uchiha half lay on the floor at Tsunade's feet, face flushed with fever and neck straign front the firm grip Kiba Inuzuka had on his hair. His angry eyes glared at Tsunade with a lifetime's worth of hate and she truly wondered if it was even worth while to keep him alive long enough for ANBU to have their interrogation. Kiba was right, the boy was a rabid dog and needed to be put down.
"How did you manage this?" The Hokage asked the three young ninja who stood grimly in her office.
The hour was late and the shadows caste by the lamp on her desk made them look like the four horsemen of the apocalypse come to drag one of their own back down to hell. Sasuke half looked like a corpse already.
"The way you catch any mad animal...by setting a trap." Neji replied coldly.
"We poisoned all the wells surrounding the village, but gave every villager the antidote. We told them that we were concerned about a plague outbreak upstream and that taking the medicine would protect them. No villagers were harmed, but after his last massacre we knew Sasuke would have drunk the water. We have been searching for him since the attack last night." Kiba explained. Tsunade had to admit, it was rather brilliant.
"The poison will be flushed from the wells by tomorrow morning." Shino finished.
"Well done. Why was I not included in this little plot?" Tsunade snarled. Neji's eyes slid to Kiba.
"You wouldn't have allowed it and...He murdered my great uncle! I can't just sit back and watch!" Kiba snarled.
"You uncle was a weak old liar." Sasuke hissed.
"Fuck you! Shut up or I'll tear your throat out myself!" Kiba shouted, savagely jerking Sasuke's hair. Tsunade could see the pain welling in the young Inuzuka's eyes and knew that he must have loved his uncle very much.
"I could not wait for him to take my grandfather or anyone else." Neji said, his voice as flat as Kiba's had been heated.
"He fought us, of course, but he is so weak from the poison that we were able to capture him." Shino said duly, sporting a rather obvious black eye.
"Perhaps we should let the poison finish its work..." Tsunade mused.
"You don't have the will to kill me yourself, you cowardly old bitch!" Sasuke rasped.
Kiba kicked him hard in the head and blood sprayed across Tsunade's office. The Hokage pinched the bridge of her nose and took a deep breath. This was what she had been trying to achieve for over a year, why did it now make her feel so cold inside?
"Shino, call a messenger for me. Now that we have Sasuke, perhaps a treaty with Sound can be reached." Tsunade said, trying not to look at where Sasuke lay stunned and bleeding on the floor. There was a sharp knock on the door.
"Come."
"Hokage, Naruto Uzumaki and Sakura Haruno wish to join you." Shizune said softly. Tsunade nodded.
"Let them in."
The remaining members of the original team 7 entered the office as silently as only ninja can, Naruto looking cheerful and Sakura looking confused. That was never a good sign. Tsunade knew as well as anyone that Naruto's cheerful attitude was a sure indication that the youth meant business. If Sakura looked so unsure, it was only because the Jinchuuriki had not told her his plan and he definitely HAD a plan, of that Tsunade was positive. The Hokage mentally rolled her eyes, it was going to be a long night.
"Hi teme, good to see you again. Even if you do look like shit." Naruto addressed the quivering figure on the floor with a casual grin.
Sasuke turned enough to spit a mouthful of blood at Naruto's feet, but the blond's smile never wavered. Tsunade uttered a nearly silent 'Oh shit' and began calculating damage control in her head. This was going to be even worse than she thought. Naruto was always at his most dangerous when he wore his natural, child-like cheer as armor. Tonight it was at least ten-inches thick and probably hid a vast array of mental weapons armed and ready to be hurled into Tsunade's aching brain. Damn it! Nothing was ever simple. The Hokage pulled a bottle from beneath her desk and poured herself a glass of sake, to hell with what people thought.
"Naruto...maybe you should go. I know he was your friend..." Kiba said softly, suddenly uncomfortable.
"Oh, I'm sure he deserves it. Still, I have to bring a concern up with the Hokage concerning his sentencing." Naruto said, his tone friendly and non-confrontational. Neji raised an eyebrow.
"Naruto, he will be given the maximum sentence." Tsunade said tiredly.
"Of course, but we don't want to martyr him now do we?" Naruto said, winking at Sasuke who started spewing curses.
"Why do you have to complicate everything?" Tsunade said, rubbing her brow.
"Because, the situation is complex. We are still embroiled in a war that is costing Konoha lives every day. We cannot afford to lose any assets and you are talking about snuffing out one of the great bloodlines upon which Konoha was founded. Not to mention that in so doing, you will grant Sasuke his life's desire...to die majestically in the service of vengeance. Why settle for that when there are much more painful ways to punish him without taking another weapon from Konoha." Naruto said, his smile very sharp.
"Kiba, Shino, Neji: you are excused. Naruto, this better be good." Tsunade hissed.
The three ninja who had brought Sasuke in nodded and left with expressions of mixed confusion and relief. Neji caught Naruto's gaze for a moment, but said nothing. Soon the room was empty save for team 7 and the hokage. For a long time the only sound was Sasuke's labored breathing and the chink of the Hoakage's sake glass on the table. Sakura fought the urge to fidget as Naruto stared at Sasuke, his smile dimming for the first time.
"I have just been informed by Gaara that I will become physically mature in about three days and enter my first heat." Naruto said. Even Sasuke stopped breathing for a moment.
"I...I forgot that Jinchuuriki matured so late." Tsunade said, still confused what this had to do with anything.
"I have already begun fighting against the urges of the Kyuubi to take a mate, but Gaara assures me that I cannot fight it indefinitely. However, I may be able to postpone taking a wife, or potentially attacking someone, by claiming a subordinate." Naruto said with a frustrated sigh and a quick glance at Sakura who was still standin stunned behind him.
"I would say this is an unideal time for marriage, is there no other way?" Tsunade asked. Naruto shook his head.
"Gaara believes the only way to control the demon during the heat is to take my own life. It is an option he and I have both considered, but of course do not wish to take. Gaara has encouraged me to bargain with Kyuubi for more time, but he himself was only able to put off the mating for another year with that strategy." Naruto explained.
"Naruto! Why didn't you tell me!" Sakura gasped.
"I only heard today..."
"So Gaara is on the hunt for a mate and simultaneously planning his own suicide...how comforting." Tsunade groaned. Naruto ignored her.
"Dobe, no one cares about your pubertal problems." Sasuke snarled weakly. Naruto ignored him as well, though Sakura glared icy murder at the Uchiha.
"The Kyuubi has told me that my subordinates will be bound to my will through chakra as well as...as...dominated sexually." Naruto blushed despite himself, Tsunade raised an eyebrow.
"Oh, shit..." Sakura whispered.
"The Kyuubi wants Sasuke. Under my will, he will no longer be a threat to Konoha or any other village unless directed by me and his bloodline will still continue. In fact, his bloodline will be perpetuated with my chakra, producing some of the strongest ninja the world has ever known. Konoha will still have the Sharingan and I will have struck my bargain." Naruto finished. It took a moment for his words to settle in.
"How dare you! Only YOU could be stupid enough to even COME UP with of something so ridiculous! I must have kit you harder than I thought, only someone with brain damage would even bother suggesting..." Sasuke growled, sharingan eyes blazing with rage.
"Are you saying...that you are going to breed Sasuke here, like some kind of racehorse, with your mate?" Tsunade asked, interrupting Sasuke's tirade.
"From what Gaara told me, that is the general idea. He will become part of my family, my pack, Jinchuuriki do not form families the way humans do." Naruto whispered, almost sadly.
"What about your mate?"
"I...I...do not want to pressure anyone into a decision like that, especially because it might be dangerous for the person involved." Naruto said, carefully not looking at Sakura.
"But you don't mind raping Sasuke to satisfy the Kyuubi..."
"Like you even COULD dead last!" Sasuke shrieked, struggling to rise.
"He is a criminal requiring a sentence and possessing a powerful bloodline, seems somewhat ideal actually." Naruto said with a trace of bitterness.
"I'll kill you, if it is the last thing I do, I'll kill you both..." Sasuke had managed to get onto his knees, his face a pale mask of blood and hatred.
"Naruto, do you really want to take that...that thing into your bed? You deserve so much better..." Tsunade said gently.
"It is the best choice for Konoha. Besides, who better than my best friend?" Naruto said with a smile that broke Tsunade's heart.
"Just because I tolerated your ineptitude doesn't mean I liked you. I was NEVER your friend, dobe!" Sasuke spat.
The words hit Naruto like a blow and the youth flinched despite himself. Sakura shook her head as if brushing off the stunned paralysis held her, a dark frown gathering between her eyebrows. The kunoichi marched up to Sasuke like a storm rolling in from the ocean and slapped him hard across the face. The blow laid the raven-haired youth out once again and this time he didn't rise. Tears gathered in her eyes, but the fury expressed in Sakura's posture was unmistakeable.
"Fuck you Sasuke Uchiha! Only you could say something like that to the only person in the world who cares to save your worthless life! You don't DESERVE a friend like Naruto! You don't deserve to be his subordinate!" Sakura shouted. Sasuke glared at her, but only continued to bleed on the floor in silence.
"She is right. I cannot feel good about foisting this monster off onto you, Naruto. There are many others who might be willing..." Tsunade began, but Naruto held up his hand.
"I can end his life if it becomes necessary, and I can always take other subordinates, but I...I have to try. Please." Naruto's blue eyes were firm. Tsunade sighed.
"Very well. As Hokage, and in light of recent crimes, I hereby officially dissolve the Uchiha clan entirely. All property, estates and funds are hereby granted to Naruto Uzumaki in gratitude for and recognition of his many sacrifices made for the safety of Konoha. Granted to him also will be the marriage contract of the prisoner formerly known as Sasuke Uchiha, who will, as of now, be known only as Sasuke Uzumaki. From this moment on, the Uchiha are no more." Tsunade declared, writing as she went. Sasuke's eyes became wide and frightened.
"W...W..What?"
"I must let ANBU interrogate Sasuke, but whatever is left when they are done is yours Naruto." Tsunade said, still writing.
"Thank you, Hokage. Please ask them to only do what is necessary..." Naruto said, his tone flat.
"You can't! You can't do this!"
"Further, as I still believe him a possible threat to you if not to Konoha as a whole, the chakra pathways in Sasuke's left knee will be broken. If, after one year your control over him is secure, his body can be repaired so that he may better serve you..." Tsunade continued.
"Hokage, that procedure will basically cripple him..." Sakura began, her face pale.
"NO! You can't DO this! No! No! Kill me! Kill me!" Sasuke wailed.
"It is done." Tsunade said and the thump of her seal on the pages made it final.
OoOoOoO
"This place gives me the creeps. I bet it's haunted." Naruto whined as he and Sakura crept through the large reception chamber in the darkened Uchiha estate.
With his enhanced night vision, another gift from the damn fox, Naruto nervously surveyed the space. It seemed positively cavernous. The polished wood floor was dull under ten years worth of dust and dingy white furniture covers had been draped over any tables or statuary that had once graced the room. Heavily carved sliding doors made of wood that looked almost black stood at the top of a wide set of stairs, casting long shadows like a trio of dark sentinels. Naruto shivered. The whole place seemed to scream at him to get out, all of it cold and foreboding.
"People were massacred here." Naruto said, his hair all on end.
"Well, I guess it's yours now, ghosts and all." Sakura said glumly.
"What? I didn't know Tsunade was going to do this! It's not like I WANTED castle dracula for my love nest. I guess she didn't feel like forcing Sasuke to be my love slave was punishment enough." Naruto practically spat. Sakura sighed.
"Naruto...it isn't that. I'm sorry."
"Well, what is it then?" Naruto growled, his temper rising.
"Well, it's just, why didn't you ask me instead?" Sakura whispered.
"Ask you what?"
"W...W...Well if you needed a mate..."
"Would you have done it out of pity?" Naruto asked, his eyes golden mirrors in the weak light of their lantern.
"NO! How could you think that?" The girl snarled.
"Sakura, you have been my girlfriend, officially, for almost a year. Still, you barely let me hold you or kiss you or touch you and what Kyuubi has in mind isn't a bit of mild petting. I knew you weren't ready. I...I... haven't even been sure that you were really in love with me." Naruto said, his form lost in the darkness and only the glowing eyes giving Sakura any indication of his location.
"Of COURSE I love you! Naruto, sometimes you are so stupid!" Sakura shouted. His eyes narrowed.
"I know you love me...I just don't know if you are in love with me. There is a difference."
Sakura was silent for a moment, watching the twin mirrors of the Jinchuuriki's eyes. She really had no right to be angry. Naruto was confused and in his position anyone would be. How could he know that the old hurt of losing Sasuke had never healed and that she had been afraid to feel anything at all? She loved Naruto, but getting close to anyone had been hard.
"I know I haven't been much of a girlfriend to you, but it wasn't because I don't love you. I...I haven't really been myself for a while now. No matter who I am with or what I am doing, it is just so hard not to feel numb to everything. Working at the hospital just makes it worse. When I am there it helps to be numb, to be dead inside, to do the work without feeling. I kind of got used to it." Sakura said, her voice shaking a little.
"Sakura..."
"No! You don't understand! You see, it's safe to just walk around with no emotions, but...but I can't do that when I'm with you. When I'm with you, when we are together...you make me feel. You make me feel so much that I...I..I felt like I was drowning in it. We would touch and all my emotions would crash back into me and I just couldn't even...I have been distant because I AM in love with you." Sakura confessed.
"What do you feel when you are with me?" Naruto asked, his voice neutral, but Sakura could still hear the fear in it.
"I feel everything I haven't been letting myself feel since Sasuke left. I feel pain, anger, betrayal, guilt, hope, love..."
"All those things you feel for him." Naruto sighed.
"No, you're wrong. That is the confusing part. I feel those emotions for BOTH of you. I feel desire, Naruto, passion, want, joy! I want you, but I never could stop myself from wanting him too. I mourn for the part of you that died when Sasuke hurt you in the Valley of the End just as much as I mourned when he left Konoha. It's just...It's just been too much to sort through and every time I try I just end up feeling so lost and so, so guilty..." Sakura said, hiding her face in her hands. Naruto finally approached her, laying his hands on her trembling shoulders.
"What could you possibly have to feel guilty for?" Naruto asked gently.
"B...B...Because you deserve better Naruto! You deserve someone who isn't so broken. You deserve someone who can love you alone, who doesn't have her heart all tangled up in things from the past." Sakura said, her green eyes full of pain.
"Maybe that is what I deserve, but that isn't what I need."
"What do you mean?" Sakura snuffed.
"Sakura...I'm not really human. I don't need the same thing from a woman that a...a.. normal man does. I need someone who loves me, someone who will never leave me, but..."
"But?"
"I need someone who can accept others into her heart and make a family. Someone who can hold me and any subordinates I claim together into a unified whole. I don't just need a woman, I need a pack leader, an alpha." Naruto said, his hands moving over her shoulders in warm, soothing circles.
"Is that what Gaara told you?" Sakura asked.
"No, that is what I know in my gut, what my body is telling me. Gaara still doesn't really understand what is happening to him, he just wants to survive it. I don't want to just continue to exist, Sakura, I want to live. I want to...to...have a real family. I w..w..want be h...h...happy." Naruto finished with a half formed sob of his own.
"Naruto, I love you so much! Please, I can be what you need..." Sakura whispered and then she was kissing him.
They had kissed before, many times, but never like this. Her lips moved over his with a hunger he had never felt from her before. Her hands, no longer tentative, grasped his hips boldly as Sakura molded herself to his chest. Naruto gasped in surprise and her tongue surged into his mouth stroking his own fearlessly in wet velvet caresses. Almost of their own accord, Naruto's hands moved down her back to squeeze her ass. By Kami, she felt heavenly! Instead of pulling away, Sakura moaned low and hungry into his mouth, digging her nails into the fabric of his pants. Naruto felt an answering moan build in his chest as her hips ground against him, moving in maddening thrusts against his hardening body. He moved one of his hands from the firm globes of her buttocks to grip her hair as she nipped aggressively at his lips.
The scent of her was slowly driving all reason from his brain and Naruto could feel every curve of her body through the material of her tunic. Her mouth was hot as she moved from his mouth to kiss his neck, pausing to lick his earlobe as she moved down his throat. She bit down on the long muscle of his throat and Naruto practically snarled as a fierce bolt of hot pleasure surged through his body. No longer content to merely knead the firm flesh of her ass, Naruto lifted her against him, until her feet practically left the floor. Her hand stroked the front seam of his pants, tracing the hard shape of his cock beneath the cloth. Naruto moaned again as the first haze of red began to seep across his vision. Her hand moved more firmly, cupping him through the cloth.
"Big..." She whispered as her thumb brushed the tip of him.
Even through the fabric, Naruto felt like his penis had been caressed with an ember. Her touch was so electric and a deep aching desire filled him, as he teeth began to lengthen in his mouth. The whole world seemed red, lit up as if with a crimson searchlight, as the Kitsune moved within him. The Uchiha house no longer seemed dark, the whole room was aglow as if the sun itself had risen in his arms. Sakura's flesh was hot and so very soft and smooth, he ran his hands beneath her tunic, delighting in the firm muscles of her back.
"Naruto...Naruto..." He could not tell if it was a question or merely just a mantra as Sakura circled his waist with her legs.
He held her easily against him, her weight as insubstantial as a feather compared to the force of his need. The hand in her hair tightened, pulling her head to the side to expose the slender column of her throat. Naruto kissed her throat, dragged his fangs along Sakura's flesh to feel her tremble in his arms. His breath was coming in short pants, his mind becoming lost in her scent, in the feel of her body, the scent of her own excitement...
"Ow!" She startled.
"Wh...What's wrong?" Naruto barely managed to gasp. He tried to release her, to put her down and see what the matter was, but his hands seemed unwilling to obey.
"I...I'm not sure. Something sharp..." The girl whispered, a little embarrassed.
With an audible groan of effort, Naruto set Sakura down and backed away to where he could safely speak to her without losing his mind entirely. There was something hot in his right hand, something wet and sticky...
"Oh...Oh NO!"
"Naruto! What's wrong? I can barely see..."
"I...Oh kami! I...I must have scratched you. I'm so sorry!" He said, his voice heavy with misery.
"Well, it wasn't bad, just a little pain. Can't be anything serious..." Sakura said, though her back had started itching and she knew that once the endorphins flooding her system subsided, she would be in pain.
"Sakura, turn around and let me look."
Naruto swallowed loudly. There was blood on his hand, his claws were coated in it even as they receded back into normal human nails. Maybe it was a small wound that had been bleeding for a while, that might explain it. Naruto sent a silent prayer to anyone who might be listening and didn't even care if it was the Uchiha ghosts. Sakura, flushed red with embarrassment, slowly turned around.
"OH! Um, oh, uh SHIT! Don't panic, everything is going to be fine. No problem! We, uh, we just need to go to the hospital..."
"What? Naruto don't be silly!" Sakura asked. She hurt now, but still not very badly. He was obviously over-reacting.
"No...No talking. We have to go, now."
That was when she heard it. Such a soft sound, she would never have noticed it unless the room was absolutely silent. It was. Naruto wasn't breathing and neither was she and so she could hear the soft, slow, tiny sound of her blood dripping to the floor.