Watashi no kodomo
Chapter Two
Kiken & Seikō
Sakura was full of jitters and nerves as she got dressed for work today. It's been about three days since she placed the petri dish to inoculate safely at the lab. She hasn't checked on it since then out of fear. Today was going to be the day she faced the music and checked. She was trying really hard not to get her hopes up too high, but an overwhelming feeling in her gut kept putting her on edge her on, not to mention her consciousness was starting to eat ate her. She should have never used one of her own stored eggs for this stupid experiment. The ramifications would be high, and she didn't think through the consequences fully. However, despite how she felt now she couldn't undo what she did.
Sakura glanced at herself in the mirror while brushing her long hair. She wore a name brand white long sleeved blouse with a beautiful maroon colored pencil skirt that waved on the edges. She wore ivory stockings and black, three inch heels. She was the perfect balance of professional and stylish. The only touch of make up to grace her face was a sleek cat eye, mascara, and a pretty pink lipstick shade on her lips.
Sakura brushed her hair into a high and neat bun with her bangs framing her face. Hachiko started barking at her then with vigor. He was hungry and begging for his breakfast. Sakura quickly put on her diamond studded earrings before rushing to the kitchen and getting Hachiko some breakfast. She had went on a jog with him earlier before her shower, and she could imagine how hungry he was by now. Sakura made sure he had fresh water before left for the day. Usually, she left in the early afternoon to her lab, but she was eager to check on the Petri dishes.
It was about to be six thirty and Sakura petted Hachiko goodbye before grabbing her black designer tote bag and heading out the door. "Keep the place safe, Hachiko!" Sakura yelled out as she locked her front door and went to her car. The birds chirped energetically this morning, and the cool crips air hit against Sakura's skin. The maroon colored blazer she wore kept her comfortable from the cool air.
As Sakura made her way to her vehicle, unlocking the doors from her set of car keys, she was suddenly ambushed. Her body was roughly bent over the hood of her car while her arms were forcibly twisted behind her back. She dropped both her car keys and tote bag.
Sakura's face hit the metal roof sharply, and for a moment she saw white stars dancing across her vision. It took her by complete surprise because she didn't expect to be mug so early in the morning and in a gated community no less. Where were the security guards?
Soon enough, Sakura gathered her bearings and narrowed her eyes. Peppermint green irises hardened in calculation and anger. The doctor slammed the back of her head into her assailants' unsuspecting face.
A loud, painful shout was heard as the assailant released his hold on her in favor of grabbing his now broken and bloody nose through his black ski mask. Sakura took the opportunity of weakness to slam her fist into his solar perplexes and quickly followed up with a strong right hook to the face.
The man, which Sakura was pretty certain of from his shout, was thrown back a few feet until he hit the pavement. Blood splattered everywhere on the cement ground. She was pretty sure she made his broken nose worse now. For good measure, Sakura landed a hard kick to his ribs. His body lifted slightly from the force of it, and he groaned painfully.
Sakura's neat bun from earlier was in disarray and her cheeks were tinted red in her exertion in kicking his ass for trying to mug her.
"Hey, asshole, I would think twice before trying to mug me. Now get out of here before I break your legs next." Sakura threatened angrily as her harden peppermint colored irises glared heavily at him. She watched as he staggered to stand up and jog away with one hand over his nose and the other across his ribs, but not before leaving a message for her, "Quit while you're ahead, Bitch, you won't like what will happen if you keep pursuing that project."
Sakura's eyes widen in shock then as she regrettably watched him leave. A black, unlicensed car pulled up at the end of the street and her assailant got inside and sped off. Sakura felt her racing heart slam against her chest as she got into her car and locked all the doors. She was stunned. It wasn't a normal mugging after all.
What the hell was going on?
She though she was fighting her almost mugger, but it turned out she had just defended herself against a potential threat who was most likely trying to kidnap or kill her, and more importantly one who knew about her project, somehow.
Now the threats were becoming personal and physical. They knew where she lived and were bold enough to physically attack her.
Sakura had no choice, but to inform Orochimaru now. Her life could be in potential danger, especially since it happened right in front of her home in broad day light. They knew where she lived and where she worked. She wasn't safe.
Sakura didn't feel right leaving Hachiko alone in the condo now. She didn't know if those assholes would return and take her poor dog for ransom.
Sakura decided she would take Hachiko to Neji's place. The Hyuuga was off from work today, so he could probably watch her precious baby until she figured out what to do.
"What a good start to my day." Sakura groaned sarcastically as she got out the car to retrieve her dog and an overnight bag.
Hyuuga Neji was taking full advantage of his day off from work. The up in coming vice president of his family's oil business rarely seen a day off from work lately. Today was the first day, in a very long time, that he would be able to sleep in pass seven. Nothing could interrupt or ruin this day for him. Surrounded by his large comforters and piles of pillows, Neji snuggled at the warmth it provided him. It was heaven.
Later on when he woke up again, he would make a nice breakfast and watch a movie, then maybe he would work out for an hour before finishing up a book he never got the chance to finish. Today will be a good and relaxing day for him. With absolutely no interruption at all. Just as he was about to give up his consciousness to sleep he was stirred awake.
The door bell rang suddenly, loud and clear, and Neji opened his eyes in surprise. The Hyuuga looked at his bedroom door with bewilderment and his brows were furrowed slightly.
Who could be ringing his door bell this early in the morning?
Neji opted to ignore it and decided to go back to sleep, whoever it was can come back later if it was important. A few seconds later, the knocking grew louder and more aggressive. Annoyance washed through his body then and he angrily threw his comforter off him and made his way to the front door. Neji was inwardly seething at the person behind it. He was going to ring the person's neck for interrupting his plans to sleep in today.
When he threw open the door, his eyes widen in surprise at the sight of Sakura...and her disgusting mutt. The Hyuuga frowned at the sight of the mutt and wondered what possessed Sakura to bring him here of all places. She knew he didn't particularly like animals, especially mutts, and Hachiko was a drool machine.
"Sakura?" Neji questioned in wonder as he irritably eyed his friend until he caught her redden left cheek and disarray bun. Her white blouse was dirtied with random black smudges and was that drops of blood? She looked like she was in a fight, but really, this early in the morning? Even this time was too early for his pink haired friend to be getting into a scuffle with somebody.
"Are you alright?" He questioned her next as he gently touched her slightly swollen cheek. The woman winced slightly at the touch since it irritated her swollen cheek. She swatted his hand away with a pained smile. "Yes, I'm fine." She replied easily. She hoped her pitiful appearance would get him to give to her demand.
Sakura smiled at him in hopes of subsiding his irritation, but she really had no where else to go. Everyone of their other friends had young children or babies at home and she didn't know how Hachiko would react to them since she hasn't introduced him to children just yet. She rather play it safe than feel sorry later on.
"Good morning, Neji. Sorry to bother you so early in the morning, but I got into a fight, as you can see from my face and ruined clothing from a mugger, all so I thought, before he threatened me. Specifically, against my current project that I'm working on at the lab, which is supposed to be kept top secret." Sakura started with a frown and furrowed brows as she tried to fix her messy bun.
Neji's eyes widen in disbelief at her story before he rushed her inside and went to call the authorities. Sakura raised a brow before grabbing the phone from him and shaking her head. "It's alright, I'm going to inform Orochimaru about it today when I go into work. Now, it just isn't paper threats anymore, they're actually getting physical with me and right in front of my home too." Sakura stated grimly, but with a slight nonchalant attitude about it. She got over what happened this morning, and knew in her heart that Orochimaru held far more power than the police.
"Sakura, are you crazy? We need to alert the authorities." Neji told her with narrowed eyes. He was pretty sure Sakura handled herself well against the assailant, but from the scruffiness of her clothes and swollen cheek she must have been taken by surprise, which was rare. Sakura was always so careful.
"I've been dealing with these assholes for a couple of months already, but this is the first time they've actually had the balls to attack me. I'll handle it, trust me." Sakura told him with a reassuring smile that left him feeling uneasy still. Sakura always thought she could handle everything alone. She was stubborn in that sense.
"Alright, but you tell your employer right away and I suggest not going home for a few days until it's safe again. You can stay here until then." Neji told her, even though he wasn't too happy with the mutt staying here, too.
Sakura nodded in agreement and smiled her appreciation.
"Okay, I will, and you wouldn't mind watching Hachiko today while I'm at work, right? I didn't want to leave him home after what happened." Sakura told him as her dog was busy sniffing around Neji's apartment before disappearing down the hallway. "He's a good boy, I promise and I brought his tray for food and water. He's already house broken, so you won't have to worry about any accidents. Just make sure to walk him tonight." Sakura told him with a grin as she placed the metal trays down before heading out the door.
"Call me if he's too much of a problem. My voice usually calms him down." Sakura told him before she closed the front door and went to work.
Neji sighed as he traveled back to his bedroom. Great, now he had to watch Sakura's large mutt today. He didn't know how much of a damper that put in his perfect day off, but he knew he was going to go right back to sleep.
As Neji entered his bedroom, his right brow twitched in irritation, and a deep frown graced his lips at the sight that beheld him. Laying ever so comfortably in his bed was Sakura's mutt. He was laid out right in the middle with his disgusting snout on his favorite pillow. He can already see drool pooling over his silk linens.
"Mutt, get out now." Neji commanded sternly as he stalked to his bedside and pointed at the door. Hachiko stared at Neji while lifting his head at the man. Hachiko's eyes shone with intelligence before he tilted his head slightly to the side.
They stood that way for a moment before Hachiko huffed and put his head back down in defiance. Neji's face redden at the mutt's defiance before Neji tried to remove the large dog himself. That didn't go so well because the mutt started growling at him and baring some rather sharp baby teeth. Neji pulled back in mute fear. He didn't want to get bitten by a mutt. He didn't know if he had his rabbies vaccinations yet. He should have asked Sakura before she left.
Frustrated, Neji managed to grab some pillows and a blanket and went to the spare bedroom.
"Stupid mutt."
"Are you sure, Sakura-san? Did you get a good look at this person's face?"
Kabuto questioned with the utmost concern as he sat across from a newly put together Sakura. If it weren't for her swollen red cheek and dirtied blouse, you wouldn't have known she was attacked.
He had just finished cleaning up and bandaging her left cheek when she told him what happened at her home earlier this morning. This was a startling new development that was escalating with each month the project advanced, although it was minor progress, but still progress nonetheless.
Sakura had first complained of the threatening notes left on her front window shield a couple of months ago, and now she was being attacked in front of her own home. This was unacceptable and Orochimaru-sama was not going to be happy about his prized doctor being harassed and manhandled like this.
The woman shook her head. "He was wearing a black ski mask, the coward, but he was definitely a man." Sakura told him with certainty. Kabuto raised a curious brow. "How can you be certain?" He asked in wonder.
Sakura smirked and it caught Kabuto slightly off guard. He wasn't used to seeing Sakura smirk like that. "I headbutted him and he screamed, definitely male, but he also gave me that message, too." Sakura told him with a growing frown.
Kabuto's right brow twitched nervously. He wasn't aware that Sakura knew how to fight and against a man, especially. "I'm glad you're safe. I would advise not going home for a week while Orochimaru-sama and I settle this for you. You don't have anything to worry about Sakura-san." Kabuto told her with a reassuring smile. "If anything else happens, even if its another note, let me know. Now, I'm going to go inform Orochimaru-sama. I'll keep you updated." Kabuto told her as he patted her hand in further assurance before leaving her office.
Sakura sighed and felt better. She trusted Kabuto-san and Orochimaru-sama to handle this situation for her. After all, she was their favorite doctor, and the only one capable of even possibly completing their project. With that thought, Sakura thought about her little side project from a few days ago.
At that, Sakura felt the small excitement she felt from earlier return now that she was about to find out if fertilization had occurred in the past three days. Sakura made her way to the lab, gathered her equipment together and retrieved the petri dish.
Sakura placed it under the microscope for viewing.
Sakura pulled back sharply.
She looked through the ocular lenses again, and pulled back just as sharply once more.
Sakura couldn't believe it.
Her jaw slacked open and her eyes widen in disbelief at what she saw just moments ago.
It was a success!
It actually happened and it hasn't stopped dividing, or at least it hasn't stopped yet. Both eggs were a success so far.
A small voice in the back of Sakura's mind was telling her not to get too excited because there was still two more days to go before she knew that this fertilized embryo wasn't going to be another failure like the rest. She needed them to reach the blastocyst stage before they were ready for freezing.
Sakura placed the petri dish back inside for inoculation. She was going to check it again in two days, and if it was still viable then the next phase of the project can finally begin. Sakura's nerves were on fire, and she started to feel a little sick. She couldn't believe this was actually happening.
But most importantly, the thought fluttering through her mind was that she would truly be the mother of the extinct Uchiha clan. Being the woman who brought back a long deceased clan wasn't as important to Sakura as the fact that she was going to be a mother. She would have her own child and she did it all on her own, literally. She did't know what this would mean in terms of property or parental rights. She used sperm owned by Orochimaru and his company, but the eggs used were her own.
If children were to result from this, then the children would be equally theirs.
Hers, because she was the biological mother who did not sign any release forms for her egg donation over to the company, and Orochimaru-sama's because he owned the Uchiha sperm, well as far as she knew. She didn't know how Orochimaru-sama came to acquire the semen. She recalled him saying something about buying it from some woman over a decade ago. She didn't know how old it truly was, but nowadays with cryoperservation it didn't matter. Sakura didn't really questioned its origins or how that woman had it in her possession. She was more excited about starting the project then to worry about the details.
Sakura was anxious about the consequences of her impulsive actions. If worse came to worse, and if they found out what she did, then she would blame it on the fact that she had a tight deadline and nothing was working. It was the truth after all. She was thinking outside the box.
A surrogate will be chosen to carry the baby around for nine months until its birth. It bothered Sakura that another woman would be carrying her child to gestation, but she couldn't let it show or else her employer would be suspicious of her and find out what she had done. She didn't know how to tell them of her deed, but she knew they wouldn't care. They would be more interested in the actual blastocysts, if it came to that point. Sakura vowed to keep the truth of the eggs origin a secret for now.
"I won't worry about it anymore for now. I'll have to worry more about who the surrogate will be and keep my emotions in check. I'll most likely be performing the embryo transfer on the woman and monitoring her through her progress alongside Kabuto-san." Sakura stated as she grabbed her own file initialed HS, and began filling it with new notes of the progress. She was the only one who could access her file, so she wasn't fearful or worried about anyone looking at her file because they weren't expecting her eggs to have been used for the project. Once she was done with her notes, she created a false file on the computer system. She had to create a fake donor egg candidate as a cover.
Sakura finished her work and silently said goodbye to her little zygotes before locking up and heading to Neji's place. She didn't have much to do today while the zygotes were inoculating for the next two days. She also had the weekend off, so she wouldn't be back until Monday. She would find out then if her zygotes turned into embryo. She hoped they survived the next two days.
It was going to be a long weekend for Sakura because she was anxious to know if they would survive or not. Sakura felt stupid for feeling a small sense of attachment to the developing cells already, but she couldn't help herself.
The thought that she was going to be a mother, and not just any ordinary mother to ordinary children, although she would have loved to be a mother in general, she was going to be the mother of an Uchiha. Sakura kept the thought in her head as she walked to her car and was pleasantly surprised to see there was no note waiting for her this time. Sakura smirked as she got inside her car, but it slowly fell and turned into a frown when she saw the note had been taped to her steering wheel.
Someone had been inside her car.
Sakura felt a surge of panic flood through her body as she checked her back seat and trunk of her car.
It was all empty.
Sakura swiftly got in her car and called Kabuto-san while locking all the doors to her car.
The phone rang until Kabuto's smooth voice answered.
"Kabuto-san, they left another note, but this time it's inside my car." Sakura breathed out as she checked the garage from within her car for any figure walking or hiding somewhere, watching her from afar like a creep.
"Sakura-san, I want you to leave the garage and get somewhere safe, I'll inform Orochimaru-sama." He told her before hanging up.
Sakura put her cell phone away and sped off to Neji's apartment.
It wasn't long until Sakura made it to Neji's apartment complex and rushed to his home. She immediately hugged him while she heard him close the door behind her. His eyes and tone were laced with worry as he sat her down on the couch.
"Sakura, what happened?" Neji asked swiftly, and Hachiko emerged from Neji's bedroom to find his master cowering in his arms.
Hachiko felt a spike of jealousy as he made his way over to his master and jumped onto her lap to lick her face in a comforting gesture. He could feel her anxiety and fear as he stared at her with his dark eyes.
"Hachiko, I was so scared today." Sakura cried out as she held her dog tightly. Neji deadpanned at the affection and response the mutt got as opposed to him. His question went unanswered while the mutt just hopped on her lap and licked her face. Was that all it took? He thought comically with a light blush. He couldn't be so bold as to lick Sakura's face.
Neji couldn't believe he was slightly jealous of the mutt, after all, Neji was in Sakura's life long before him.
"Did they threaten you again or tried to attack you?" Neji asked with furrowed brows. He knew he should have called the authorities earlier. Sakura nodded her head as she peeked at Neji from within Hachiko's white fur.
"Another note, but this time it was taped to my steering wheel. Neji...they got inside my car while I was at work." Sakura told him with deep worry and growing fear.
It was strange seeing Sakura so fearful like this. She was the bravest one out of their group besides Naruto, even though often times it was dumb bravery, and to see her like this didn't feel right. It wasn't right for her to be threatened and scared like this.
"Sakura, why would anyone target you because of this project? What is it exactly? I know you've been working on it for over a year now, but you never really told us what it was you were doing with it." Neji told her in slight confusion, and he frowned when he saw her stiffen uncomfortably at his question. It made him wonder what his friend was working on in that lab of hers.
Was it something good, or something bad?
"It's confidential, Neji." Sakura told him simply as she went back to hugging Hachiko.
"I'm under contract as well with NoloCorp, but this project is big and very important. All I can say is that I am bringing back history." Sakura told him vaguely and her words disturbed him slightly especially the look in her eyes. Her eyes had taken on this strange look as she said that.
Bringing back history? What did she mean by that. He would have to ponder that later, it was clear she didn't want to talk about it more.
"Dinner is almost ready, I say in half an hour, enough time for you to shower and change." Neji told her as he decided to change the subject for Sakura's sake.
Whatever it was that she was working on, took up most of her time for over the past year, and was bringing her danger. How dangerous it could get was lost to Neji, but all he knew was that he didn't want his friend getting hurt because of it.
Sakura could be overly ambitious at times as well as stubborn, but he feared Sakura had unknowingly took on too much this time around when she decided to work for Orochimaru.
He was going to have to do a thorough back ground check on him.
Something he should have done a long time ago.
The weekend went by uneventfully, Sakura and Hachiko spent that time in Neji's apartment while he was at work and at a nearby park.
Now that the weekend was over, Sakura was feeling a lot better since she found the note inside her car. She couldn't let that place fear inside her heart. She wasn't going to give up on her project, especially now that it could potentially be a part of her.
Entering her lab and gathering the items, Sakura checked the petri disk and her heart raced with anticipation and hope. The results were bittersweet. One zygote had stopped dividing, but the other had made it to a blastocyst.
A wide smile grew on her lips as she exclaimed happily at the sight she saw. The embryo was alive and in the blastocyst stages of development!
"I did it, I'm going to be mother!" Sakura exclaimed in happiness before she covered her mouth quickly, hoping no one had heard her from outside the lab's thick door. Sakura couldn't help the fit of giggles escaping passed her enclosed mouth. She was so happy and couldn't wait to tell Orochimaru and Kabuto. They were going to be so happy at her progress, but not as happy as she was right now. Sakura prepared the freezing process.
An hour later, Sakura waited patiently for Orochimaru and Kabuto to arrive. She had called them an hour ago and had interrupted a meeting they were in, but because she had big news to share with them they were rushing over here. The two men had a very clear idea of what the news could be and they were excited. Sakura had taken multiple pictures of the blastocyst before freezing it, and had them printed and laid out on the counter besides a large cryopreservation container. It held the first Uchiha blastocyst.
Another ten minutes passed, and the door to the lab was opened with a swift swipe of Kabuto's ID card. They rushed over to her side where she was preparing the images for them to view. Orochimaru picked up two photos and his eyes widen in shock.
"She did it," Orochimaru muttered out in disbelief as he continued to gaze in awe at the photos Sakura took of the blastocyst. He has never seen anything so beautiful than this before.
"Sakura-san, which donor did you use to achieve this?" Kabuto asked with a wide smile. He would have to make a note of the donor egg candidate for future use.
Sakura felt her spine stiffen at the question before clearing her throat and answering vaguely, "Donor Egg: HS, Kabuto-san."
Kabuto nodded his head, "Keep her records on hand, we may need to harvest more eggs from her in the future." Kabuto told her as he looked more photos the blastocyst in awe. It was indeed beautiful and this was all thanks to Sakura, and all her hard work.
Orochimaru couldn't contain his happiness and joy at this startling news of progress. Tsunade's pupil was truly something special! The tall and slender man approached Sakura and gathered her up in his arms in glee as he hugged her tightly. It might be inappropriate but he didn't care. This was the start of history in the making.
"You did well, Sakura-san." Orochimaru praised her highly as he released her. She's never seen him so happy before, it made her heart warm.
"I will be giving you a bonus for all your hard work and determination. Now we will have to find a suitable surrogate and have you perform the embryo transfer on her as soon as she's ready in a few weeks." Orochimaru told her as Kabuto came to stand by his side. There was much to do now.
Sakura nodded mutely as her eyes retained their composure. She wanted to tear up a little at the mention of the surrogate, but she had to contain her emotions.
"Of course, Orochimaru-sama. Are there any candidates you have in mind? I can be of some help in helping you decide on the one." Sakura offered smoothly as she gently gathered up the photos into one neat pile.
"Actually, that would be great. I have two candidates already lined up for the position." Orochimaru informed her with his grin still plastered on his lips. Sakura swallowed tightly at the news. She would make sure she chose the best woman to carry her child.
"We'll have a meeting tomorrow and look over their files together before I bring them in for the results of their physical exams and drug tests." Orochimaru told her with a smile before he and Kabuto left. This was a very good day for them. They were ready to progress into the second phase of their project.
Sakura remained behind as she gazed longingly at photos she took earlier. She placed a hand on her belly in an unspoken wish. She wished she could be the one to carry her child, but that would be impossible. Her job in the lab was done for now, and the next phase will take place throughout the next couple of week with another woman. She would see the fetus's development on a biweekly basis, more if she were lucky.
With a final goodbye until tomorrow, Sakura locked up for the day and went to Neji's apartment.
Sakura furrowed her brows as she went through Uzumaki Karin's files. The last name startled her slightly and she wondered if this Karin had any relations to her best friend, Naruto. The blonde never mentioned or introduced her to this women ever. It might be a coincidence.
As she went through this woman's files with a critical eye, Sakura couldn't help, but feel jealous. This woman was physically fit and healthy enough to carry her child and the other woman, Mitarashi Anko, was also just as capable, but she had her reservations about the dark haired woman. The only difference between both women were their age. Karin was the same age as she was while Anko was pushing thirty seven.
Sakura didn't particularly like either woman, and she closed Karin's file with a final sighed. Kabuto had been observing Sakura closely during her intense review of each woman's file and from the expression on her face, she didn't like either of them.
Kabuto was thoughtful as he recalled Sakura's longing gaze. He had gone back to ask Sakura a question when he saw her through the window of the lab door. Her hand had been on her belly while her eyes had been staring at photos of the blastocyst, no doubt. He could tell a woman's desire for a child easily enough and it rolled off Sakura in waves whether she knew it or not. He's seen plenty of women with that desire throughout his career.
Maybe he could help his favorite doctor when the time came and she was ready to have a child. He would make sure to offer his complimentary services when the project was over within the next year. From what he knew, Sakura wasn't dating anyone nor married yet. He knew how this life could be stressful and demanding, finding a mate was hard. But there were other options, of course. He will offer Sakura her choice of donor sperm at their facility to fulfill her wishes of motherhood.
Kabuto excused himself from the office and went to take care of something before the two potential surrogates arrived.
Sakura watched as Kabuto left the office, and she wonder where he was off to.
Sakura sat, somber, looking through the files again in the office for nearly half an hour when her employer and supervisor returned again. There was two women that came with them, Karin and Anko. Sakura felt her back straighten as she eyed each women with stern, critical eyes. It was different seeing them in person. They didn't look nice at all or approachable. How can either of these two women carry a child, least of all her child?
Sakura was not happy with these two choices, but she didn't have much say in it since these two were the two potentials already.
"Alright, ladies, after reviewing your recent physical examination, I have to say I am extremely disappointed." Orochimaru seethed out. He was upset.
Sakura's brows raised in surprise at Orochimaru's tone and shocking words.
What did he mean?
Karin and Anko looked just as confused, except for Anko who covered up her surprise with her anger. "The hell you are, what's the problem?" Anko demanded with a fierce glare at the pale man as she hover the table at him.
"Sit back down, Mitarashi-san." Orochimaru demanded as he watched the older woman take her seat after she had stood from her chair at his accusation.
"I specifically told you both last year at the start of this project, especially you, Anko, that consuming alcohol and drugs were off limits. You two were the top two potential candidates for surrogacy once Sakura-san was able to create a viable blastocyst to transfer." Orochimaru seethed out with narrowed golden eyes as he threw the results of Anko's drug test in front of the black haired woman in building anger.
Anko glanced at the paperwork and scoffed at the words positive. "I didn't do any drugs, drinking, yes. I wasn't going to go an entire year sober." Anko told him fearlessly as she crossed her arms across her chest in defiance. The woman loved her sake and liquor.
Orochimaru sighed before looking over to Karin.
The red haired woman stiffen slightly.
"I'm more disappointed in you than her. Pregnant? Really, Karin." Orochimaru gritted out tightly as he stared at the red haired woman, long and hard. "Why would you get yourself impregnated when you could have been the woman who could have birth the first Uchiha into the world in half a century?" Orochimaru questioned angrily as he slammed his fist on top of the table.
Karin turned her head and gazed at the ground with silent resentment before bringing her hateful glare onto Kabuto. The silver haired man was smirking behind Orochimaru as he scolded each woman mercilessly.
"You two make me sick, I want you two out of here. I will not be paying you a dime, and as per our agreement you are not to speak a word of this project. The walls have ears, my dears." Orochimaru told them with an underlying threat to his words if they ever dared to speak about this in public to anyone.
Sakura was in complete shock at this turn of events. Both women turned out to not be suitable after all. Sakura watched them leave the room angrily with wide, shocking eyes.
Now what were they going to do?
They would need to choose a surrogate soon if they wanted to proceed with the transfer next month per Orochimaru's plans.
"Kabuto, we need to find someone suitable and fast. I was not anticipating those two breaking our agreement like that." Orochimaru stated in frustration. He was starting to feel the pressure and the fear of losing too much time. After so many months of hard work on Sakura's part they could lose their potential business opportunities if they didn't find someone trust worthy within the next month.
"Actually, Orochimaru-sama, I already have someone in mind who is more than willing to be a surrogate for us. She meets all of your requirements and is a much better choice than those two. She's passed all drug screening and physical exam." Kabuto began as he walked towards his superior with a smirk on his lips. He always had a back up plan in case things didn't go right, but things were going just the way he wanted them to. It was all part of his own personal plans for this project.
"Is she anything like those two that just left?" Sakura questioned with slight irritation as she folded her arms across her chest.
She was inwardly happy that those two women would not be carrying her child.
"This woman is a lot more responsible and I believe she will be much more serious than the other two were." Kabuto replied with confidence.
Sakura saw a certain twinkle in his dark eyes and she wondered if he knew something she didn't. It wasn't often that Kabuto-san had that particular twinkle in his dark eyes, it usually meant he was scheming somewhere in that mind of his. She would keep an eye on him.
"Kabuto, as always, you are a life saver." Orochimaru stated impressed and glad by his assistant's proposal. He could always count on Kabuto to fix any situation and have back up plans in case things went array.
"Alright, I want the embryo transferred as soon as she's ready." Orochimaru stated finally towards Sakura. His trust in her increased exponentially.
"Sakura-san, I want you to perform the procedure and report back to me once it's been completed." Sakura nodded at the order, not noticing the envious look Kabuto shot at her from behind. He tried to reason with himself that it was foolish to be jealous of Sakura. After all, he was Orochimaru's right hand man. He probably felt that he more important things to do than to do a simple embryo transfer.
Sakura smiled thinly. She had to seem neutral about her orders, but secretly she wasn't. She was concerned.
"Make sure everything goes flawlessly, Kabuto-san, as Sakura-san is performing the transfer. We cannot miss this opportunity. In any case, if something does happen or if its unsuccessful then Sakura-san will have to create a new batch and try again." Orochimaru ordered out and both Kabuto and Sakura nodded. The pale man was very pleased Sakura had figured out the process to create more successful embryos.
After Orochimaru left the office, Kabuto turned to Sakura with a smile.
"Congratulations Sakura-san, on this success. You're going to be even more important to us now with this project. Also, don't worry about those threats anymore. Once Orochimaru-sama has secured your home, you'll be able to move back in. I shall say in about two weeks or so. There will be guards day and night protecting your home." Kabuto informed her with a charming smile of assurance. They had a lot of things to install in her condo before she would be able to go back to living there.
Sakura nodded as they both walked out of the office together.
"I'm staying with a friend for now since the incident last weekend. I feel a lot better having someone I trust close by." Sakura revealed to her supervisor as she pushed a lock of her bangs behind her ear. She really didn't want to move out of her home, even if it was temporary. She really hoped Neji didn't mind if she and Hachiko stood longer than what was anticipated.
Kabuto seem to pondered the thought before a smile appeared on his lips.
"Actually, that is a great idea. It's best to stay with a friend who can protect you. The man wouldn't be so confident in attacking you again if another person was around." Kabuto told her.
Sakura couldn't really argue with that logic. Besides, she would feel a lot more safe knowing that Neji was around.
"You're being targeted by some of our enemies, I'm afraid, an unknown group whose been trying to ruin our plans for a long time now. They must have learned that you were working for us on our project and were trying to scare you into quitting, but it seems your stubborn nature and disregard to their threats weren't working so they decided to be more direct." Kabuto explained with furrowed brows. "I apologize for the trouble this is causing you." Kabuto added with sincerity. "You aren't the first doctor they've tried to discourage, but I'm happy you're standing your ground with us." He added sincerely.
Of course, he knew who the unknown group was and why they were trying to ruin their plans of bringing back the Uchiha bloodline, but Sakura didn't need to know that.
Orochimaru-sama was currently sending out some of his best spies and enforcing extra security around all of their facilities in the country. It was obvious that no matter how many guards they put up they were still managing to enter and gather intel.
The only probable idea as to how this was happening was that there was a spy within their company. It was obviously not Sakura, since she was their main target. So, that left members of the security force and the other scientists in their company. They were going to be dealt with accordingly in order for them to find the mole and dispose of him or her appropriately.
"Do you know who this group is or what they want to accomplish?" Sakura asked in wonder and some concern. She didn't think there were people out there who wanted to destroy the rebirth of the Uchiha bloodline. From the things she's learned and researched about the Uchiha clan from the start of her project, they were a strong familial clan that had particularly strong eye prowess that many people feared.
They had a special way of using those powers and coupled with their unique physical structure they were unstoppable and unmatched in both strength, stamina, and speed. Maybe whoever wanted this project to end was afraid of the power this bloodline will bring to the modern world. Sakura grew up hearing about the stories of the old ninja way and how ninjustu was used for both good and evil deeds to benefit the country.
The government still used highly trained shinobi as their soldiers, but none possessed any chakra. She's heard rumors that some people in the modern world were able to unlock their chakra pathways to use ninjutsu, just as their ancestors had.
Kabuto easily shook his head at her inquiry.
"No, we've been trying to figure it out for years now because you aren't the first doctor they've tried to scare off, but you are the first to not run away and we appreciate that." Kabuto told her truthfully. To think a woman would be the first to stand her ground against this shadow organization. Kabuto smirked in irony of how brave this short woman was compared to thirty men.
Sakura smiled at his compliment and felt a sense of pride in her stubbornness.
"I don't scare off very easily." Sakura told him with a smirk.
"I know." He replied evenly.
They parted ways before planning on meeting sometime this week with the surrogate for introductions and paperwork.
If only Sakura knew what she was getting herself into, maybe then she wouldn't have used one of her eggs for conception. If only she knew their true plans for wanting a Uchiha, she wouldn't have been involved with NoloCorp in the first place.
The issues of ethics regarding human life didn't matter much to her employer or supervisor. What mattered to them was the fact that they would have the first Uchiha in over fifty years, and in a few short months that dream would become a reality. This upcoming winter they will have their precious Uchiha and they will owe Sakura a huge debt for her loyalty and brilliance on this project.
A/N: Sakura has no idea the trouble she is getting herself into now that the process has shifted into the next phase, surrogacy. There will be a lot more danger waiting for her in the future. Will Sakura like this new surrogate or will she be disappointed once again?
Thank you all who read and reviewed this story! I have to go back and fix some grammar errors I made in the first chapter, but I will get to that later. I'm really glad this story is being added to your favorites and alerts! I've been getting a lot from the reviews that this story is INTERESTING and I am glad you all think so! I don't think I've ever read a story like this one before either, or so I hope? It makes me feel pretty good.
Now one of the reviewers had some really good questions for me, so I'm going to answer them and share them with all of you, in case you had similar questions as well. This reviewer who had a ton of good questions was SomebodyLost. I hope it's not too confusing as I had broken up the questions and answered them in order.
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SomebodyLost:
Interesting. Medical/sci-fi-ish genre, eh?
I have to ask, to get this out of the way:
- will there be pairings aside from Ino/Kakashi and NaruHina? Lol at InoKaka.
Lady M: I'm not sure yet, but so far the pairings are the ones you listed above.
- is it gonna be ItaSaku or ShiSaku? Please no threesome. D:
Lady M: That is something I'm still pondering on, but I'm leaning more towards no. I also don't want to rule it out either, so I'll have to see how I write the future chapters. Shisui does play an important role in this story whether he is with Sakura or not, but you guys will have to wait and see what role that is!
- Tsunade has a mission? She's what, an agent? Ninja? No one uses the word 'mission' unless it's important. Perhaps medical mission?
Lady M: Okay, with Tsunade she is on a medical mission, something similar to doctors without borders. She isn't an agent, but a very talented and skilled doctor with a certain uniqueness to her. I'll make sure to explain more in detail in future chapters when Tsunade makes her appearance.
- just where did you get inspiration for this?
Lady M: I was actually inspired to write this story a few days ago from when I uploaded this story. It came to me while I was writing another new story that I haven't put out yet titled Flow of Time, and it got me thinking what if Konoha brought back the Uchiha clan through means of genetic engineering and IVF, especially since new reproductive technologies are becoming more popular these days? So, I began writing the outline for this story and this is what I have so far! I get these crazy ideas sometimes and I just have to write it out. I'm pretty proud so far with it.
- can they use chakra? 'Powerful eyes' Pedochimaru said. It's like you're implying that this is a futuristic Narutoverse.
Lady M: Lol at pedorchimaru. I suppose it can be seen as a futuristic narutoverse and yes, some can use chakra, but not many can use chakra because the time of shinobi is practically over with in this time the story is taking place in. But they are a few people who can still utilize chakra, mainly the Uchiha clan since they would have been one of the last families that had still practiced the way of the shinobi, but that was over fifty years ago, so you can imagine that the practice had died out, but not entirely. I will be explaining more in detail in future chapters! I don't wont to give away too much lol
Anyhoo, the prologue is interesting (moreso because I've just recently been watching DTB, so I'm in the sci-fi zone) and I think I'll stick around. I hope that you won't leave us hanging.
Thanks for writing!
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SO, I really appreciate all the questions SomebodyLost, and also to everyone else who reviewed too! I loved reading your thoughts about the first chapter and hope to continue to do so with this new one!
Kiken & Seikō translates to Danger & Success
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Lady Manami
