There's going to be a harem, there's no stopping that train, lol. The harem won't be mind bogglingly huge like in canon though, it's just a few choice women ( I feel like having that many women wouldn't fit either Naruto or Sasuke's character to begin with, and it dilutes the quality of the story since I'd have to spend back-breaking amounts of time trying to give all the ladies decent characterization). Sasuke won't have a harem at all, as a matter of fact, it's just one girl (you all know who it is, if you read the last version). Onto the story!

Chapter 4: Tamed

-Shady District-

Tamamo-No-Mae was a lady of… exquisite tastes in men. She had moved across the lands and had many names given to her (her current one meaning "jeweled maiden", a nickname she had thought up herself, thinking it was rather fitting in her vanity). She was smart, beautiful, and unmatched in terms of appeal, as many of her past partners could attest to.

Well, not "many" of them, per say. Most of them weren't in any condition to talk, or even breathe. Their life energy was delicious, though. You see, the type of man she liked were the well-to-do ones, whether that be financially, or spiritually with their life energy.

Which is why she was currently starstruck at this hunk who had just appeared in her sights. Her luck had run out, and she was exposed by one of those rotten onmyouji punks before she could finish her latest "meal". She was currently hiding out in Kyoto, posing as a prostitute (which really wasn't much different from what she had done the last few centuries) in a shady part of the place, trying to gain favor.

Which was why she was so surprised that someone with such an abundant amount of life energy would come here. Normally, only sleezy old men looking to get off and depraved people in power came here. This was her chance, she'd seduce this man, suck him dry, and get back to doing what she loved doing. She licked her lips, ready to pounce on the blonde man before her.

"You're mine."

-With Naruto-

"Are you sure this is the place, Kurama?" Naruto found himself having second thoughts about this request from granny sunshine (his nickname for Amaterasu) and, increasingly, his own agenda, since they seemed to be the same thing now. This place he was in reminded him WAY too much of the brothels Jiraiya dragged him around to when they were training, with scantily clad women on every corner.

"This place is melting pot for every type of negative emotion, but it's also the place where that chakra signature was. Use Sage mode, you'll feel it yourself." Naruto sighed, he knew there was no point in doing that. Kurama was right, he had followed that foxlike chakra signature all the way here. He just… didn't think it would be like this.

His sulking was interrupted by a raven-haired woman coming up to him wearing a very revealing dress that opened up around her shoulders.

"My, aren't you handsome? Looking to have a good time?" She spoke in a sultry tone befitting the place they were in. Naruto's eyes showed indifference to her seduction tactics.

"Not really", he replied. "I'm just here to look for… a friend." He came up with a lie quickly.

"Oh, I can be your friend too. That service actually cost less", the woman replied. Naruto gave her a half-smile. She obviously didn't take the hint, or she just didn't care. Suddenly, another woman popped up… and another, and another, until Naruto found himself surrounded by a crowd of women all pining for his attention.

"Let me have a go at him!"

"No, me!"

"I call dibs!"

Naruto, bewildered by this sudden onslaught of females, couldn't get in a word edgewise. It was like the time after the 4th war where random women from across the nations would just show up and give him gifts, adoration, and praise. He didn't understand any of it back then, but now, he was firmly aware of what that was. It was such a simple thing, he thought, but he couldn't see it for one reason or another.

Lust.

Lust, in his experience, never led to achieving one's goals. Not just sexually, like the women who were currently surrounding him, but all around. The lust for power, for fame, for money and status. The lust for revenge, he thought, reminding himself of Sasuke. Nothing ever came of it.

"Alright, ladies, I've let you have your fun!" A voice rang out across the area, stunning all of the women surrounding Naruto and catching his attention. All of the females parted, forming a line on either side of Naruto, essentially rolling out the red carpet for this newcomer. A woman with blonde hair and a frankly unfairly curvaceous figure swayed up to Naruto, placing a hand on his cheek.

"Oi, Naruto, she's our target. She's full of negative emotions." Kurama alerted Naruto, speaking over their mental link.

"I know", he replied. This woman was the spitting image of the visual Granny Sunshine had conjured up, and, with a quick check in sage mode, also the source of the chakra signature he set out to investigate. Naruto looked around, noticing how silent and obedient the previously crowded women were being, almost as if they were being controlled. The woman began speaking to him.

"You can call me Tamamo-No-Mae, and you'll also have the pleasure of being my escort tonight. Come along." She grabbed his hand, looking at him with alluring eyes. Naruto felt a vague force pulling on his mind, body, and soul when he looked into her eyes. From the feel of it, she was trying to control him as well.

Too bad he was anything but normal. If there was anything anyone could observe about him, it was his iron will (except for when it came to ramen). Still, it'd probably be easier to play the part of an obedient slave and take advantage of the time she let's her guard down.

"When did you turn into such a schemer, Naruto? I must say, I'm pretty proud."

"I'm not a schemer, I'm just not a little kid anymore."

"Not according to that stunt you pulled on the way here. You're still able to be that cheeky 12-year-old brat with big dreams and an even bigger heart." Naruto got the distinct impression Kurama was making fun of him.

"I can be a grown-up too. I'm multi-faceted, for your information", he shot back at the irritating fox, which received a hearty laugh in his mindscape in response.

"Whatever kid. Just make it quick, the others are going to wake up soon, and this is the last thing I want them to see." Kurama wanted no part of his siblings teasing him about a "potential date" or even a "family and kids" like they had done anytime Naruto so much as even looked in the direction of a foxlike creature over the years. This one was noticeably good-looking to boot, which only exacerbated the problem. They were masses of chakra, they couldn't even have kids, damnit!

"Yeah, yeah. Just take a nap or something, furry, I've got this handled."

"Don't have to tell me twice." Kurama promptly rested his head on his paws and yawned, going to sleep in record time. Naruto came back to the real-world, his conversation having only taken a few seconds in real-time. He sported a lulled look in his eyes to feign obedience and replied to the fox-woman holding his hands.

"Of course." With that, he let her lead him to where she normally did her business.

-With Sasuke-

"…This is pointless." Sasuke was second-guessing why he went along with this in the first place. Ophis didn't even have chakra, and whatever the energy she had was called, she was obviously not used to managing it in the capacity she had to for walking on water. All she could manage to do was float back up every time she sunk.

"… Pointless." Ophis echoed Sasuke's thoughts, clearly fed up with trying to learn this particular shinobi technique. "Teach me how to make clones", she demanded.

Sasuke looked at her with his set of differently colored eyes. Making shadow clones was even more difficult than trying to walk on water, and she hadn't even accomplished that. He needed to find a way to get her to apply her power in a way she was familiar with. He closed his eyes, thinking about how he could explain making clones in a way someone without chakra would understand.

He slowly opened his eyes, having come to a conclusion. He made the hand-sign for shadow clones, and one popped into existence.

"A clone is a clone, but it's not as simple as a full-scale replica. When you make a clone like I just did, certain attributes are shared like stamina, energy source, abilities, and even your mannerisms. You can control a clone mentally or let them do what they want, as they do have a mind of their own." Sasuke had Ophis' undivided attention as he explained the mechanics behind making clones.

"Clones, however, can't take a hit. They all go in one hit, and only have as much energy as is given to them. Upon their 'death', any knowledge they gained is transferred back to you." Sasuke thought about how to summarize it.

"Essentially, you're splitting yourself." Ophis looked at him, contemplating everything he had said.

"I… do not know if I can make true clones", she admitted with a slightly sad tone. Sasuke looked at this display, reminded of a child sulking after being told they couldn't have what they want. He closed his eyes, and…

"Clones are merely a vessel for one's power. If you can store your power in something and shape it, you can make clones.

Ophis held her blank stare at Sasuke, thinking about this new explanation. Storing her power was second nature to her, as she has given it out to a select few beings over the centuries. She could also shape whatever objects she made.

She smiled, sure of her abilities now. Things were looking up.

-With Naruto-

Naruto discretely looked around at the place he had been brought to. It looked like some type of shrine, with abstract symbols on the walls that he did not recognize and masks with visages that would frighten most people. He wasn't "most people" though. His benefactor turned around and let go of his hand, looking deeply into his eyes once more.

Tamamo-No-Mae was positively delighted with herself. She had snagged a man who was rather well-endowed spiritually. In fact, she couldn't sense an end to his spiritual vitality. Initially, she was just going to take a quick "bite" and drain him of his essence, but she soon realized that she wouldn't have been able to do so even if she tried. It felt like it'd take years to drain him!

On top of that, the quality of his energy was outstanding. She had been siphoning bits of it on the way to the shrine she had decided to come to, and it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that she was already hooked on it. She licked her lips as she looked at him, scanning his body up and down.

"Doesn't look bad either," she thought to herself. There was no denying it now.

She was horny, and she wanted to find out if the guy was as well-endowed physically as he was spiritually. She had had her fill of sleazy court officials and low stamina ugly bastards; now was the time she'd reward herself. She reached for his pants to undo his zipper, intent on getting her brains fucked out and then keeping the guy around for the foreseeable future as an energy battery and a sexual slave.

Her hand, however, was promptly caught. Startled, she looked up to him and discovered that he was practically glaring at her. She felt his aura begin to spike and the grasp on her wrist become even more vice-like, essentially fixing her in the place she stood.

"W-What!?" She managed to get out, becoming wide-eyed at the ever-increasing power this man held. The volume was ridiculous! She couldn't even fully comprehend just how much he had.

Then, it hit her. The distinct feeling of a fox. Just what was he!?

"That's enough", Naruto said, his glare not letting up. "I've been contracted to detain you, and I think it's time I did just that." He looked her straight in the eyes, her composure unraveling quickly.

"Bastard!", she roared, trying desperately to break from his grasp, "Who put you up to this? The emperor or his court officials!?" She was beside herself, having been careless enough to get caught. She should've known those filthy humans would've hired another fox spirit to track her down. Naruto let go of her wrist, and she fell forward, landing on her face. He put a hand up to his chin and started thinking.

"I don't think you'd call Granny Sunshine an 'emperor'. She's more like a mom, if anything." Naruto couldn't help his goofiness.

"Granny… Sunshine? What the hell is he talking about? Ugh, whatever!" Tamamo-No-Mae got up and made a run for it. She didn't consider herself a fighter, as even the human priests and onmyouji could kill her with basic weapons if she were to be struck. Her magic was supplementary at best, and downright useless at worst in a fight. When she got to the entrance of the shrine, she was met by Naruto. Skidding to a stop and wondering how he had gotten ahead of her, she turned around and ran a different direction, taking on her true form (that of a fox) for extra speed.

This shrine she was in had multiple ways out, in case she ever got cornered here. She ran to the first secret exit, a tunnel dug underneath one of the floorboards. Once she got to it, she transformed back into a human and used her opposable thumbs to open the entrance to the tunnel up.

Only to be met by Naruto's face sticking his tongue out at her.

Horrified, she ran to the second exit, and the third, and so on, only to have this process repeated every time. When she ran out of options, she simply stopped running. If this were a flock of pitiful humans, she could outsmart them at every turn, but she was the one being outsmarted in this situation. Not knowing what else to do, she simply plopped down right where she started, accepting her fate. Naruto walked up to her, a blank expression on his face.

"Done?" It was a simple question, but it carried so much weight when he spoke it.

"Do what you will. I can not defeat you." She wasn't stupid enough to try and fight him, especially when it felt like he had enough power to destroy the planet. "But, answer one last question. How are you able to be everywhere at once? How are you so fast, and how did you know where I was going, every time?"

"Are you a god?", was the question she wanted to ask, but she let it hang. She didn't know how right she was.

"Well, I'm not all that fast", Naruto said with a big grin. She felt a tick-mark forming on her forehead. This man was treating her last stand as some sort of joke! Naruto continued.

"This place is just surrounded by my clones." Clones? The only people that knew how to make clones were senjutsu practitioners, and they were rare. Certainly not easy enough to find that a human court-system can just conveniently buy one out. As if trying to clear up her confusion, the house became flooded with tens of copies of Naruto, all bearing the same shit-eating grin the original had. Her shock became evident on her face.

"You see? I can be in a lot of different places at once without having to even move a muscle. Although…" Naruto flashed into his six paths sage mode for a brief second, getting behind Tamamo-No-Mae in a flash.

"I lied just then about not being fast. You couldn't have outrun me either way." He powered down back into his normal state, satisfied with his demonstration of power.

To say she was humbled would be an understatement. Understanding just how outclassed she was, just how much hope she didn't have against this man, it was almost… cathartic. No, she would not lose her life to a mundane everyman's weapon or some convoluted trap. She'd die because she had the misfortune of trying to seduce a god (she was sure he was divine at this point).

She almost felt like laughing. Fate had thrown her into such a comically lopsided situation. Maybe this was one of the gods coming down to punish her for her transgressions against humankind? Maybe it was just the universe's way of telling her that she screwed up, she didn't know. Either way, she had accepted that she would cease to be on this day.

"Make it quick", she said with her head downtrodden. Naruto got rid of his clones and started walking towards her.

"I said I had to do my job, so I will." She could see his feet getting closer to her, no doubt to strike the decisive blow. Despite her earlier acceptance, she could still feel her heart beating wildly. She was… afraid. Scornful. Full of regret. She wanted to look up and plead with him to spare her life, but her pride wouldn't let her do anything more than wait for the inevitable. She closed her eyes, hoping it would numb the pain.

Naruto got to her, holding his hands up.

"Banbutso Sozo no Jutsu."

Her vision went black, and she felt something being tied around her sternum and waist. Whatever this was, it was uncomfortable, but not "death" uncomfortable. She felt her body suddenly capsize, and she could tell that she was being carried.

"…" Tamamo-No-Mae was at a loss for words. She wanted to open her mouth to speak, but didn't even know what to say. Settling on just the basic questions, she mustered up her courage and began to speak.

"Weren't you going to, um, kill me?"

"Who said anything about killing you?" Naruto asked. "I said my job was to detain you, and that's what I'm doing."

"Weren't you hired by the emperor!?"

"I already told you, I don't think Granny Sunshine is an imp-a-were or whatever it's called. All I'm doing is taking you to her." Tamamo-No-Mae 's forehead was bulging with veins.

She wasn't getting anywhere with this all-powerful idiot. She decided that she'd just bitch at him until they got where they were going. She had nothing to lose, since he's apparently not out to kill her, which means whoever his boss was wasn't out to kill her.

"Who the hell is Granny Sunshine!?'