Hello everyone. I am back from a long hiatus. I am shameful that it took me so long to update as I have been distracted with on goings in the world. Yesterday was Naruto Uzumaki's birthday. So I took the liberty of taking hold of one of my other stories and updating a new chapter that I had started a while back but never got around to finish it. I will miss Summer but alas all good things must come to an end. Also, we have those insufferable buffoons hankering to get hold of the presidency which I dread so much. I refuse to vote for Hilary but I also refuse to vote for Trump. Both are despicable, ill-tempered, foul mouthed, hypocritical, corrupt monsters and they should not have ever been allowed to procreate to begin with.

On a side note, the dialogue inside this chapter is based off an earlier cartoon rendition of the Hunchback of Notre Dame. Sadly, it did not include the character of Paquette or Sister Gudule (Esmaralda's mother) which would have explained further about the girls story of being brought into the gypsy convent. Danzo and Madara are going to be based off of Frollo wheras Sai will be lightly based off of Jehan; Frollo's free-loading, obnoxious younger brother. I want to thank all of you for having been so patient with me in spite of the infuriating hiatus and the like. Enjoy.

Disclaimer: Naruto belongs to Misashi Kishimoto. The story and its characters belong to me.

Chapter 12: Placating Notorieties


The onslaught of winter continued for many more weeks. There seemed to be no end to it save for the Christmas season. On such days, the snow fell softly and gently as if nature were trying to apologize for the previous maelstrom. On the week of Christmas Day, faithful and eager parishioners gathered to the church for Advent (1) and give wishes and prayers for the holidays. The Archdeacon and the rest of the monks were quite happy for this as it meant that they could rest easy knowing the people had come in lieu of the 'heathen brood' that spent what should have been a time for penance and reverence of their savior and Lord to indulge in their worldly vices. Also was the absence of certain gypsy groups, much to their reprieve. The holidays were a different matter for the wealthy aristocracy. For them, it was an excuse to hold lavish and extravagant parties to entertain guest and acquaintances. The homeless on the other hand, were forced to either scavenge for shelter or freeze to death. Indeed, winter months in Konoha could be exceptionally cruel.

At the royal palace, the place was alight with music, decorations, and dancing. The royal family was having one of its three annual Christmas parties attended by relatives and acquaintances. The ballroom was filled with giddy couples grasping hands with one another. Sadly, not everyone was in a festive mood. Standing in the corner was the second prince Uchiha glaring at the spectacle. He had been stuck in the palace for over a month. The only time was allowed out was to scout the town and carry out diplomacy hearings. He had not heard a word or gotten a letter from Naruko since November and it was beginning to worry him. He couldn't even sneak out or send a letter as his father had increased security around the palace. Plus, Madara would likely intercept his attempts. His ears perked up the sound of haughty laughter. Ino was bragging to a group of young ladies of her engagement into the royal family and of the upcoming wedding. The young ladies all nodded politely and said nothing. Although, one could apparently see the jealousy wafting off of them. After all, Ino was granted the honor and opportunity that every other young woman in their position would love to have.

Sasuke groaned inwardly. It disgusted him sometimes how vain Ino truly was. He was interrupted of his musings.

"How fare thee well dear cousin. And a lovely holidays greeting to you" said a voiced mired with condensation. Sasuke glowered at a young man with super pale almost white skin, short cropped black hair and equally dark eyes. He donned a fake smile and his arms crossed. Sasuke gazed half-lidded at him.

"What do you want Sai? And don't tell me you came all this way to say greetings because we both know that is not the case" he snapped causing the other to stumbled backwards. Sai, as his name was called, was his cousin roughly his age. He was from the lower branch family and an utmost thorn to his side. He came off well-mannered, polite, and gracious as a noblemen where in reality he was a snide, condescending, and a jack-ass who would hide his true intentions behind fake smiles. In all else, he was a complete prick. He was also from his mother's side which made him even more detestable in the latter's eyes. Sai dropped his smile and glanced at his cousin.

"Now, now cousin, just because uncle had been keeping you all locked up like some rat in a maze don't go giving you the right to snap at people" he replied in a sing-song voice. Sasuke was not amused. Ino's melodious voice rang with laughter once more. Sai grinned at the blonde female and wiggled his eyebrow. "Or maybe it is that you are upset because your lovely fiancée is not here with you. If you want, I could-"

Sai found himself being abruptly thrown against the wall. His vision swam for a moment before clearing up to witness the angered, red eyes of his cousin. Sai shook with quiet terror. Sasuke put him down slowly until his feet were touching the ground once again. But Sasuke was not done dealing with him. He drew his face closer to his cousin and whispered to him. "Listen here Sai. Just because your wretched family managed to escape being evicted, by no means are you allowed liberties that come with being part of this family. If anything, you should be lucky to even be allowed to be one of us, especially after that sorry excuse of a woman shamed both sides of our families".

Sai's cool composure twisted into anger and embarrassment. He was about to retort when the king came and cut the conversation short. "What seems to be the issue here? Sai? Sasuke?" Fugaku glared at both of them expecting an answer. Not wishing to face the king's wrath Sasuke answered. "There is no issue here Father. I was merely reminding Sai of his place and to mind how he should address his superiors" he replied calmly. Sai grit his teeth but nodded. Fugaku nodded in approval. "Very good but I think it is best that you Sasuke go and join your fiancée. And as for you Sai' he turned to his nephew 'as my son said, mind your place and try not to start any unnecessary conflict in the future. Understand?" he asked harshly. Sai responded in agreement. The king dismissed him and went back to entertain his guest. The albino mentally cursed and punched the wall behind him.

Sai was a member of the lower branch of the royal family. He hailed from the queen's side of the family and were a great asset to the king. When news of the queen's betrayal broke out, they would have been officially disinherited and disowned had it not been for the many years of loyal service and the influence they held within and outside the royal family. Unfortunately, the stigma left behind by the Queen's foolishness forever wrecked their image in the eyes of the royal court.


Sasuke huffed outwardly as he fought off the multitude of eager females trying to latch themselves onto his arm or in attempts to sway him away from his fiancée. He grasped a glass of wine from the refreshment table. His attempts to escape the party were thwarted when he was pulled to the side by Iruka. The man dragged the younger into the hallway and spoke to him.

"Forgive me Sasuke-sama but I had to speak to you for a brief moment" he addressed him politely. Sasuke gave a curt nod. "Well, what is so important that you had to drag me away from my guest" he inquired secretly thanking the man for keeping him from dying of boredom. Iruka reached into his armor and pulled out a slip of parchment. Sasuke glanced at it and was about to ask but was halted.

"It's probably best to wait until you are in a more secluded area. It' Iruka craned his head left and right 'it might be dangerous if certain people were to catch wind and report it to the king" he whispered intently. Sasuke nodded in agreement. "Thank you Umino-san and enjoy the rest of the night" he greeted. Iruka smiled and gave a nod before departing. Sasuke took the chance to head to his room. He quickly locked the doors behind him and lit a candle. He peered at it before smiling widely. It was from her. He unclasped the seal and read.

Gonbawa Sasuke-san,

It's been a while hasn't it? I am so sorry for not having written or contacted you in so long. I was told by Iruka that you were unable to come outside as your father the King had increased security making it impossible for me to get in contact with you. Plus, the winter snow has made traveling and outside life quite difficult. Personally, I find it rather refreshing as most of our travels are through hot or tepid climates and rarely do we get to enjoy what Winter offers. Some of the other gypsies find it taxing especially for the elderly because of how harsh and severe it can be. Alas, you will not see any performers out on the streets; until after the snow melts. "Sigh" being stuck in the middle of nowhere surrounded by a wall of snow is truly exasperating. There is nothing to do except read and watch the snowflakes fall…which isn't really much. Sorry, I am rambling again. I tend to do that sometimes. Anyways, I wrote this letter and wondered what you were doing in the meantime. I hope you are alright and haven't forgotten me. It must be rather boring living in that palace. That is all I have to say for now. Have a Merry Christmas.

Happy Holidays, Naruko

Sasuke finished the letter with a chuckle. That girl had a way of turning his abysmal, somber mood into a giddy, happy one. Naruko may have even made this holiday something to look forward to. She may have even given him the best present he had ever gotten in his life. "What the heck am I thinking?!" he screamed out. "She is a gypsy and you are a prince! It could never work!" The raven realized he said that aloud and was likely heard by someone. With that in mind, he quickly jumped off his bed and slid it in a drawer beneath his bed.

()

Many days later, the snow melted and the clouds gave way to reintroduce the sun. The weather in Konoha was predictable enough that despite the place caught in the grip of winter's icy chill, it was not enough to keep out the sun's warmth. It was near the end of December; just a few short days before the Day of Epiphany (2). However, most people opted to skip out of such to celebrate a lesser known holiday: The Feast of Fools; a day similar to the Kyuubi Festival where the people engaged in festivities and spectacles of individuality and fun. But to the more religiously-devout, strict, cross people, it was a period where people made complete asses of themselves in front of polite society. One of those men was currently in his personal laboratory overlooking a couple of beakers to see the contents were developing as they should. Danzo set the beaker back down onto the burner and paced the table. He sat down in front of a large book to record his observations.

SLAM!

Danzo slammed the book shut with a thud. He clenched the sides of the desk panting. He was stewing in his anger from the event of several nights ago. He had in his office when he was visited by none other than the Arch Bishop, Homura Mitakado (3); an elderly man in a white robe adorned with purple and yellow markings on his robes and a pair of green round glasses on his face, he was not here for a friendly visit.

Flashback:

Danzo was in his lab overlooking his beakers when he heard three loud knocks on the door. He quickly covered his work with a cloth and went to tell the intruder on the other side to get lost.

"Well who is it?" he demanded gruffly.

"Open up. It is your Archbishop. I would like to have a word with you" the voice called. Danzo winced inwardly. "Oh of course forgive me my lord" he responded in a saccharine voice.

The door opened just a tad to reveal the face of an elderly man. It was his superior, Archbishop Homura. The man had been present when he received his deaconship and was the one who gave the last word on how the inner workings of the church operated or what happened to each member of the convent. This made it more vexing to Danzo for should word of his alchemic practices came to light, he could very well lose his status or worse yet: lose his head. And telling by the frown on the bishop's face, it was not a courtesy call.

"My lord perhaps a more fitting room than this. You see it is-

"Quite well sufficient for my purposes. Now do be so courteous and move aside" Homura replied sternly. Danzo did so reluctantly. The Archdeacon stepped inside and began to inspect the room with arms behind his back. Danzo sneered as the man examined the place. His heart began to palpitate as he neared the item he had taken great care to cover. Unfortunately, luck was not on his side as the bishop stopped near the item he had taken great care to hide.

"So the rumors are true. You have been experimenting with alchemy" he stated rather than asked. "Alchemy my lord?" he replied feigning naivety. Homura picked up a rectangular piece of metal. "You have begun to search for the chemical component that will turn base metal into gold". Danzo eye's widened in shock.

"But my Lord, I am a man of the church. What would an archdeacon possibly want gold for? Much less, gain something from it?" Meddlesome old fool poking his nose in other people's business, he thought disdainfully.

"That is precisely what I was wondering. However, that is not why I have come" he replied facing Danzo completely. Danzo raised an eyebrow curiously. "You are aware of the two men that were arrested no more than two months ago correct?" Danzo nodded slowly. "They were found guilty of attempted kidnapping of a young woman. Sadly however, the court was unable to interrogate them further as they were slain the day before. What we do know is the woman in question was the same gypsy woman seen dancing at the Festival. I pray you had nothing to do with it" he said accusingly.

Danzo bristled. "My lord I assure you any intent toward one of those wretches, it would be nothing more to rid them from the city" he defended. The bishop was not convinced. "If I am not mistaken, was she not the same gypsy girl you engaged heatedly with at the festival?" he asked.

Danzo sighed. "I may have driven her off. But that was only because she was disrespecting the church and its holy grounds with her disgraceful spectacle. She was turning the people's heads!"Danzo huffed and panted heavily. Homura closed his eyes and nodded. "I see. Fortunately, the two men in question had not the chance to do with her for impure reasons before the guards caught them. I personally do not care much for the gypsy rabble much like you however…I will not have you enacting anything foolish against them or try to perpetrate another war. The last thing we want is a scandal that will reflect badly upon this cathedral".

"Rest assured my Lord. All I do is for the welfare of this cathedral" he replied slyly. Homura nodded and made to leave. "Very good. I shall leave but take heed. I want to hear no more ill-talk of conspiracies within nor do I wish to hear of my Archdeacon dabbling in alchemy" he said briskly.

Danzo shut the door slowly after the man left. "Of course my Lord. Good day to you". Once the man was out of earshot, Danzo scoffed before resuming his work undisturbed.

Flashback ends


Danzo chuckled scathingly. If that bothersome old fool thought he was going to behave all submissive like a beaten dog, he had another thing coming. What he did in his spare-time was nobody's business anyway. Besides, it was not like he alone was accountable. But it would seem that Madara too had gotten an earful about the matter. Konoha barely recovered from Madara's personal crusade two decades past. It was one of great annoyance and strife for him. He too was all too eager to do away with the riff-raff brought in to questioning and even issued a few of the executions. It was not until his majesty put a stop to it lest he lose his head and have his body excommunicated by the church and the village. He would be damned if he lost his stature in the village because of one gypsy girl. Speaking of which, it was just a few days before the New Year and after that was that infernal holiday he dreaded above all else. Feast of Fools was undoubtedly the most disgusting holiday ever to be conceived by man. It was a mystery even to him how and when the holiday was created. And speaking of which…he knew all too well that she would be there along with the rest of her rabble.

She might even do something to stir his anger. Well, he would just have to put a stop to it. But how? He closed his eyes and sat pensively. The bells of the cathedral droned loudly causing him to growl. "Drat him that infernal bell-ringer. Oh well, at least I have a few more days to plot my next move". Danzo then set back to his observations.

()

The Christmas season passed quickly and today it was the Feast of Fools. As was suspected, the gypsies were gathered at the village square setting up stands and prepping the decorations. The snow had long since melted and the day was warm so people could venture outside. Sasuke was garbed in his knights uniform propped up on his horse keeping an eye out for suspicious activity. He had just been let off from his 'imprisonment' a while ago on the condition he did not attempt to sneak off again without notifying the king first. He cared little for that as today his eyes were peeled for another reason. He hoped to catch glimpse of a certain blonde today. He had not received word or notice from her since he received the letter from her two weeks before. It worried him to say the least. The raven nearly jolted when he felt pressure on his shoulders. He whipped over to see a cloaked figure with his hand outstretched. The only feature showing was his toothy grin.

"You know a man could have his hand cut off doing that" Sasuke uttered angrily. The stranger shook his head. "I guess it's too bad that I have lost what little fear I had after having fought off noble brats like you for so long" he scoffed. Sasuke glared at the man who handed him a scroll. "Now if you will excuse me I have business to attend to" he said before speeding off the other way. Sasuke unfurled the scroll.

Congratulations on being released from prison, young prince. I pray that you are not meshed with such a busy schedule today because you have duties to attend at the fair. Be sure to have your costume ready because you will be needing it. You cannot and shall not refuse this request. Not if you want her to be disappointed and such. I expect a top notch performance from you. We await you in the large tent situated near the gallows.

Kurama

a.k.a. Your Majesty

Sasuke scrunched his face. He could hear the condescending, hidden threat in the tone of the writing. Well he had to admit. Kurama was certainly eloquent for a gypsy which was strange in itself since Gypsies were reputed to be illiterate (4). Aside from that, he seemed to harbor a great disdain for the noble class. Sure, gypsies were naturally weary of outsiders due to the constant discrimination they faced. However, his dislike bordered on hatred. Sasuke could actually feel the killing vibes off of him whenever he was near. He shook his head and galloped on ahead. He needed to make his rounds. He would then sneak off and meet up with Naruko for possibly a degrading performance.


Your favorite characters are back. Sadly, I was sallied with a bad cold over the week so I was not able to update as often as I would like. In an effort to redeem myself to my readers, I have decided to get back into writing my stories more often. However, let me point it out that I have a life outside of computers and technology and should not allow such to take over my life as it has the relative population. After watching the last couple episodes of Naruto, I could not help but feeling regretful that I did not think to watch it from the beginning sooner and only started getting into it once I reached high school. After a time, I began to truly see the appeal and emotional depth to this show and that the plot was not a black-and-white subplot, that there was more to the show. Such is another reason why Misashi Kishimoto will always have a special place in my heart. Abashedly, I cannot seem to say much to the show's sequel; Boruto. I suppose it has to do with the whole plethora of yaoi fanfictions I have read and my fandom of the SasuNaru fanfiction forum. Although, we can be glad that the show gave us our dream hetero pairing; Hinata and Naruto; and their kids are just so cute.

I will leave the matter about the show and get back to talking about my fanfic. Naruko's and Sasuke's relationship will have a slow build-up. I have mentioned before in my other fics that I despise clichés and want to diverge from them as much as possible. Fugaku is not a cruel man by any means however he is rather strict with both his sons and will throw down the hammer when he needs to. He is just a bit harder on Sasuke because one he is a prince and is expected to act so and that Sasuke closely resembles his mother and serves as a constant reminder of her betrayal. Kurama's backstory will be explained in later chapters but first I want to focus on the main pairings first. Speaking of which, what did you all think of the backstory on Karin. That is all I have to say on the matter. Until next time.

Chapter Footnotes:

(1) The season of awaiting the arrival of The Second coming of Christ.

(2) A Christian holiday marking the manifestation of Christ to the Gentiles

(3) One of three main ninja councilmen next to Homura and Danzo on the anime.

(4) Most gypsy convents are patriarchal and women rarely traverse past a high school education. Some of the referencing I got from watching shows like "My Big Fat Gypsy Weddding".