Bijuu Online

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Summary: Sasuke, a lonely alpha finds solace in the latest virtual reality game. There he meets a character called Narushiki. As his feelings developed for the NPC, his heart yearned to meet the virtual character he fell in love with and lamented the impossibility of it. But is Narushiki really just an NPC? SasuNaru Omegaverse Enigma!Naruto

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This thought came to me while reading FastForward's Rammy says: ilu 8D No matter your flaws :heart: while marathoning ragnarok OST and Viva la dirt league on youtube and feeling a bit of nostalgia for Sword Art Online, maybe a sprinkling of some World of Warcraft and other games, too. I wanted more online based romance but couldn't find more. This will be a mishmash tale of various inspirations. But hopefully, you'll still be able to enjoy this one.

Warning: May contain Mpreg later on.

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"Well done Itachi. Your mom and I are very proud. It won't be long until we'll branch out our operations abroad. As expected of—" Sasuke tuned the rest of the conversation out. It's the same monotonous drivel as always. His father would gush over his brother's achievements. The clan have always been result-driven; an old family that thrived on meritocracy; on maintaining its social order in a society ruled by alphas.

Naturally, as a family who sat atop the hierarchical chain, the Uchiha valued results above all else. And his brother, Itachi epitomizes that very ideal. Results just seem to come naturally to his brother. And even when Itachi was a mere beta, his charisma, intellect and even presence rivals that of even the most elite of alphas.

Sasuke sighed. While his brother loved him dearly, the more that Itachi achieves, the more distance appeared between them, a chasm that not even their brotherly bond was able to overcome; because now that Itachi have been handling the family's main operations in Konoha, he became less and less available to Sasuke.

The young alpha missed the days when he was the center of his brother's world, back when they would play in the woods without a care. But now that their family's business grew rapidly in the city, it appeared that their family have become more and more isolated, more apart than ever. His mother who was one of his closest have begun traveling to Europe, to oversee and seek out potential business deals there.

Meanwhile, his father was lovestruck with Itachi, ignoring Sasuke when he was the alpha in the family. Groaning in frustration, he logged onto his Veam account, his only means of escape these days, and found a game being highlighted.

He smiled to himself. This could be interesting. In front of his screen lies the game's title in bold.

"Bijuu Online: Burning Cosmos". He whispered to himself. The title wasn't anything special. But the details beneath it caught his eyes. "Now 50% off, with full virtual suit compatibility. Live an alternate life, the way you wanted. Engage all senses. Experience Ninja Arts Online in a completely different way. Subscription comes with a random demon partner. Upgrade to gold subscription and have the option to import stats from your character in Ninja Arts Online! Upgrade to diamond and start as a Kage class and lead your own village. Limited offer only!"

Sasuke grinned to himself. He already played Ninja Arts Online before and was getting bored with it. Besides, his controller broke a week ago and hasn't logged in ever since. So he was happy to see that his favorite game now has support for the virtual suit. He didn't even look at the price. His centurion black card virtually has no limit anyway. And his brother's paying for it so why not?

He pressed "Subscribe" and while the game was downloading, he opened his game cabinet and dug out his set of virtual suit. It's a simple all-body black spandex suit with gloves and boots accessory.

Once the Veam application confirmed that his suit has now synced up with the app, he wore his gloves and controlled the computer that way. It wasn't long until the game finished downloading. Excitement roaring once again in his veins, he finally donned his gaming helmet and placed the visor down. In an instant, the game launches in front of him.

And they weren't lying with how they advertised the game. Literally every part of his senses was instantly sucked into the game. The suit gave haptic feedbacks to every inch of his skin, sending waves of vibration throughout the suit when it first booted up. As he raised his hands, a menu appeared along with a prompt.

"Confirm subscription to diamond tier?"

After choosing Yes, the familiar Haruka Kanata music immediately washed over him filling him with waves of nostalgia at NAO's old title BGM. He could feel each audio vibrate in his chest, in his ear; every pore of his skin twitching in response to the game coming to life. In an instant, his room disappeared. Itachi and Fugaku's voice from the distant vanished. And Sasuke's eyes opened to the lush greenery of Konohagakure, his starting village from his previous game in Ninja Arts Online.

"Welcome, Hokage-sama." He turned to his left, feeling the familiar voice of Karin, the assistant NPC that once guided him in his old game. "This is your first day in the office. Would you like to review tutorial for the game?"

Sasuke rolled his eyes. If this played exactly like NAO, he's not going to sit through a boring tutorial stage. He's just eager to see what's new with Bijuu Online that they had to sell it as a separate game. That and he's anxious to feel what it's like to finally experience this world with the virtual suit.

"No."

"Confirmed. Launching stage 1 event. Sir, a meteor has crash landed to the southwest of the village. Caution is advised. A team of ANBU have assembled and awaits your command." Sasuke grinned, heart racing with excitement. This game feels different. He actually gets to lead his own squad. It tickled his inner alpha for some reasons. Veins thrumming with anticipation, he donned his Hokage robes and headed out the door.

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"Snow cat reporting. Sir, we have secured the crash site." The ANBU with a cat mask bowed to him. His dark eyes scanned the site, just beyond the forest of death and studied the surroundings. "There doesn't seem to be any threat, but our team discovered a pod on the wreckage."

Sasuke cautiously approached the wreckage and confirmed that indeed right in the center of the crash site, a hexagonal pod, roughly the size of your average coffin can be seen. It's color, a crimson steel that glowed menacingly, setting the forest around it alight, bathing the blackened ground in its otherworldly glow.

As a precaution, Sasuke summoned his demon partner, feeling a strange presence within the pod.

"Aoda.."

"Yes, Taka-sama?"

"Activate Skill: Area Guardian."

"Order Accepted." Sasuke waited for his partner to expand, before the snake's scales surrounded the crash site. Once he deemed that it's safe enough, he approached the pod and found that on its surface lies seals that he haven't seen before. No doubt a new feature of the game. Curious, he touched the surface of the pod and like electricity, a spark caused a chain reaction that lit up the various seals, as if his very life force itself is feeding the life force.

He took a step back and the pod opened, slowly. His ANBU squad quickly took positions around the mysterious object, alarmed at the sudden reaction.

"I'm… fine.." Sasuke heaved. But inside, he was excited. The devs really pushed the game this time. If this is event 1, he's already excited to see what's in store. He knew his subscription won't be wasted for sure. He approached the pod once more and his breathing hitched. In it laid one of the most beautiful creature he ever saw.

The figure appeared to be a normal human, dressed in simple white kimono. His golden hair reached to his waist, and his skin was abnormally white…too white for a normal human. Sasuke noted the horn-like projection on the figure's forehead. But that wasn't what captured his attention. On the figure's back, in all their glory were nine golden tail, as vibrant as his hair.

Without thinking, Sasuke reached out to caress those soft fluffy appendages, smiling to himself when the figure seemed to draw closer to his touch in his sleep. Something within Sasuke's heart was awakening, a slight ember that warmed his cold heart. And he didn't find the sensation unpleasant.

As he moved to caress the whisker-like marks on the figure's face, a sudden jerk and a clawed hand grabbed his wrist. And he was instantly drawn to meet golden eyes. He was briefly mesmerized by the intensity of them, before a soft, husky voice drew his attention.

"Who are you, mortal?"

At the movement, the ANBU around him drew their weapons. But Sasuke held up a hand, stopping them.

"Taka. Leader of this village. And you?"

"Narushiki. Would you be so kind as to listen to my tale, leader-sama?" A prompt quickly appeared before Sasuke and he was annoyed. This game definitely needs to keep these prompts to a minimum if they want a more immersive experience.

[How would you like to proceed? Attack the creature (+5000xp, +10,000 chakra points, 100% legendary set drop, unlocks a quest route). Listen to the creature (no reward, unlocks a quest route).]

Sasuke rolled his eyes. He can't really attack without knowing what the creature's capable of. Plus he knew from previous experience that Ninshu Studio is fond of these types of events where delaying your reward unlocks more of the game. Plus, he simply can't deny Narushiki when the man was looking at him with hope in his eyes.

So there can only be one choice in his mind.

"I'll listen to your tale, Narushiki. But perhaps you'd be a lot more comfortable in my office? I promise I won't do anything to you."

The man's golden eyes glowed with happiness that it filled Sasuke's heart with warmth. This is ridiculous how can an A.I make him feel this way?

"Really? I'd like that, leader-sama."

"Please, call me Taka. No need to be so formal."

Without warning, he proceeded to lift the creature up from the pod eliciting a yelp of surprise from Narushiki.

"H-hey! What are you doing?" Sasuke smirked and glanced at the surprised creature's face. Is that a blush he sees? This game is definitely getting more interesting.

-o-o-o-

Sasuke sat on his office, a blushing Narushiki in front of him.

"You didn't have to do that, Taka. I am perfectly capable of moving myself."

"Of course. But I want to." Sasuke smiled wider, seeing Narushiki's blush darkened. "Now will you share your tale with me?"

"Right." And as Narushiki began, Sasuke was reminded yet again that the person in front of him is an NPC, an artificial intelligence coded to advance this in-game event. In an instant, Narushiki became more serious, his blush disappeared as he composed himself.

"I came from a distant planet besieged by the chaos gods. We, the Otsutsuki species have always maintained balance in the universe, as stewards of the cycle of growth and destruction; as harvesters and cultivators of life. But a force beyond the veil of creation seeks to undo the order of this very cosmos. Earth will no doubt be caught in the cross-hairs of the dark ones. I have been sent by the council to shepherd this world and oversee its growth. Long ago, this world have been seeded with a god tree, one that will be instrumental in the defense against the chaos gods. However, its knowledge have been lost even within the council. Will you help me locate the god tree and protect it from the forces of chaos?"

[Hint: Siding with the Otsutsuki will break all alliances with the other villages. Proceed? Yes or No?]

A prompt in front of him suddenly appeared. But despite the ominous warning, he felt drawn to Narushiki, as if he knew the man from long ago. And even if it will make the game harder for him, something in his gut genuinely believes that siding with this beautiful creature will be the right choice.

He was briefly tempted to look up a walkthrough online. But he wanted to experience the game without breaking immersion, without spoiling its story and relying on a walkthrough that somebody else already played and outlined for him. So he stubbornly resisted the urge.

Besides, with such a beautiful creature by his side, he didn't mind too much if he brings ruin to this character. As long as he can experience this world by this creature's side, he doesn't care what challenges he'll face.

Sasuke blinked.

Where had that thought come from?

Has he really been this lonely that he's seeking companionship from a pre-programmed character in this manner? He shook his head. He's just passing the time, he reasoned to himself. This is just a distraction from his loneliness. It's not a big deal right?

He selected yes before another prompt appeared.

[This choice is irreversible and will lock you out of other factions' quest chain and expansions. Proceed anyway? Yes or No?]

Sasuke pressed Yes again.

[Burning Cosmos DLC unlocked! Welcome, Taka. Welcome to Bijuu Online.]

As the prompt dialog disappeared, Narushiki smiled widely at him.

"You will not regret this decision, Taka. Worry not, I will be with you all the way. Now our first priority is to locate the various tailed beasts across the land. Some are imprisoned by rival ninja villages, some locked away in remote areas accessible only as we have more tailed beasts. For now, the one tailed beast is the most accessible target. I will contact you when I have more information."

As Narushiki motioned to stand up, Sasuke narrowed his eyes. He can't let this creature walk away now. Something within him was telling him that he wants Narushiki close by… always. He grabbed the creature's wrist and pulled the other male to him.

"Narushiki… uhhh… don't go yet…" Sasuke began and Narushiki tilted his head to the side in confusion.

"Is there something else you need Taka?"

"You don't have to go right away… Would you… would you like to have dinner with me?" Sasuke didn't know what possessed him to ask him that but somehow, it just felt right. Even more so when Narushiki smiled widely at him.

"I wouldn't refuse good food, Taka."

Sasuke had to clutch his chest at that smile. His heart was on fire for some reason. And when Narushiki tightened his hold on his hand, his chest tightened as well. He was about to reply back when the world around him turned black. And he groaned in dismay. What happened?

He felt someone removed his headset and he was face to face with his enraged brother.

"Sasuke, I've been calling for you since 7:00 pm! Now come down for dinner."

Sasuke's face turned red with anger. There goes his progress for the day.

"Couldn't you have waited Itachi?"

"It's 9:00 pm little brother and mother insists that you join us for dinner. She will not take no for an answer this time."

Sasuke inwardly groaned.

"Fine. I'll be there in five minutes. Just give me time to change." Sasuke sighed as his brother wordlessly left his room. And if he had been paying attention to his visor, he would have seen the message, flashing in its black mirror-like screen.

[Romance route, unlocked.]

-o-o-o-

Elsewhere…

A blond haired man groaned as the character in front of him vanished. He really had fun this time. And while being a game master had its merits, it can get frustrating when the fun ends abruptly. He glared at the huge "desynchronized" message on his screen.

Still, he can't help but feel Taka's hands still burning into his skin when the man lifted him from the pod. The developers really outdid themselves this time. And he's happy with their progress so far. At this rate, Ninshu studios will become one of their greatest asset.

He smiled to himself. He definitely didn't regret pushing through with the deal now. And while Ninshu is a small studio, it outdid itself. Bijuu Online is now in 90% of PC worldwide. And as a shareholder of the game, he was given special privileges within the game.

He had been bored that day and when the system alerted him that one of their most loyal customer from Ninja Arts Online has subscribed to Bijuu Online, he can't help but want to experience the game with this gamer.

For he too was intrigued how this one player can spend almost 8-12 hours in a game per day. Taka spent almost close to a million in in-game items and fees alone, which is a very rare occurrence. In fact, Taka is the only user to be so obsessed with the game and he figured that spending time with him will give him clues as to why the man played NAO so much.

Maybe the insights can help him direct Bijuu Online's future development. In learning more about its users and what drives them to spend more time and money with the game.

"Naruto-sama…"

A gentle voice snapped him from his reverie.

"What is it, Iruka?"

"The board members have assembled at the conference room."

"I'll be right there." Naruto said, already slipping into his sleek navy suit as he adjusted his orange tie. But as he went on to attend the meeting, only one thing kept playing in his mind, one person, one pair of lonely ebony eyes kept popping up.

"Taka… huh?" He smiled to himself. He fished out his smartphone, ignoring the financial reports droning in the background. He logged into the admin settings for Bijuu Online and unlocked the romance mode for their top customer.

[User data, autosaved…]

He didn't know why or what possessed him to do it. But he's sure there's connection there. And he'll be damned if he ignores that pull he felt from the man behind Taka.

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A/N: More will be explained in later chapters. I know this is an unusual story, but I hope you'll still stick around for it. And Sasuke and Naruto will eventually meet up in the real world for sure. But it will be a while to build up their relationship in game. So I hope you'll give this one a chance. Anyway, feel free to tell me what you like or don't like about it. And if you have any suggestions, comments or thoughts, feel free to tell me. Until next time. :)