Chapter 17: Interlude

"Frankly, Hokage-sama, I don't really care what your reasoning is," Hiashi told Tsunade. "Now everyone in the village knows Naruto is in possession of a power far eviler than Kyūbi. If it doesn't cause any further deterioration in Naruto's standing with the village, it will still cause him mental harm. The best case scenario is that he is overwhelmed with questions for which he does not have an answer."

"I have made it clear to every chūnin, jōnin and Anbu that anyone who confronts Naruto over this incident without my authorization will be punished severely," Tsunade said, but her voice conveyed her uncertainty of how effective that order would be.

"That isn't good enough for me," Asuma said, stamping out his cigarette. "Naruto single handedly killed the vast majority of the Daimyō's army. He also nearly got my squad and a lot of other ninja killed. You owe us some answers."

"What do you want me to say that you don't already know, Asuma?!" Tsunade yelled.

"Everything we need to know, which is everything you aren't telling us. For starters, how you were able to trigger it, what exactly happened?" Asuma prodded.

"As I already explained to Hiashi, Naruto was dead before it happened. I don't know how I can stress that point any further. People don't just come back from the dead." This only got a glare out of Asuma.

"That's not all that happened. I don't appreciate you hiding vital information from us." Asuma turned to Kakashi and asked, "Well, Kakashi, he is your student. Don't you want some answers?"

Kakashi was leaning against the wall, twirling a kunai in his hand. "I have a hunch that none of us are going to like it. And my hunches are usually on point."

Guy was also giving Tsunade a look he didn't usually give anyone. "Hokage-sama, if I may, even if I were to open all of the Eight Gates I would not have been able to do a fraction of what Naruto did. That sort of power is dangerous and we must know where it comes from."

Tsuande folded her hands and growled. "This is far above your pay grade. You're better off leaving it at that…"

"If you don't tell us, our only other option is to take Naruto to Torture and Interrogation and let Ibiki-san and Inoichi-san handle him," Kurenai said.

"You won't go anywhere near Naruto-kun," Shizune said, narrowing her eyes at Kurenai.

"Don't let your sentimentality cloud your judgment. He's a danger to everyone and himself with that power," Kurenai snapped at her.

"Whoa, whoa, don't I get a say in all this?" Jiraiya asked.

"With all due respect, Jiraiya-sama, I don't think you're capable of looking at this objectively," Asuma said. "This is not the Kyūbi we are dealing with here, so your knowledge of sealing is also moot."

Tsunade narrowed her eyes on the group as she considered her options. Acquiescing to their demands would be a sign of weakness, one she could not afford to show. But at the same time, Konoha could not afford for her to kill or imprison five of their best jōnin, even if they were all threatening to do the same thing to Naruto.

Tsunade sighed, "Fine, after Naruto awakened that power he knocked me unconscious. But during that time the Kyubi summoned me inside the Eight Trigrams Seal."

Kureni raised an eyebrow, "tailed beasts can do that?"

"That's not the point. It's what the fox told me… it said it would be better to find another container then remain inside Naruto…"

Everyone in the tent immediately showed shock, "Well, this is a first," Jiraiya commented. "I'm aware of a couple of instances where a tailed beast bonded with their jinchūriki, but I've never heard of one willing to be sealed inside another jinchūriki just to escape from its current one."

"That's because it fears him," Tsunade whispered.

Everyone's jaw dropped, "No way, the most powerful tailed beast afraid of Naruto? Normally that would be a good joke but right now it's not funny." Kakashie said.

"Its not afraid of Naruto or at least our Naruto. It seems somehow inside of Naruto there are two persona's...no I wouldn't even call it that it's more like two people sharing a body. One is the Naruto we know, and the other… is the manifestation of all Naruto's pain, hatred and loss, given form by the mixture of the kyuubi chakra and his own." Tsunade explained.

Nobody spoke, nobody moved, "Tsunade-sama are you sure you didn't dream that up? Shizune asked.

"Would I joke about this, Shizune?" Tsinade rasped.

"Naruto needs to be restrained until we can get that power under control." Kurenai said.

Jiraiya had heard enough. He stomped his foot on the ground and sent a strong enough chakra burst to make everyone else except Tsunade fall to their knees. "If any of you so much as touch Naruto… I will kill you," he warned all the other jōnin.

"That's enough, Jiraiya!" Tsunade yelled and sent out her own burst of chakra.

"Are you insane, Jiraiya-sama?" Asuma asked, pushing himself back onto his feet.

"I'm the only one here who's thinking clearly, Sarutobi. You may have killed Kazuma, but don't start to think you have a chance against me. I would have destroyed him without that little Five Pronged Seal trick," Jiraiya said flatly.

"So that gives you leave to do what you want?" Kurenai asked.

"It does when it comes to Naruto. You all sent him off to a prison once. I won't let that happen again."

"Strong words coming from someone who turned down the position of Hokage," Kakashi said.

"Watch it, Hatake. Your Sharingan won't do you any good against me. I'll strike you down before you can lift your headband," Jiraiya told him.

"I said enough!" Tsunade screamed. "No one is restraining Naruto. That will only aggravate him and risk him using that power against us. We need to just keep him under watch at all times. Naruto is still under house arrest, but I am reducing his sentence. He'll be permitted to resume D-rank missions. I'm also assigning Sakura to watch him since she seems to be able to calm him."

"Your apprentice may be busy for a while, I'm afraid," Jiraiya said. "I just received an urgent message from my spy network about a major incident in the Kusagakure region. An underground base close to Tenchi Bridge was destroyed recently and it's believed this base was one of Orochimaru's hideouts. We need to investigate right away."

"Of all the times…" Tsunade mumbled. She rubbed her forehead and groaned in frustration. "Very well. It looks like I'll be reducing Hinata's sentence as well once she wakes up. She can watch Naruto while she's not under curfew." She then turned back to Kakashi and Asuma and said, "Kakashi, you'll be taking Asuma's team with you. Asuma, we can't afford to send you out of the village right now, so I'm giving Neji temporary command of your team for this mission. Have them ready to leave within the hour."

"What do we tell Naruto?" Kalashie asked.

Tsunade looked at Jiraiya silently conveying her thoughts and he nodded. "We tell him nothing. He doesn't remember what happens when he uses that power. So we bury it so that no one ever speaks of it again. Do I make myself clear?"

They all nodded and left.

x-x

Hinata's eyes slowly opened, her whole body ached and she couldn't see anything. She groaned as she sat up on the bed and felt her eyes. There seemed to be bandages around them.

"You're awake," a familiar voice said next to her.

"Sakura-chan?" Hinata asked.

"Yeah. Though after that boulder hit me, I'm not in much better shape than you right now," Sakura told her. "Broken arm and a concussion, but it will get better in no time."

Hinata gasped, "What happened?"

"The village was attacked while you were unconscious. A siege weapon destroyed the hospital and unfortunately I took the bulk of the hit."

"Who was responsible for attacking?"

"The Daimyō. He sent the Land of Fire's military after us over the Hōzuki Castle fiasco," Sakura explained.

"That means… that means they were after Naruto-kun…" Hinata whispered. She couldn't see the small nod Sakura gave her.

"Probably, but there still haven't been any sightings of Danzō since Naruto was sent there. So what could the Daimyō want with Naruto, unless…" Sakura's voice trailed off.

"Unless what?" Hinata asked.

Sakura shook her head, Never mind it's not important.

"Oh well where is Naruto-kun?" Hinata asked.

"He's right next to us. But he is in worse shape. After the bombardment, he used some kind of strange power and then fell unconscious. He hasn't woken up since."

Hinata's eyes widened, "What do You mean he wont wake up?" She asked worriedly.

Sakura sighed. "It's like I said. He used some kind of strange chakra, and he obliterated the entire army the Daimyō sent after us."

Hinata said nothing, what Sakura had just told her was impossible, and didint sound like the Naruto she knew. "This is a bad joke, Sakura-chan. It isn't like you to say such things."

"I only wish it was a joke, Hinata. He used that same power after he saw Mui try to kill you. I think… I think he's using it to-"

"That's enough, Sakura. We don't need to worry Hinata when she just regained consciousness," Kakashi interrupted her as he stepped inside the tent.

"But Hinata-" Sakura tried to protest.

"Hokage-sama has classified this incident as an S-rank secret. Absolutely no discussion of what transpired is permitted without her authorization," Kakashi told her.

"I don't accept that! I need to know what happened to Naruto-kun! I have a right to know!" Hinata yelled at him. This only got her a harsh glare from Kakashi.

"Right now, you're lucky you have any rights at all. You defied orders when you left Konoha without authorization in order to infiltrate an enemy base. Under normal circumstances, abandoning the village carries an automatic death sentence. You should consider yourself fortunate that Hokage-sama let you off easy. Until further notice, you are under house arrest and will not be eligible to take any missions higher than D-rank. And now that you're awake, you've just been assigned the mission of assisting the Anbu with keeping Naruto under supervision."

"Fine. I'll just ask Naruto-kun myself," Hinata said defiantly.

Kakashi sighed and looked at the unconscious boy between the two girls. "Even if Naruto was exempt from that order, he cannot tell you anything, because he cannot remember anything. Asking him would only cause him mental harm. Do you want that?"

Hinata gasped, her prior attitude completely wilting away. It was clear she had not considered any of the potential consequences for defying this order. "But I… I just…"

"To get things back to normal, it's best we all forget any of this ever happened. Naruto especially. What you two should be focusing on is regaining his trust." Kakashi looked at the two girls and sighed again. "The kid really is lucky, though. But he'll be much better off once both he and you stop lying to yourselves," he added, not really directing that statement at either of them before placing a note in Sakura's hand and walking out of the tent.

Hinata tilted her head at Sakura, "What did he mean by that?"

Sakura rubbed her cast with her good hand. "Kakashi-sensei is always so cryptic. I still have trouble understanding him sometimes."

But the nervousness in her voice only made Hinata more curious. "Oh well. At least Naruto-kun is safe for now. That's all that matters," she whispered. Sakura watched as she tried to reach for Naruto's hands and sighed as she got up and moved Naruto's bed next to Hinata.

"Here ya go," Sakura said, placing Naruto's hand in hers after the medic left.

Hinata seemed shocked at the kind gesture from Sakura but smiled and accepted gratefully with a smile.

Sakura watched as Hinata slowly fell asleep with Naruto hand in hers, 'kakashi's right they really are lucky…" she looked at Naruto's free hand. She found her free arm moving towards his but she suddenly stopped when she finally noticed the note Kakashi left her:

'Your next assignment is with Jiraiya-sama. If you feel your injuries are not severe enough to prevent you from joining this mission, report to him at once. He found Orochimaru. DO NOT TELL NARUTO.'

Sakura quickly crushed the note in her hands. 'Sasuke…' unaware she forgot to attach the affectionate honorific she'd always used to address him. She quickly left the tent as quietly as she could.

None of them had noticed a certain Hyūga observing the entire scene from a distance.

x-x

Close to the border between Kusagakure and the Land of Earth, Sasuke hissed as Karin tended to his stab wound from Kabuto under the light from their campfire.

"This is your own damn fault, Sasuke. You should have taken him out instead of playing games with him. Now man up and stop whining," Karin scolded him.

"Have you ever been stabbed by someone who was deliberately trying not to kill you?" Sasuke shot back.

Karin attached the last stitch harsly, making Sasuke howl. "Oh please. The bleeding stopped when you decided to bite me without my permission. I'm just making sure the old-fashioned way that the wound doesn't reopen."

"Are you really mad about that?" Sasuke asked doubtfully.

Karin adjusted her glasses and glared. "'Mad'?! I'm fucking pissed off, is what I am!"

"You know there wasn't any other choice at the time. I had to make a decision, and that decision saved both our lives," Sasuke defended himself.

"Always cold calculations with you." Karin spat plopping down on the opposite side of the fire. "You know what my village did to me. You killed hundreds of them over it. And you went and did the same thing as them."

"Oh, get over yourself, Karin. I already have a plan to restore my clan after I get my revenge, and it doesn't involve you," Sasuke spat.

"So now I'm just a chakra battery to you like I was to them? Is that it?" Karin demanded.

"You know that's not what I meant."

"Then what am I to you, Sasuke?!"

Sasuke opened his mouth to speak, but all that came out was a choked gasp. His hands were grabbing at the spiked chain that had just shot out from Karin's back and wrapped around his neck, trying in vain to break the chain or loosen it enough to get free. "Ka… Karin, wha… what are you…"

Just as suddenly as the chain had emerged, it shattered and vanished into thin air, dropping Sasuke on the ground. Karin worriedly knelt down next to him as he gasped for air.

"Sasuke… I didn't… I don't know how…" Karin frantically tried to apologize as she moved next to him and made the hand seals for the Mystical Palm before holding her palms over Sasuke's throat, looking worried as she scanned for and repaired the damage she'd caused him. She pulled away a couple of minutes later and let out a heavy sigh of relief once his breathing was back to normal.

"That chain… that's the secret art of the Uzumaki Clan," Sasuke rasped out, rubbing his throat which was still a little sore. "It explains why Orochimaru was interested in you."

Karin held her arm, "it's never happened before. I just felt so desperate it just suddenly happened."

'Karin had this power all this time? Could Naruto have it as well? I'll have to be more cautious in the future. Biting Karin like that could cost me my life.' Sasuke's thoughts were diverted when Karin cautiously inspected his neck to make sure there was no lasting damage.

"I didn't mean to hurt you, Sasuke," she whispered apologetically.

"No, it's fine. I shouldn't have bit you without permission. I won't do it again unless we're in another situation where it's the only way to save both our lives," Sasuke assured her.

Karin sighed again and nodded as she sat back down next to him. "You have that look on your face again," she commented.

"What look?" Sasuke scoffed, relaxing and laying his feet out in front of the fire.

"Sheesh. I think I preferred you biting me. Why are you always so against talking about what's really on your mind?" Karin asked.

"Because what's on my mind shouldn't concern you," Sasuke said. "Besides, it's only baggage. You wouldn't be interested anyway."

"Am I just baggage too?"

""Come on, you know I didn't mean that," Sasuke said exasperated. "Some memories are better off being kept locked away…" he added in a subdued tone as he stared into the fire.

"I wonder if Naruto thinks the same thing." Karin said.

Sasuke shrugged. "Whatever memories he locked away are nothing like mine," he muttered, earning a deep frown from Karin.

"That's cold, even for you, Sasuke. How can you say that after knowing Orochimaru helped Danzo imprison him?"

"At least he came out of it still having everything he cares for. He doesn't know the pain of losing everything. He is idealistic at best and naive at worst."

"The world has enough realists like you and me, Sasuke… at least Naruto tries to achieve something greater, something that will make the world better."

Sasuke chuckled at the thought. "No one can keep dreaming like that forever, Karin. One day, he'll understand what it's like. Then we'll see how long he still tries to play the pacifist."

"And I guess you'll be the one to show him reality?" Karin asked.

Sasuke stared at her for a moment before shaking his head. "As long as he leaves me be, I'll extend him the same courtesy. But no, his illusions will shatter on their own. He'll understand that there's some people you can't reason with, some people you can't save. Trying to save everyone… well… that's why he's such a loser."

"Then what makes you so different from him? Because I see a brat who got his ass kicked twice in the same week. Most people would say that makes you a loser," Karin pointed out.

Sasuke sighed. "Naruto, Sakura, Kakashi, the entire shinobi world, is caught up in a current. A current they can neither see nor feel. I simply swim against it…"

The two fell silent for several long minutes. In fact it was nearly an hour before Karin finally had a response, "And where is this struggle going to lead you?"

Sasuke laid down on the grass and muttered, "Somewhere far away from here...I hope…"

Karin felt a tear sting her eye as she makes down too, "If that's what you want Sasuke…"

x-x

Sasuke and Karin weren't alone in fleeing to lick their wounds. Back inside his castle, located inside the core of the moon, Toneri Ōtsutsuki was stewing in anger over his failed attempt to assassinate Danzō Shimura, and hissing in that anger while his attendants mended his wounds.

"Shimura Danzō. Shinobi of Darkness. You're far more trouble than you're worth," Toneri spat as he looked over at his fireplace, contemplating recent events. "I'll have to adjust my plans. The Uchiha can be left to his own devices for now." Sasuke was only a minor inconvenience Toneri could take care of at any time. Danzō, however, was someone Toneri realized he would have to take seriously if he was going to win.

"What news do we have on the jinchūriki?" he asked his puppets.

"The dark chakra inside him has grown exponentially, Toneri-sama," a feminine puppet answered. "However, he is unable to control it."

Toneri allowed himself a smirk. "Just as I predicted. Still, the question remains how he acquired it. Even my sight has failed to divine the origins of his dark chakra."

"The Hokage believes it may have happened when the Kyūbi's chakra started to mix with his own. Considering the origins of Kyūbi and the similarities between the Jūbi and yōkai such as Satori, it's not out of the realm of possibility."

"In any case, you are certain he can't control it?" Toneri asked.

"Well… not completely. When the Daimyō's army besieged Konohagakure, the jinchūriki was able to use that power for a few minutes before falling unconscious from overexertion. In those few minutes, he dismantled that army by himself, annihilating the majority of their forces with a single attack."

Toneri's blood ran cold. The incident his puppet attendant was describing placed the destructive capabilities of Naruto on a similar level to the Tenseigan Energy Vessel, the device that powered everything inside the moon. "This was not something I foresaw," he muttered.

"I believe he also poses a significant threat to Hinata-sama's safety. This belief is also shared by several in the Hyūga Clan, including Hyūga Hiashi. Each time he has used the dark chakra so far, he did not control it; it controlled him. It is a miracle that he did not kill anyone from his village with that attack."

Toneri stood up upon hearing that. "Then it cannot be delayed any longer. I shall approach Hinata myself and rescue her from that evil."

"With all due respect, Toneri-sama, I cannot condone that course of action," the autonomous puppet attendant told him. "Without the Tenseigan, the risk of your death is far too great."

"It is a risk I shall have to take, then. I will not allow the Byakugan Princess to die because of a wicked fool like Uzumaki Naruto," Toneri stated with finality.

"Toneri-sama, there is something else you should know before making such a rash decision," The attendant reasoned with him.

"And what is that?" Toenri asked his patience wearing thin.

"This 'dark chakra' has begun to act with a 'will' of its own. I am not entirely sure what that means but I would again strongly recommend you reconsider."

"Enough. Prepare all of the combat model puppets. I shall end this darkness with the light of justice," Toneri told the puppet.

If the puppet were capable of such, she would have done a double take at her master's orders. "All of them, Toneri-sama?"

"All of them," he confirmed.

x-x

Asuma sighed as he took another shot of vodka. "All by yourself there?" A voice he knew all too well asked.

"I like drinking by myself, you know that." He told kurenai.

"Now if only you could make that a habit with your smoking," She joked. "But you're going to have to kick both of those habits soon."

"Why? It's not like many things around here have really changed…" He said.

Kurenai stared at Asuma as he took another swig of vodka. Her gaze was specifically focused on the scar and metal patch over her husband's left eye. "How's that treating you?"

Asuma chuckled. "You don't need to beat around the bush, Kurenai. Actually, I can see better than ever; the problem is the amount of chakra the damn thing drains while I'm wearing it. I'll have to keep training with my awakened chakra mode to expand my reserves." Asuma sighed. "Still never thought there'd be someone besides my old man and I who would know how to use the Five Pronged Seal Release like that."

"You didn't even want to learn it at first, I recall," Kurenai chided him. "You would be dead right now if you hadn't."

"Yeah, I know. Still, I'm surprised the Sannin haven't caught on and tried tapping into that jutsu's potential."

"Jiraiya-sama at least seems to be somewhat more aware. Either way, that fūinjutsu was misranked when Sandaime created it. It should be labeled as an S-rank kinjutsu. If you hadn't rigorously trained for years to learn how to use that jutsu, your own chakra would have torn you apart. It's not something just anyone can master," Kurenai said. "Sandaime kept this fūinjutsu out of the Scroll of Seals and any other written records for good reason. After Orochimaru caused the death of the Hachibi's former jinchūriki with that jutsu, he decided it was too dangerous to risk anyone else learning."

"Then how did Kazuma learn of that jutsu and reverse engineer it? He killed Chiriku with that jutsu, Kurenai. Something doesn't add up here. Outside the Sannin and us, that jutsu doesn't exist."

Kurenai stroked her chin, deep in thought. "Kazuma didn't have any ties to the Akatsuki or to Danzō, so it is strange. But that's not why you're drinking, is it? You're upset because you had to kill him," she observed as she sat next to him.

"I don't like killing people, Kurenai. It's not in me. It doesn't help that Kazuma was my friend at one point. Despite everything. We laughed, we drank, we talked… Why is it I always get stuck with the icky jobs?" He asked.

"Because you're willing to? Ever consider that?" Kurenai asked.

Asuma shrugged, "Willing isn't exactly the word I would use. "

"But you know it's necessary to protect the future generations. The true king of the Land of Fire." It was Kurenai's turn to sigh. "You don't give yourself enough credit. You're not a god, Asuma. You weren't blessed with a Kekkei Genkai, you're not forced to adjust like Guy was, you're just an ordinary man."

"Hah. Ordinary. Yeah, when compared to my dad, I guess I am."

"Is that what this is really about?"

"You know why he and I had that falling out that drove me to leave Konoha. I didn't agree with his belief in the 'true king' either at first. I couldn't understand it. So I joined the Daimyō's personal bodyguards, where I met Kazuma, Chiriku and the others. And we both know how that ended, with Kazuma killing the others only to cheat death and mock me more using my dad's jutsu. Kazuma grew arrogant in that fight, and that's the only reason my team and I are still alive. He was right when he said I can't protect anything…"

Kurenai giggled, "No. That's not what Kazuma was right about."

"Oh please enlighten me and make me feel better then." Asuma said sarcastically.

Kurenai stood up and wrapped her arms around his neck, "you're too obsessed with playing the hero. You just need to be you. That's who I fell in love with. And besides, you're already a hero to those three. Shikamaru especially."

Asuma smiled, "...Yeah I guess you're right."

x-x

"She's running late," Shikamaru complained, glancing at his watch while he waited outside the hastily repaired village gates with Kakashi, Neji and his teammates. "Are you sure you told her Kakashi-sensei?"

"Yes. And she will just be patient. I gave her a lot to think about. Remember this is a recon mission we are only to engage if absolutely necessary."

"Yes, I imagine you gave her plenty to think about," Neji said hks voice dripping with sarcasm.

Under his mask, Kakashi was frowning at the Hyūga. "Were you spying on us?"

"Eavesdropping would be a more accurate term. I had simply gone to check on Hinata-sama when I overheard you dressing her down inside that tent. Dark chakra, was it? That's a fancy term. I don't recall reading anything about it in either the village archives or the Hyūga library."

"That information is way beyond your pay grade, kid," Jiraiya commented in a dark tone as he dropped down from the top of a section of wall that had escaped the Daimyō's siege weapons. "Even I'm not allowed to discuss it without Tsunade's permission."

"Well then. I can assume there is a deeper connection between the events at Hōzuki Castle and the siege from the Daimyō's army?" Nejj asked.

"Whoa whoa. Calm down, Neji," Chōji said, throwing up his arms.

"I am as calm as I am going to get. Naruto saved me from my own darkness. I refuse to stand idly by and let him be consumed by his."

"Then you can start working towards that goal by forgetting that the term even exists," Jiraiya ordered the Hyūga Branch House prodigy. "For both your sake and Naruto's."

"Hinata was with Naruto for every incident so far. Is she involved?" Ino asked the question on everyone's mind. Kakashi and Jiraiya exchanged nervous glances at each other.

"We don't know… all we know is every time Naruto uses that power, someone dies," Kakashi said.

"It's been only enemies so far, but those have just been a stroke of good luck. Whatever that power is, it does not distinguish between foe and ally." Jirayia continued, sending the others into a short, tense silence.

They all fell silent upon hearing that. Neji looked up at the darkening clouds and frowned. "This region has already experienced significantly higher rainfall than normal this year…"

"I thought you didn't believe in omens." Shikamaru said.

"Not an omen… just this strange feeling… can't you feel the negativity in the atmosphere?" Neji asked

"Now that you mention it… There was a storm system the day they took Naruto to that prison," Shikamaru pointed out, and shook his head a moment later. "it's probably a coinci-"

"Boom" a crack of thunder interrupted Shikamaru's train of thought loud and strong enough it made the whole party have to adjust their balance.

"There are no coincidences, Shikamaru. Only the illusion of coincidence," Neji said as the rain started to fall.

Just then a figure in a raincoat splashed through the mud, "Sorry to keep you waiting" Sakura breathed heavily.

Ino gasped at Sakura's injuries. "Sakura-chan, are you sure you want to come along with your arm broken like that?"

Sakura nodded, "if it involves sasuke, i have to go!" She declared.

x-x

A/N: Okay, so first off, to address one reviewer: the fanon-only plot that is the Clan Restoration Act is one hundred percent out of the question. Having multiple wives is illegal, and taking concubines would be likely to cause some very serious issues if you're not in a high enough position in the social hierarchy - and that's assuming concubinage hasn't also been outlawed in the present day in the Narutoverse. And neither my editor nor I are willing to write NaruHarem stories anyway, even if we do occasionally toy with threesome routes. And we would only ever consider that with Sakura under very special circumstances and even then, it's mostly because I hate Sasuke with a burning passion and wouldn't want Karin or anyone else to end up with him either if I could avoid it.

Speaking of Karin, she's very likely going to be OOC insofar as her attraction to Sasuke is concerned. Both Sakura and Karin's obsessions with Sasuke before they grew up are just disgusting and the highest priority for Karin's character development here will be to make her grow out of that obsession faster.