Written for Day 6 of Naruto Sci-fi Week using the prompt "Cloning 101." Alternate title: "Two Men and a Clone."
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When Naruto had gone to Otogakure, leaving Sasuke in charge, Sasuke had thought nothing of it.
The day before, they had received a message addressed to the Seventh Hokage. According to the message, Orochimaru had very important news. Despite his suspicions, Naruto had gone and left Sasuke in charge, to the dismay of most of Konoha.
In spite of their animosity, Sasuke had gotten to work. By sunset, he had dismissed Shikamaru and the other assistants and he was prepared to do the rest of the work alone. With Naruto away, he didn't have much to do at their home anyway.
Sasuke was putting the finishing touches on a letter to the Raikage when someone burst in through the window. The wind blew throughout the room, spreading all the documents haphazardly.
Sasuke glanced up from his work to glare at the interruption. To his surprise, instead of an annoying messenger, Naruto stood in front of him, eyes wide open in panic. Sasuke blinked at the sight of his husband. He left just this morning... It normally takes two or three days to get to Otogakure.
"Sasuke!" Naruto yelled.
"Naruto? What happened?" Sasuke asked, a small frown forming between his brows as he examined Naruto. Naruto was standing in front of him, long Hokage cloak covering most of his body. He was holding something in his arms, but whatever he held, it was hidden by the cloak.
"Orochimaru is crazy, Sasuke!" Naruto yelled.
Sasuke rolled his eyes. "I think we both know that already, idiot. What did he do this time?"
Naruto bit his lip- a clear indicator that he didn't have the words to voice his thoughts. With a sigh, he pushed the cloak back and put down what he was holding down on the floor.
Sasuke's eyes widened at the reveal. In front of him was a little girl. She had long blonde hair held in twin pigtails at the back of her head. She looked like Naruto, with the same wide and round face. However, instead of Naruto's sky blue, her eyes were black and her cheeks were free of any markings.
Upon being placed on the floor, she looked up at Sasuke in trepidation. Sasuke had no idea how to respond. What in the world? What did Orochimaru do this time?
The girl tried to glare at Sasuke, but her face was green and she swayed side to side. Naruto steadied her by the shoulder. She made one last-ditch attempt before her body gave up. She bent forward, vomiting on top of Naruto's new office rug.
"Argh!' Naruto screamed, taking a step back but still keeping his hands on top of her shoulders.
"Naruto..." Sasuke began, trying to sound as demanding as possible. "Explain."
However, instead of answering to Sasuke, Naruto bent forward to whisper something into the girl's ear. The girl nodded and without hesitation, Naruto picked her up and placed her on the sofa.
"Hand me a cup of water," Naruto said as he wiped her mouth with a tissue.
The girl sat silently, letting Naruto wipe her face, still looking nauseous. Sasuke frowned impatiently but did as asked, fetching a glass of water from the nearby jar. He passed it over to Naruto, who put it to the girl's lips to drink.
"Did you run to and from Otogakure in one day?" Sasuke asked. "Or did you stop somewhere on the way?"
"I ran the distance," Naruto answered, not tearing his attention away from the girl. "Orochimaru just gave her to me and said to figure it out. I ran back to Konoha as fast as I could."
"What do you mean Orochimaru gave her to you?"
Naruto sighed. He handed the glass to the girl, who took it and began to gulp down eagerly. Naruto turned his full attention toward Sasuke.
"Orochimaru made a clone of me," Naruto said.
"A clone?" The girl had Naruto's face, but she looked more like a daughter than a clone.
Naruto nodded. "Well, he said he changed some things around. I didn't really get it and by the time he finished explaining everything, I was panicking. So I just said goodbye, picked her up, and left, running back to Konoha as fast as I could."
"You ran back to Konoha?" Sasuke asked, raising an eyebrow. The girl looked up at the conversation.
"Yeah?"
"While carrying her?"
Naruto nodded.
"As fast as you could?"
"Yeah, what's the big deal?"
Sasuke pinched the bridge of his nose. He couldn't believe how dumb his husband could be.
"The big deal is that it's no wonder the girl vomited when you put her down!" he yelled. "Running that fast made her nauseous! Be happy she didn't faint."
Naruto flinched in mortification before staring at the girl in alarm.
"No! I'm sorry!" he apologized profusely to the girl. "I didn't mean to make you sick! I'm sorry! I forgot!"
The girl smiled wanly at Naruto as she took another sip of water but said nothing. Sasuke resisted the urge to roll his eyes. She's not loud enough to be Naruto's clone.
"Is she really a clone, Naruto?" he asked.
"Yeah," Naruto said with a sigh as he leaned back on the sofa. Next to him, the girl took another sip of water. "And even if she wasn't, it's not like I could leave her there with Orochimaru."
"What do you mean?"
Naruto glanced at the girl, who seemed content with the water in her hands. He smiled before turning his gaze back to Sasuke.
"Orochimaru basically threatened to get rid of her if I didn't take her," Naruto confessed. "Not in exact words though, ya know."
Sasuke sighed to himself. He knew exactly what kind of words Orochimaru might have said. The bastard would kill a child without a second thought.
"What do you want to do with her?" Sasuke asked with a frown.
"I don't know," Naruto confessed. "I know we..." he glanced up at Sasuke nervously. "We... aren't exactly... ready for kids, but I was hoping... that... ya know..."
Naruto avoided Sasuke's eyes guiltily. Naruto had been asking about having children someday, but Sasuke was uncertain. He knew he would not be a good father and he wasn't sure if he would ever be.
"I'll go get Sakura," Sasuke said instead of answering his rambling. "Make sure the girl doesn't throw up again."
With that statement, Sasuke left the Hokage's office at a brisk walk, wanting more than anything to get away.
He knew Sakura was somewhere in the hospital doing the final rounds before the night shift. As he searched for her, he walked past nurses who ran away. He ignored them with the ease of long practice.
He found Sakura quickly. She was checking something on a clipboard as she talked to one of the nurses, a small frown on her forehead. Despite the frown, she appeared calm and collected.
"Sakura," Sasuke said as he neared her side. Sakura turned to look at him with a smile while the nurse blanched and left.
"Sasuke-kun!" Sakura said. "What are you doing here? I thought you were doing Naruto's work back at the Hokage's office?"
"I was," Sasuke said. "But Naruto is back in Konoha. There's something you need to see."
"Already back?" Sakura asked as she raised an eyebrow up. "But he left his morning!"
Sasuke nodded. "He did. But there were some... urgent matters that required him to return early."
"Urgent?"
"You'll see. Come."
Sasuke turned around and began to make his way back to the Hokage's office, walking quickly. Sakura followed at his side. He expected her to ask him questions, but her face was only furrowed in worry. Within a few minutes, they arrived at Naruto's office. Sasuke blinked when he stepped foot inside.
Naruto had the little girl on his lap. She was curled up against his chest, head nodding in exhaustion. Naruto was muttering something in her ear, a grin on his face as he wrapped his arms protectively around her. Something in Sasuke's stomach fluttered at the sight.
"Naruto," Sasuke said.
Naruto turned to look at Sakura and Sasuke by the doorway. He grinned at the sight of them while the girl opened her eyes, alert once more. From the corner of his eye, Sasuke could see that the soiled carpet was no longer there, presumably destroyed by Naruto or one of his shadow clones.
"Naruto!" Sakura said. "Who is the girl?"
"She's my... uh... clone, I guess?" Naruto said. "Orochimaru made her for me, ya know."
"Made her?!" Sakura's voice was full of incredulity.
Naruto nodded. "He did some genetic engineering sh-stuff to make her using my DNA or something. He said the girl is supposed to be there for when I die or whatever."
"For when you die?"
Naruto sighed, a look of pain passing across his face. "I'm not gonna be around forever, ya know. He said the girl could take my place eventually."
"Well, what are you going to do with her?" Sakura asked, crossing her arms in front of her chest.
"I don't know," Naruto admitted, wrapping his arms more tightly around the girl.
Sasuke took a step closer. The girl looked up at him, her gaze shifting from Naruto to Sakura to Sasuke, and back again. Her dark eyes were panicked and her eyebrows were furrowed in worry.
"What's going to happen to me?" she asked, speaking for the first time, her voice soft. "Orochimaru-sensei said you were going to be my father."
Naruto twitched uncomfortably. "Well, ya see," he began. "I don't know... if... I mean... I... Sasuke..."
"We aren't ready to be parents," Sasuke said, coldly but firmly.
The girl flinched at the words and looked down at the floor. Naruto threw him a dirty look, but Sasuke only stared impassively back. It's better for her to learn the truth than to get her hopes up.
"I see," the girl said. For a second, Sasuke worried that she had started crying, but her eyes remained dry and she only stared at the floor.
"But we're not just gonna throw you out onto the street, ya know!" Naruto said with a fake grin. "We're gonna make sure that you go live with someone nice, isn't that right, Sasuke? Sakura?"
Sasuke grunted in assent.
"Of course!" Sakura nodded enthusiastically, kneeling in front of the girl. "We're gonna make sure that you live somewhere where they will take care of you, right?"
"Right!" Naruto said.
"Oh," the girl whispered, keeping her eyes focused on the floor.
Sakura grimaced. "Well, just so you know, my name is Sakura! I'm a doctor at the Konoha hospital. What's your name?"
"My name?" the girl blinked up at Sakura. "I don't have a name."
"No name?" Sakura asked, glaring at Naruto, who shifted guiltily. "How come you don't have a name yet?"
"I mean... Orochimaru said I could give her whatever name I wanted!" Naruto tried to defend himself. "I just haven't had time to think of a good name, ya know!"
With that justification, he rubbed his chin thoughtfully. The girl stared up at him, waiting to be named with wide-open eyes.
"Naruko!" he said after a few seconds with a grin as he met her eyes. "Since you're my clone, but a girl, you can be Naruko! Do you like that name?"
The girl opened her mouth to speak before Sasuke interrupted.
"Naruko?" Sasuke complained. "That's one of the most unoriginal names I've ever heard. Give her something creative."
Naruto huffed and hugged the girl closer to his chest. "Well, if it's so unoriginal, why don't you come up with a name?"
Sasuke paused to consider. Naruto and Sakura waited for him to speak expectantly. "Sasu-ko?" he finally muttered.
Naruto rolled his eyes before turning his gaze back to the girl on his lap. "Well, do you like the name Naruko?" he asked. "We can think of something else if you don't like it."
To Sasuke's surprise, the girl nodded eagerly. She looked up at Naruto in awe. From Sasuke's side, he heard a small sigh from Sakura. At least I'm not the only one who thinks it's an unoriginal name.
"I can look around for someone to take her in, Naruto," Sakura said. "It's getting late right now, though. You should take her home for the night until we can find someone we trust to adopt her."
Naruto nodded, face serious. "Yeah, Naruko can sleep in the extra bedroom." Naruko's eyes widened and she pressed herself closer to Naruto. "We can make a plan tomorrow. For now, I'm exhausted."
Sakura and Sasuke nodded. With their agreement, Naruto stood up, shifting Naruko in his arms to carry her more comfortably. She wrapped her arms around Naruto's neck.
"Well, let's go," Naruto said. "I'm ready to lie down and sleep, ya know."
Without another word, Naruto jumped out of the window and began to make his way home. Sasuke turned to follow him when Sakura pulled him back by the arm.
"The girl looks a lot like Naruto," Sakura commented as she watched Naruto leaping away.
"I know," Sasuke said, resisting the urge to roll his eyes. "She's supposed to be a clone of him."
"But, there's something different about her," she continued, scratching her chin thoughtfully.
"What do you mean?"
"She has your eyes, Sasuke-kun."
A shiver ran down Sasuke's spine. He wouldn't put it past Orochimaru to implant the Sharingan onto someone else. Worried, Sasuke followed behind Naruto, waving goodbye to Sakura before following his husband. Unlike earlier, Naruto traveled slowly, keeping Naruko enclosed safely in his arms.
They arrived home in only a few minutes. Sasuke unlocked the door, holding it open for Naruto and Naruko to enter. Sasuke looked at the child in Naruto's arms. Sometime during the journey, she had fallen asleep, no doubt exhausted by the events of the day.
"I'll take her to the extra bedroom," Naruto whispered.
Sasuke nodded. Without another word, Naruto left Sasuke standing at the entrance. Sasuke sighed, walked in, and sat down on the sofa. What the hell was Orochimaru thinking with making a clone of Naruto? And did he get more Sharingan somewhere?
He covered his eyes with his forearm. The girl was strange. She had Naruto's face and hair, but her eyes... they were so different. She was quiet too, unlike Naruto. He wondered how much of her truly was his husband.
"She's sleeping," Naruto said, sitting down next to Sasuke and leaning on his shoulder.
"Hn," Sasuke grunted, enveloping Naruto in a hug. They fell silent, although Sasuke could tell that Naruto was bursting to talk. He waited. Predictably, Naruto broke the silence only a few seconds later.
"Can we keep her?" Naruto asked. What is she, a dog?
"Do you even know how to take care of children, Naruto?" Sasuke asked.
"Well... no... not really, but..." Naruto stuttered, leaning closer. Sasuke obliged, pulling his husband into his remaining arm.
"You don't have enough free time," Sasuke continued. "Our home is not prepared for children. Both of us have missions outside of the village often. The girl is not going to be easy to take care of."
"Her name is Naruko."
Sasuke sighed. "I still think that the name is unoriginal."
Naruto chuckled. "She liked it though," he said. "I think Orochimaru said too much stuff about me being her 'father' because she keeps talking to me like that."
"She can be with a better family than us," Sasuke said. "I'm sure we can find someone to take her in. You can even visit her if you want."
"I guess," Naruto agreed with a defeated sigh. "Still, I was..." He fell silent.
"I was?" Sasuke prodded.
"I was always hoping to have my own kids, ya know?" Naruto said wistfully. "Karin and I are the last Uzumaki that I know about. I always wondered if I would ever have kids to pass on the name."
Sasuke looked into Naruto's eyes. He saw the desire for a family: a continuation of the Uzumaki clan. Karin had refused to have children. If she and Naruto were to die, it would be the end of their bloodline.
"I'll take care of her while you figure out who can take her in, Naruto," Sasuke said, leaning closer to Naruto's face. "I... I know it means a lot to you."
Immediately, Naruto's face lit up at the concession. "You mean it? What if you change your mind and you decide you want her to stay with us?"
Sasuke snorted. "That's not going to happen."
"If you say," Naruto said, placing a small kiss on Sasuke's neck. "Anyway, let's go to bed. I'm exhausted."
Sasuke nodded.
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A/N: Sasuke doesn't want to be a dad. Also, Naruko is a GREAT name. It's cute. This fic is currently around 75% written.
The next chapter is probably gonna be out next Sunday.