Title: Konoha Garden
Chapters: 5? (hope to make it short…but looks like it's not happening)
Rated: NC-17/R
Pairing: SasuNaru, and others
Summary: AU, Yaoi, Naruto is 18, so everyone else is aged correspondingly.
Naruto lives in a brothel run by his aunt, Tsunade. He is talked into cross-dressing as a girl to serve a group of royal nobles one night, and all goes horribly wrong when his identity is found out by none other than Sasuke.
Disclaimer: Don't own Naruto, just want to write out my SasuNaru fantasy and some smut.
A/N: Thanks to Kooriyokai and Kayokochan for their excellent beta'ing. Thanks for the nice comments from everyone.

Sasuke entered the front gate of the Uchiha mansion with Kakashi following close behind. They passed the front lawn, designed in a conventional Japanese style to reflect the history and tradition of the family crest. This particular route of stepping stones embedded in the earth led them to the entrance of the house, where a leveled porch was located around the perimeter of the house. Sasuke strode down the porch, arounded corner to his room and slipped off his sandals before retiring to his room without a word. Kakashi which holding his book, followed his master until the bedroom door was slammed in his face. He frowned, feeling sorry for the door.

'Boy, he's not happy,' Kakashi smirked behind his mask, and tucked his book back into the pocket on his vest, 'well, time to go dig up some dirt on a certain blond.'

Uchiha Sasuke was definitely not happy. He had originally wanted to buy out Naruto, and bring him home, and if all went well, the blond would be sitting here, next to him in his room. But no, the iron willed manager and aunt had to make it hard, hence why the blond that should've been sitting next to him in his room, was not. Sasuke slammed his fists onto the table and cursed under his breath. He really had not seen what that woman had up her sleeves all this time. But who could have? Nobody could have guessed that she would hold such a powerful card, powerful enough to outplay him. She wasn't just any old manager of a brothel. She was tricky indeed.

But he managed to scrape whatever he could for what it was worth. Pushing aside the fact that the whole situation was fabricated on purpose to deceive him, he had managed to win back what little bit was left. So now Naruto was to serve him exclusively whenever he visited Konoha Garden. It was somehow a relief to know that he would be the only one to lay hands on him; he trusted Tsunade to keep it that way.

Sasuke pushed himself up from the table and undressed slowly. He hanged his clothes on the stand beside his bed, and slid under the covers, shifting into a comfortable position with the blanket pulled over his head. Darkness permeated every angle of his vision, and he sighed, closing his eyes. Snuggling deeper into his soft futon, he let his mind wandered through images of a certain blond. Just on the brink of sleep, a thought occurred to him.

'What happened last night anyway?'

Shikamaru strolled down the empty street slowly, dragging his feet as he walked. Asuma had arrived to collect him not long after he was woken up by Ino, and he had grumbled in protest, but it couldn't be helped—the Emperor had requested his presence immediately. He had never actually met the Emperor in person, the closest he ever got was to be in the same room, but separated by semi-transparent blinds. Same goes for everyone else he knew; no one has ever seen the Emperor in person. Personally Shikamaru thought he was a bit of a snob, but he held nothing against the man since he was never bothered. But apparently an emergency had come up, and god knows why he was needed.

Shikamaru continued to brood as the sun shone brighter.

On one side of the street, a ramen stand was open early, and there was already a customer well into his bowl of ramen . Shikamaru's stomach growled a little, since he hadn't gotten any breakfast, and he decided to make a small detour.

Asuma paused as his charge started making his way towards a ramen stand. He was about to call out and insist that they meet the Emperor first, but drooped his shoulders when Shikamaru turned and raised left brow and narrowed his eyes. 'Discussion over.'

'Was there ever a discussion?' Asuma wondered bemusedly as he followed the young man. He figured it would be alright to stop for food, because even though the matter was urgent, it would take a few good hours for the Emperor to get ready.

The place was called Iruka Ramen, and a man with dark brown hair and a big scar across the bridge of his nose was busy preparing food behind the counter. When they lifted the flap and entered, the man raised his head to reveal chocolate brown eyes, and a very sweet smile. Asuma automatically smiled back and blinked in surprise at his own friendliness.

The stand was big enough to serve 5 customers, with the table extending from the chef's counter. Sitting to the left was a blond boy, efficiently and speedily devouring his bowl of noodles.

"Welcome! Please take a seat," the sweet man gestured to the remaining stools, "What would you like?"

Shikamaru plopped himself next to Naruto while Asuma followed to sit on his master's right. Naruto paused from his slurping and glanced at the boy who just sat beside him. His eyes widened in recognition, and Naruto stopped breathing, like a prey trying to hide his presence.

'OH SHIT.'

"One chicken ramen, and…" Asuma paused, and turned to his master, only to see a irritated look on his master's face, which he guessed, came from being woken up too early, "One miso ramen, please."

"Right away, Sir." Iruka smiled, and began cooking. Naruto who was still trying to dissipate into thin air was torn between running away from a potentially disastrous encounter, and finishing his beloved ramen. It was a difficult decision, and he struggled arduously within.

Oblivious to the blond's efforts, Shikamaru continued to brood. Seeing his master in such a grumpy mood, Asuma decided to make some light conversation and hopefully cheer him up.

"Did you have a good time last night, Shikamaru-sama?"

The boy in question looked up with a raised eyebrow. "When did you start calling me Shikamaru-sama?"

Asuma smirked, "Since you started getting angry."

"Che, whatever."

Asuma's grin grew wider and he nudged his master with his elbow. "Man, I envy you, Kuranei will castrate me, and then hang me in public if I went anywhere near a brothel. So was she hot? Good in bed?" Asuma asked while lighting up a cigarette.

"Her name's Ino. She's not bad, maybe I'll buy her," Shikamaru caught Asuma's knowing smile and added quickly, "not as a wife, as a maid."

Naruto's head perked up in interest when Shikamaru mentioned buying a girl. He wondered which girl got to serve him last night, and listened on with interest, forgetting all his previous escape plans.

Asuma looked confused, "Why a maid?" then a thought occurred to him, "Oh, you like cosplay? But man, at least give her some credit and marry her. Don't you think making her a maid a bit too harsh?" He asked chuckling, but his voice held a serious undertone.

The spiky haired teen sighed in resignation, 'Why does everyone just assume I'm after something perverted.' But before he could explain his dilemma, a loud and angry voice broke through the peaceful morning.

"Teme! Working girls are humans too! They have feelings too! If you don't love her, then don't buy her! That's the policy of Konoha Garden! We won't let you buy Ino unless you can prove you love her! Do you love her? No! You just want a good fuck, any time, any where-"

"Calm down, Naruto!" Iruka said with firmness, while glancing nervously at the young noble.

Shikamaru frowned, and turned around in his chair to face the boy who had shouted at him. Blond hair, blue eyes, 'Where have I seen him before?' he wondered briefly, but did not bother to question further when he saw a flash of orange on the boy's fingernails. 'Blond hair, blue eyes, orange fingernails, and gets heated over the topic of working girls…' But there still wasn't enough evidence to prove Shikamaru's theory. Then an idea occurred. Shikamaru turned his head and yelled, "Sasuke!"

Naruto's eyes went from red with anger, to as wide as saucers, and he whipped around, frantically trying to see where the Uchiha was coming from. Realising that it was only a trick, he turned back to Shikamaru and scowled, ready to start his verbal attack. Well, that was all the evidence Shikamaru needed. 'Interesting, he's a guy.'

"First of all, making a prostitute my first wife is not an easy task. So if I take her in as a maid, she can work there until I can take her as a concubine. That way, we can avoid all the controversy, and scandal that will wash over the royal ranks of Konoha society. Secondly, high society is cruel, they do not tolerate a duck turning into a swan overnight, they will shun her, and humiliate her. I just want to protect her from that."

Naruto stared at Shikamaru with a bewildered look. He had no idea that such a lazy looking guy would have given the issue so much thought. And he felt a little guilty for jumping to accusations before really giving the guy a chance to explain himself.

Noticing the awkward situation, Asuma snubbed his cigarette, and cleared his throat, "Is our food ready yet?" he asked Iruka, who was still staring at Naruto.

"Ah, yes. Here you are, please enjoy." Iruka hastily placed the two bowls of ramen in front of Asuma and Shikamaru.

Shikamaru caught the look of guilt on Naruto's face and smiled inwardly. "Come on, sit down, I'll buy you a bowl of ramen. And you can tell me more about Ino."

Naruto sat down slowly, a suspicious look on his face. The notion of free ramen seemed like a wonderful idea. "You're serious about Ino?"

"You're so bothersome, stop asking and just tell me." Shikamaru said nonchalantly.

"Then one miso ramen, please Iruka-nii." Naruto called out cheerfully. He didn't know much about this lazy looking guy, but he's ready to stay and find out for the sake of Ino, and of course, for free ramen.

"Ano sa, ano sa, I like ramen, Ino likes pretty boys flowers, and making herself beautiful. She's really good at flower arrangement, and kind of good at giving massages. You should try out her massages one day, of course I'm better at it since I taught her…" The blond continued to ramble on while Shikamaru ate his ramen slowly. All was at peace again, but everyone failed to notice the shadow that lurked on the roof of the building facing the stand.

Kakashi shifted into a more comfortable position, and his eyes glinted in amusement. His glance shifted back to the man behind the counter. His sweet smile sent butterflies into his stomach, causing Kakashi's breathe to hitch, and his heart to melt.

'I think I might like ramen too.'

"So tell me why a Hyuuga is working in a whore house, Hiashi-san?" Neji inquired, more curious than angry.

The normally dignified man currently had his face twisted into an uneasy look. It was clear to Neji that his uncle was hiding something from him, and as the head of the Hyuuga clan, he felt that it was his right know why a member of the family was working at such a wicked place.

Hiashi let out a silent breathe, and gave up his resistance. It was useless to keep any secrets from Neji, especially one so big. He closed his eyes, and began retelling the tragic story, buried in the clan's history.

"The girl you saw, may be the daughter I disowned 10 years ago." He opened his eyes to see his nephew the heir looking back at him expectantly, waiting for him to continue. So he did.

"It was ten years ago, during the great war between our country and the Lightning country. Lightning was the second largest island that lies to the west of Konoha. During that period, their forces grew, and they began taking over smaller islands, and expanding their territory. The Emperor was reluctant to do anything since our relations with the country was still good. But it got to a point where they were powerful enough to rival us, and they did just that. They came and invaded our land, leaving a path of destruction as they moved. The Hyuuga clan at that time was the first line of defense, and we defended our country well. But one night, a cunning soldier breached the family's secured estate and kidnapped my oldest daughter, Hinata. She was 8 years old then, but because of her incompetence, she allowed herself to be abducted. Your father, as the head of the clan, insisted that he should be the one to save her, and urged me to take the children of the family and flee to the capital to prevent repeated occurrences. And as you know, your father died protecting this country, and saving my daughter. I wished to have nothing to do with the murderer of the clan's head, and disowned her. I never knew she would appear now, and in a brothel of all places. Her fate is her punishment."

Neji sat in silence as he digested the history lesson on his family. His father had died protecting his country, as that was his duty. But as the head of the family, he also had the duty of protecting the clan, and no matter how Neji looked at it, what his father did was right, and he did it on his own will.

"Your daughter is not to blame. Had I been the head of the family at that time, I would have done the same thing. Your daughter has suffered much for a crime she did not commit." Neji paused, letting his words sink in. The man was stubborn and traditional. As a branch family member, he took his job seriously in protecting the head family—perhaps just a little too seriously in this case.

"No, if she was stronger like her sister, Hanabi, she would not have allowed herself to be abducted. That is why I have made sure to train Hanabi so stringently, lest that situation repeats itself."

'Stubborn man', Neji decided. But he was not ready to let a member of the family work as a prostitute.

"I shall see about reinstating her status," Neji stated with a tone that tolerated no resistance. He paused, remembering the other matter that interested him, "And what can you tell me about a painting of two intertwined dragons, one red and one green?"

Hiashi looked at his nephew in surprise. The question had totally caught him off guard and he was at a loss for words.

Seeing his uncle's expression and shocked silence, Neji could almost feel another big secret waiting to be unearth, and his heart raced a little faster in anticipation.

"The painting is quite common, why ask, Neji?" Having recovered, Hiashi was now more interested than startled.

"The place I visited last night had a painting of such dragons. What do they represent?" Neji took care in the words he used, as he did not want to draw further attention to the fact that he visited a brothel last night.

However, Hiashi did not seem concerned with where Neji saw the dragons, instead his eyes were deep in thought and a slight frown was present on his face. "It is the old agreement between the Sand and Konoha. Ten years ago during the Great War with Lightning, Konoha was on the verge of losing the battle; that is until Sand tipped the balance in our favour and we won. But in return, our crown prince would be betrothed to their princess."

Now it was Neji's turn to frown, "But we don't have a crown prince."

"That is correct, the Emperor has not produced an heir to the throne as yet. The engagement has not been honoured, and the Princess of Sand is now already 19 years of age. The paintings of the entwined dragons were painted to symbolise the pact."

"I see." Neji murmured, finally realizing the significance of the painting.

There was soft knock on the door, Genma spoke through it when Neji answered.

"Master, Lord Kiba, and his manservant are in the guest room. They wish to see you regarding some important business."

"Invite him in here." Neji replied, not too sure why his cousin was visiting him, but he had an inkling that it had something do with Hinata.

Insistent banging on Sakura's door finally woke her up, and she groggily stumbled out of bed and opened the door to find a disgustingly cheery Naruto.

"Hi Sakura chan! I brought you hot water! Are you ok? You look a little hung over, should I go get Tsunade-baba's concoction for you? It always seems to work-"

"STOP," Sakura cut him off at mid sentence, whilst clutching her head, "Your voice is echoing in my head, owwww, yes, I'd like some of that hang over cure please."

"Ok sure! I'll be right back!" Naruto dropped his bucket of hot water on the ground hastily and dashed off to the kitchen. Sakura turned and sagged into the door, slowly sliding down to sit on the floor. She tried to think back to what happened the night before, and all she could remember was an incredibly drunk bowl haired guy with scary eyebrows, who would not go down not matter how much sake he took, and in the end she had ended up in a drinking contest with him.

Thundering footsteps could be heard, and Sakura identified it to be Naruto's. He held a cup carefully in one hand as he ran as fast as he could up the stairs, towards Sakura's room. Upon arriving, he spotted Sakura on the ground in a daze, and yelped in worry.

"Argh! Sakura chan! Hang in there! Drink this!" Naruto clumsily held onto her chin and forced the drink down her throat. The sudden wave of liquid sent her spluttering, but the boy was determined to make her drink every drop, and held her mouth closed as she had no choice but to choke it down.

Suddenly, everything came into sharp focus in her mind, and there were no longer any ringing noises. Sakura blinked and looked up at Naruto, who was peering at her worriedly. Now that everything was back to normal, the gears in her mind began clicking, as last night's memories flooded back.

"Sakura-chan?"

"Naruto-kun! Where's Sasuke-sama? What did you end up doing last night?" Seeing the panicked look on the blond's face, Sakura pressed further anxiously, "What happened?"

"Well, errrr…" Cold sweat began to form around Naruto's forehead, "He talked, I talked-"

"Talked! About what?"

"Just stuff…" Naruto was slow, but Sakura's blatant display of 'concern' for the Uchiha was not hard to miss, and he knew that he was treading on thin ice, "but you know, he didn't really like talking, so he just drank heaps and went to sleep," he finished all this in one breath, and hoped that by some miracle, the usually intelligent pink haired girl would fall for it. And she did, a normal person would have questioned the validity of the claim, but because it was Naruto, the point that he made of someone preferring to drink than chat to him, made perfect sense.

"Oh…." A little disappointed that her handsome prince had already left, her sudden interest in the blond dispersed, and she got up from the floor, to sit at her dressing table, ready to start cleaning up before the customers arrived. But when her hand moved to pick up her brush, she found a piece of folded paper instead.

Feeling a little neglected, and not wanting to draw more questions regarding his activities with the raven haired noble last night, Naruto opted to return to his original task. He grabbed the bucket of water, and heaved it inside. Then the previous day's water was emptied down the drains, and he poured in the new steamy water. Peeking around the screen divider, he saw Sakura reading a note, and decided to make his escape before she bombarded him with more questions.

Sakura smiled a bit as she read the letter left on her dressing table by the boy she served last night, Rock Lee.

Dear Sakura-san,

It is my deepest regret to leave you slumbering in bed so early in the morning. It causes me great pain to see you in such a state because of my drinking. But as a man in the wave of youth, I have need to train my body to protect the ones I love.
And you are very much the one I love.
Sakura-san, I will speak to my father about releasing you from your job, maybe even to become my wife if it pleases you. I shall visit soon.

Love,

Rock Lee XXOOXXXxxXXxxXXXXXxxx

It was almost cute, but the mental image that came with it, plus the amount of X's he had bestowed caused her to cringe a little.
Having gotten her distraction out of the way, Sakura turned back to ask Naruto more questions, only to find she was alone in her room. Shrugging, she decided to interrogate him after her bath. Pulling off her crumpled kimono, she made her way to the wooden tub, and submerged her body in the steaming water, letting her muscles to relax.

'So Sasuke-sama and Naruto only talked, huh? Well, that's not too bad-' Sakura sat up in the tub abruptly, splashing some water on the rugs around it. A sudden thought had occurred to her, and her eyes narrowed, 'I thought Naruto wasn't supposed to talk.'

Kotetsu, and Izumo walked into Konoha Garden purposefully. Dressed as debt collectors, they demanded to know the whereabouts of a certain person named Jiraiya. A frightened girl pointed nervously to the innermost booth where loud snoring could be heard. They both strode towards the booth with dangerous expressions on their faces, daring anyone to interfere, and no one did. Once at the booth and confronted with a naked pervert, they hastily threw on his clothes, and Kotetsu roughly slung him over his shoulder, while Izumo gathered whatever belongings that was left, and they both strode out as quickly as they had come. Everyone returned to their activities after the loan shark's departure, as it was a regular occurrence to have Jiraiya being carried out by either debt collectors, or dangerous looking men. All they knew was, the man always managed to wander back and pay off his bill.

Once outside, the two men ducked into an alleyway where a plain looking carriage waited, and loaded the white haired man into it. Jiraiya rubbed his eyes slowly and extended his arms out to stretch, whilst the two men before him dropped down on their knees.

"Your presence is needed urgently at the palace, Emperor Jiraiya." Izumo whispered.

TBC

Comments?

Glossary: (I might miss some things, if people feel that I need to add it into the glossary, please tell me. And if I get it wrong, please correct me)

sama : addressing a master
-san: polite way of addressing someone else
-chan: a close and informal way of addressing someone
teme: bastard!
Ano sa: you know
-baba: rude way of saying grandma