Vixen
Author's Note: Thanks for the reviews. I'm sorry that this chapter is a bit late, but I got caught up with some of my other stories. Anyway, I hope you all enjoy this update.
Naruko talking to Kyuubi in bold.
Kyuubi talking to Naruko in bold italics.
Chapter Notation: Orochimaru and Kabuto are evil geniuses when it comes to medicine and Jutsus. So while it may not be entirely realistic, I think that the cloning is possible. If they can bring people back from the dead, why couldn't they figure out Cloning? (Oh and I'm not just talking about Shadow Clones.)
Chapter 9
A few weeks later, Naruko and Sasuke were back in the Leaf. Both of them were rather happy to be home and were currently being almost smothered by their respective families. At this rate, Sasuke couldn't help but wonder if he was actually going to live long enough to be married.
His mother might be a housewife now, but she had been a Jonin. The deceptively sweet looking woman was a lot stronger than she looked. Her bear hugs were nothing to be taken lightly.
"We're so glad that you're back!" Mikoto tells her son joyously.
Sasuke finds himself smile, despite the fact that he could barely breathe. He did love his family and the raven haired ninja had missed them horribly. Unfortunately, he was also beginning to miss oxygen. A lot.
"Mikoto! I think that you're hugging Sasuke too tight!" Naruko calls out.
"Oh. I'm so sorry, sweetheart." The other female ninja says as she releases him and blushes.
Sasuke shoots his future wife a grateful look. She might actually have saved his life. Well he knew that was an exaggeration, of course. Still that had been one tight embrace.
"It's alright." He assures her and Fugaku chuckles.
"As you can see, you both greatly missed. Kushina, try not to squeeze Naruko to death." The Uchiha Patriarch states as the red head swiftly embraces her daughter.
Naruko eeps! Now she definitely understood what Sasuke was going through. Mother Huggles of Doom were not something to be messed with. Nope. Damn. Her own mother was really strong.
"I missed you so much, baby! I hope you had a good time on your mission!" Kushina says.
"Yeah. It was great. We got Lord Ayaki there safe and sound." The blonde assures her.
Minato nods approvingly. He shoots Fugaku a sly smile when no one else was looking. Their plan had obviously worked well. At the very least, Sasuke and Naruko hadn't killed each other. That had to be a good sign.
"Well I didn't have any doubts that you and my foolish little brother would manage to complete your mission successfully." Itachi states smugly.
Sasuke twitches. His brother could be really annoying sometimes. Honestly, he adored Itachi. He admired him, but sometimes he could be such a jerk!
"I'm not foolish." The younger Uchiha grumbles.
"Yes. Yes, you are. It's nice of Naruko to overlook that fact though and I wish the two of you, only the happiest marriage." His brother retorts as he pokes Sasuke's forehead.
"I seriously don't get the forehead poking thing." Naruko whispers to her father.
Minato shrugs. He didn't get it either. He could only assume that it was an Uchiha thing. Sometimes it was better just to go with it.
"Neither do I, but I'm sure they find some of our family traditions just as strange." The Hokage whispers back.
Naruko thinks about it for a minute and then nods her head in agreement. Yeah. That sounded about right. She supposed it didn't really matter though.
Sasuke was a strong ninja. He was a great kisser. He took himself far too seriously sometimes and he was definitely a pervert, but overall it she could live with that.
"Yeah. I guess we all have our quirks." She concedes.
Oh and he was really smart too and willing to protect her when she got attacked! That was important as well. Ninjas lived dangerous lives. So it was vital to have someone who was willing to watch your back like that. It was a good match.
"Come inside. We'll warm up the big meal we prepared for your return." Mikoto says kindly.
"Big meal?! Oh boy! Is there ramen?" Naruko asks excitedly.
"Of course. Minato has told me that you are quite fond of ramen." Mikoto says and she blinks as Naruko races into the house.
She glances at Sasuke uncertainly. Her son merely shrugs in response. Oh. This was apparently normal behavior for Naruko, the Uchiha Matriarch decides upon seeing her youngest son's reaction.
"We had better hurry. Naruko adores her ramen. If you want any of it, you have to act fast." The Hokage says with a chuckle as he follows his daughter.
"Family dinners just got a whole lot more interesting." Itachi muses.
Sasuke rolls his eyes good-naturedly at that. His brother really had no idea what they were getting into. He had spent over a month with Naruko on the road. The raven haired ninja was now well acquainted with his future wife's quirks and habits. The rest of his family wasn't though.
Now that he thought about it, this was going to be rather amusing. Sasuke smirks. Maybe, he could have some fun setting Itachi up and have Naruko tear into him. It would serve his brother right really.
Meanwhile back in the Sound, Orochimaru checks on Kabuto's progress. He was most eager to how the Clone was coming along. He smirks when he enters the lab and saw the tank had an adult man inside it.
"I see that you managed to speed up the aging process quite nicely. Are you able to stop the rapid aging? The Clone will do me little good, if it dies in a year or two." The Sannin inquires.
"Yes, I'm able to control the aging process. We can think of it as an emergency off switch in the worst case scenario." The silver haired medic explains.
"Excellent. Is the Clone conscious? Does it possess any hint of self-awareness or awareness of its environment?" The older ninja demands.
Kabuto shakes his head. No. It was just a body. He had done extensive testing to determine the answer to that question. This "Sasuke" was barley more than an elaborate coat. He had no feelings.
He was only alive in the most basic sense. The Clone was basically brain dead at the moment, but the body was alive. This would make for the perfect test subject or vessel.
"No. There is no brain activity, except the bare minimum necessary for the Clone's body to continue to preserve itself. It has no sense of self-awareness. It has no soul. It's merely a husk." The medic informs him.
Orochimaru nods approvingly. Good. Freewill was such an annoyance when it came to acquiring vessels. There would be no trickery necessary this time or deals.
"Wonderful. Are you able to make more Clones?" Orochimaru asks.
"I should be able to. Now I have a live sample size. It will take awhile of course. I wanted to ensure that this Cloning was a success, before making more. Do you wish for me to proceed with more?" He asks.
"Proceed with more. The more that we have the better. More vessels and potentially an army of Clones with the Sharingan. That should make it an easy matter to take over the Leaf." Orochimaru replies.
Kabuto nods in understanding. It wouldn't be long now. Soon everyone would recognize Orochimaru's greatness. The medic had full confidence that the man would achieve his dream. Immortality.
It was the stuff of legends. No one truly thought that they would live forever. Well no one, except for the Legendary Sannin. Other people just lacked his vision.
"I'll begin immediately." The medic assures him and his mentor nods approvingly.
"Excellent. I shall leave you to it." The Sannin says and with that, he departs.
Kabuto was the wisest investment that he had ever made. The man was ridiculously talented when it came to Medical Jutsus and gathering intelligence. He was an also quite skilled at spying. The best thing about the medic though was his loyalty.
There were few people that Orochimaru trusted completely. Kabuto was one of him. That was why when he unlocked the secrets of immortality, he would likely share them with the other man.
"It's all falling into place." He muses.
Soon enough the Leaf would realize their mistake. Oh he could certainly understand why they would cast him out. They simply didn't understand.
No great scientific discovery came without a price. To them, what he had done was horrific. Not to Orochimaru though. He was pursuing something far more important than the life of any single ninja or even a large group of ninjas. He was unlocking the secrets of the universe.
Back in the Leaf, after dinner Fugaku asks for Sasuke to help him with the dishes. It was a bit unusual to be singled out in such a fashion. That could mean only one thing. Fugaku wanted to talk about something important. Something very important.
"I'll be back soon." Sasuke tells Naruko as he kisses her cheek, before following his father off.
Fugaku Uchiha was not a man who thrived off idle conversation. His father was proud and very much an introvert. Sasuke didn't think that he'd ever understand how Mikoto had managed to pull him out of his shell, but she had. The youngest Uchiha was still trying to forge a stronger bond with him though.
"I know that you don't actually need help with the dishes. You're the Chief of the Leaf's Military Police Force. You'd be a lousy Chief, if you couldn't handle household chores by yourself." Sasuke states bluntly.
His father would likely appreciate bluntness. Fugaku certainly favored a direct communication style himself. Maybe he preferred it in others as well.
In some ways, Sasuke supposed it didn't matter. At the moment, it was better than beating around the bush. He didn't want to keep Naruko waiting. She was far from the most patient ninja on the planet.
"Your mother will not be happy about this, but here." Fugaku says as he places something in Sasuke's hand.
Sasuke raises an eyebrow and looks down. A key? His father had given him a key to something, but he didn't known what.
"Why would mother be upset that you gave me a key and what's it go to?" He asks.
"It goes to your new home. You may use it after the marriage." The Uchiha Patriarch reasons.
Sasuke tilts his head to the side in confusion. Why would his mother be upset about that? Itachi and Izumi had their own place. It was only natural that a newly married couple would move out.
"And why would that upset mother?" He asks cautiously, not entirely certain that he was ready to hear the answer.
"I found you a place outside the District. It's still in the village, but I believe that if we are sincerely going to reintegrate this is necessary. It's a very nice home. I'm certain that you and Naruko will find it suitable. Though honestly, I think the only qualification for your future wife will be whether or not the kitchen is suitable to make ramen in." He observes in amusement.
"Oh you're a dead man. Mother is going to be furious." Sasuke says.
Fugaku sighs. That was certainly true. He was going to have to find a way to break the news to Mikoto gently.
"Don't worry about your mother. I'll handle her." He assures Sasuke.
"If you say so." The raven haired ninja replies.
Fugaku feels himself twitch. Honestly, he couldn't believe how little faith his son had in him. He had been married to Mikoto for over two decades. He knew how to talk to his wife.
"You think I'm whipped." He scoffs.
"Not exactly. I just know that you know it's a bad idea to infuriate a Genjutsu Specialist like mother." Sasuke replies innocently.
"Remember this moment boy. One day, you will be standing in my place and it will be YOUR son sassing you." The Uchiha Patriarch says.
"Maybe. We might have daughters though." The younger man reasons.
Teenagers. Fugaku really had no idea what he was signing up for when he first held his adorable infant sons in his arms. Now they were fully grown and capable of being fully sassy.
"Well that's even worse. If you have daughters, you'll have to protect their honor from all the boys in the village until a suitable suitor appears." The father of two informs him.
"…" Sasuke goes silent for a moment.
He hated to admit it, but his father was right about that. Damn it. He really hoped that he had sons now.
"Good point. Well I'm going to walk Naruko home." Sasuke says as he makes a swift departure.
Naruko smiles when she sees Sasuke return to her. That was something of a relief. Their mothers were trying to drive her insane. She was sure of it.
"Do you want me to walk you home?" Sasuke asks.
"Yeah! That'd be great. I'm kinda tired from journey home." Naruko says with a fake yawn.
"You don't really think that yawn is fooling anyone, do you?" Kurama asks incredulously.
Naruko mentally huffs. Hmpf. She didn't need Kurama's advice when it came to making a polite exit. The Nine Tails wasn't exactly known for being a polite person (well fox)!
"Whatever. I don't need a lesson in manners from you!" She snaps at him.
Kurama's response to this was predictably to block her out. Naruko rolls her eyes. For one of the most powerful beings on the planet, he sure was thin skinned sometimes.
They bid farewell to their families and head off. Sasuke shakes his head and decides to ask. He almost didn't want to know, but curiosity was a powerful force.
"Why were you rolling your eyes?" The raven haired ninja asks.
"Oh. Kurama was just being well Kurama. You know how it is. He's throwing a temper tantrum at the moment by giving me the silent treatment." The busty blonde explains.
"Ah I see. I'm glad that I don't have to share my head with anyone." The Uchiha tells her honestly.
He couldn't imagine actually sharing his private thoughts with someone else. Let alone a Tailed Beast. It was something of a miracle that Naruko was still sane. Sasuke would have turned psychotic years ago, if he were in her position.
"Yeah. You've never really been that good with the whole sharing thing. Then again, we're going to be married. So you better get used to sharing what goes on in that head of yours." Naruko says brightly.
"I'm more of a physical person." Sasuke tells her as they continue walking.
Naruko feels her face burn with embarrassment. She was definitely aware of that. Unfortunately, so was Lord Ayaki.
That poor guy had walked in on them. Of course, they hadn't really been doing anything THAT scandalous. It looked a lot more suggestive than it actually was. Still the poor guy had been mortified.
"You're still a pervert. I'm just glad that you aren't flirting with anyone else. I'd have to Rasengan you, if you did." She warns him.
"And I would deserve it. Besides, why would I want anyone else?" Sasuke asks with as he pins her to a nearby tree.
Naruko feels her face turn even more red. Damn this bastard! He really had to stop making her blush this much. It really wasn't fair. One of these days, she was going to make him be the one to blush! Believe it!
"Well that's good. Yeah! You better remember that!" She informs him.
"I have a beautiful blonde with endless energy and the ability to clone herself hundreds of times for a fiancée. It's hard to compete with that, really." The Uchiha reasons.
"I told you so. You are going to be expecting your first child by the end of the year." Kurama says smugly.
"Oh NOW you want to talk?! I'm kinda in the middle of something here!" The blonde snaps at him.
Sasuke shakes his head in amusement. Naruko was zoning out on him again. He knew this because she looked annoyed.
"I can shut him up again, if you like." Sasuke offers.
"It's tempting. Believe me, it's tempting. It'd give the furball too much satisfaction though. He'd never let me live it down, if he thought that you were fighting all my battles for me." His fiancée replies.
"Right. Well it seems that my father was busy while we were away." Sasuke says, deciding that it was in everyone's best interests to change topics for the moment.
Naruko looks at Sasuke in confusion. What did his dad have to do with anything? Well that was interesting.
"What do you mean? Do you mean that he was planning our wedding?" She asks.
"Not exactly. I doubt that our mothers would let our fathers go anywhere near the actual wedding planning." He admits.
Naruko pauses as she considers that. Yeah. That was a good point. Their mothers were very enthusiastic about their wedding. It would be smart for their fathers just to fade into the background during the planning activities.
"That's true. So what'd he do? What's the secret?" Naruko inquires once more.
"He got us a place to move into. After we're married, we have our own house." Sasuke tells her with a smile as he shows her the key.
Naruko's eyes widen. No way! That was so cool! She never would have guessed that Sasuke's dad would do something like that. He seemed so well traditional.
"That's awesome!" She says joyously and with that, she hugs him tightly.
Sasuke smiles and spins her around. It was nice to see her so happy. He was definitely happy that they were going to have some actual privacy for once.
It would be nice to be able to wake up next to her, without having to worry about someone walking in on them. The image of a mortified Ayaki flashes through his mind briefly, before Sasuke decides that he had to focus. They had more important things to think about.
"Yeah. It is. My mother is going to be very upset with him though. She's not going to approve of the location." He says as he caresses her cheek.
"Why? What's wrong with the location? Is something wrong with the house? I don't mind if it needs a little work." Naruko chimes in helpfully.
"I haven't seen the house yet. I don't think there is anything wrong with it though. My father has always been a practical man. He wouldn't give us a broken down house." Sasuke says.
Naruko frowns. She really didn't get what Sasuke was trying to say. Why would Mikoto be upset then?
"What's wrong with the location then?" She questions him.
"It's not in the Uchiha District. Father thinks that it would be best for us to reintegrate with the rest of the village completely. We can't really do that, if we're confined to our District." Her future husband states.
Oh. Naruko didn't see that one coming. She had just assumed that she would be living somewhere in the Uchiha District. This was big news. Really big news.
"Is it going to hurt her feelings or something? Will she think that you're angry with her or that I don't like her? Cause that's not true. Your mom is nice." The blonde asks.
"I don't think she'll believe that I'm angry with her. I'm also pretty sure that my mother knows that you have a favorable opinion than her. It's more like she'll be upset that her "baby" is too far away from her. I don't know why. We'll still be in the village. It's not that far." Sasuke says with a shrug.
Women could be weird sometimes. This was especially true when it came to mothers with fully grown children. Sasuke knew that it didn't matter how old he and Itachi got. To Mikoto Uchiha, they would always be her babies.
Sasuke shakes his head in amusement. Well he supposed that he shouldn't be too hard on his mother. It was more likely than not, that Naruko would treat their own children the same way someday.
"Oh. I get it. Well we should at least go have a look at the house. I mean it's not often that someone goes through all the trouble and expense to buy a home for someone else." Naruko observes brightly.
"Good point. Let's go have a look." Sasuke says with a smile as they head off towards their new home.
Sasuke didn't miss the way that people were eyeing them as they were walking. They were walking hand in hand. It was difficult to mistake them for anything other than what they were. A couple.
Their relationship was now very much public. He could scarcely imagine the conversations that were likely going on about them behind closed doors. Sasuke normally wouldn't have cared, but he was worried about his family. They needed to forge stronger ties with the rest of the village before things got any worse.
"Are you alright? You're being pretty quiet. You're being even more quiet than usual. That's saying something because usually you're only a couple of steps away from being mute to begin with." The young woman asks.
"I'm not THAT quiet and yeah, I'm fine." Sasuke tells her.
He smiles though. In her own strange way, Naruko was just telling him that she cared. She cared enough to ask how he was feeling.
Somehow they would survive their marriage. Hell, they might even thrive in it. If nothing else, he knew that she cared on some level and that she looked disturbingly good in orange. That was something, right?
"Yes, you are and okay. Whoa. Is this really our place?" Naruko asks in a stunned voice a few minutes later.
Sasuke blinks. This place was massive for a two person family. His father must have been expecting them to have a lot of children or to host some Clan Events.
"Yes, Naruko. This place is really ours. My father never does anything halfway." Sasuke whispers.
Sasuke observes the grand house in awe. His mother was going to be furious when she found out. Not only had Fugaku got them a house without consulting her, he had gotten them a mansion outside of the Uchiha District. He couldn't wait to watch the fireworks. Mikoto rarely lost her temper, but when she did it was akin to a volcano going on.
"Maybe I should ask your father to put out an evacuation order." He murmurs.
"Huh? An evacuation order? What are you talking about?" Naruko asks in confusion.
"Oh nothing. Nevermind. Let's go have a look at the inside." Sasuke says as he places the key in the door and opens it.
Sasuke smiles as they walk into the house. This was their place. For the first time since the announcement of their engagement, it felt like it was real. He had known it in the abstract of course,, but that was different.
There was a difference between knowing something in your head and knowing something in your gut. At that moment, he knew that they were getting married in his gut. His father apparently took that whole King of the Castle thing quite seriously. Now he had a grand castle for his Vixen Queen.