Vixen
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Naruko talking to Kyuubi in bold.
Kyuubi talking to Naruko in bold italics.
Chapter 13
Kabuto smirks as he heads into the Leaf Village. He had used a Transformation Jutsu to look like a Leaf Ninja. In this case, a Chunin by the name of Iruka. The man taught at the Academy, according to the information that they had on him.
He was a competent ninja, but not one that most would feel threatened by. For the most part, he was easygoing. Though sometimes he did lose his temper with the particularly boisterous students like Naruko.
"In other words, he's the perfect choice to blend in." Kabuto whispers.
The silver haired man had another reason for choosing this ninja in particular though. Iruka had taught Naruko and was still close to her. She wouldn't be suspicious, if he happened to be close to her husband.
Speaking of Sasuke, Kabuto follows the clone. He had really outdone himself when it came to creating the clones. The medical ninja doubted that Sasuke's own mother would be able to tell the difference between the clone and the original. They were completely identical in appearance.
"That only leaves one issue. Personality." The "Chunin" mutters to himself.
Kabuto was using a Curse Mark to control the clones. This one was specifically designed for them though. He would simply say a command and the clone would have to carry it out or they would be in a lot of pain.
The creature didn't have a soul, but it would be impacted by pain. That would force a response. Which meant that Kabuto had the perfect way to control it.
"Sasuke, find your wife and counterpart." He instructs.
True to form, the clone takes off. He doubted that the clone was a Sensory Type, but it was likely that it could recognize its "own" chakra. Finding the real Sasuke shouldn't prove to be too difficult.
Kabuto follows after the clone until they come upon a house. That was strange. This house wasn't in the Uchiha District, but the clone seemed to believe that the real Sasuke was here. How interesting.
"I don't really know where to begin." Naruko whispers.
"Wherever you like." Sasuke says encouragingly as he holds out his hand to her and they head inside their home.
Damn it. Hmm. Well there was no way that they were going to be able accomplish much while they were inside that home. The odds of Sasuke running into his clone were far too great.
They couldn't risk it. For now, the safer option was to observe. After all, they had time. They still needed those document anyway and if they couldn't fool Naruko, there really wasn't much of a point in attempting to get them.
"If we can fool his wife, it'll be easy to fool his father-in-law." Kabuto reasons.
He almost felt mildly guilty. They were newlyweds and had just gotten back from their Honeymoon. The two ninjas had absolutely no idea what was about to happen to their home.
Not that that would stop him, of course. He was completely loyal to Lord Orochimaru and in the long run, the Leaf would be better off with him in charge. Actually, the entire world would be.
"What do we do now?" The clone whispers.
"Make sure not to be seen for now." Kabuto replies as he watches the house.
The world needed a leader. Someone who could handle the intellectual demands of such a task. Right now, it was divided up into too many nations and smaller autonomous and semi-autonomous regions as well.
These nations and regions tended to fight with each other. Orochimaru would eventually put an end to that. He was sure. After all, who would stand against an immortal ruler?
"Very well." The clone replies and Kabuto nods approvingly.
Almost everything was going according to plan. He just needed to find a way to get Naruko alone with the clone. Then they would know, if this was actually going to work or not.
Meanwhile back in the Uchiha Estate, the Namikaze-Uzumaki and Uchihas were cleaning up after dinner. Naturally, they were also engaging in a little family gossip. After all, they were only human.
"I think she's pregnant." Izumi states bluntly.
"It's a bit early to tell if that's indeed the case. Though they did just get back from their Honeymoon. It's certainly possible." Itachi says, after his wife weighed in on the matter.
Minato pauses as he considers that possibility. He had agreed to the match to help ease the tensions between the Uchiha Clan and the rest of the village. Naruko had agreed, but she was still his baby.
It didn't matter how old, she was. That was just how it was. It was hard for him to imagine his baby having well her own baby.
"I'm sure that if she is, the child will be absolutely adorable. I wonder if it will have her eyes." Mikoto ponders as she washes some dishes.
"Well I'm not sure if having blue eyes would mean that the boy or girl wouldn't be able to manifest the Sharingan though." Fugaku replies thoughtfully as he dries some of the silverware.
Was Naruko really ready to be a mother? It was one thing to be a wife, but being a mother was an even bigger step.
That and her relationship with Sasuke was still relatively new. Had they built a solid enough foundation to bring a child into this world? They were still barely more than children themselves.
"I don't think the eye color really matters. Oh Minato, isn't this exciting?! Our first grandchild might be on the way." Kushina calls out to him.
He smiles at his wife and nods his head dutifully. Of course, he would love to have a grandchild. He just hoped that Sasuke and Naruko were ready for such a big step. Unfortunately, he wasn't entirely certain that they were.
It would be a big step for anyone, but they had a rather unique relationship. They had gotten married out of love for their village and families. They hadn't gotten married because they loved each other. Though Minato certainly hoped that love would blossom between the two of them.
"Yes, My Love. It's very exciting." He says as he reaches out and caresses her cheek.
He could only hope that one day, Naruko would have this. That she would love her husband as completely as he loved Kushina and Sasuke would respond in kind. They seemed to be getting along well enough for the moment though.
That was a good sign. Perhaps, this would all work out after all. Maybe, he was just over thinking things.
"Thanks for coming over. It's good to spend time with each other. We are all family now." Fugaku comments.
The Uchiha Patriarch was trying his best to socialize with his son's in-laws. Minato knew why. He wanted to make things as easy on Sasuke as possible and help his Clan reintegrate itself into the village.
"Anytime. It's certainly not a hardship. Your wife is a wonderful cook." He replies.
That was most certainly true. Mikoto Uchiha knew her way around a kitchen. No one could deny that. Well at least no one who could actually taste things.
"Well they seem to be getting on well enough." Shisui chimes in cheerfully and Minato smiles.
Shisui was such a cheerful lad. He almost always had a smile on his face and he had a wonderful gift for making everyone feel at ease. If only, the rest of the village possessed this gift, things would proceed in a far smoother fashion.
"Yes, I'm quite happy for them. They look so cute together." Aiya adds.
"Yes, they remind me of us. Well when we were younger. Naruko is more like me and Sasuke is more like you though." Kenji observes.
Minato couldn't help, but chuckle at this. Everyone knew that Kenji was the more laidback between the two of them. Kenji was a flirtatious man, who deeply loved his family. Aiya was a refined woman, who deeply loved her family and often had to keep her mischievous husband in line.
Oh he was faithful to her. It was just that Kenji certainly did enjoy a good naughty joke and tended find great entertainment in little pranks. He wasn't anywhere near as flamboyant of a prankster as Naruko, but by Uchiha Standards he was quite playful.
"I suppose that's an accurate observation. Well we're rather fortunate. We're going to live long enough to see our grandchildren." She says with a smile as she rests her hand on Izumi's belly.
Izumi smiles and blushes slightly. It was obvious that the woman was rather happy about her impending motherhood. She and Itachi were the picture of martial bliss.
As far as he could tell though, most Uchihas seemed to have happy marriages. Arranged marriages were more the exception than the rule and when they were arranged, they tended to work out. The Uchiha Clan knew its members well.
"Yes, everyone should be so fortunate. It's a beautiful thing to live long enough to see one's great grandchildren." He says with a smile.
Minato decides to push his concerns to the side of the moment. There wasn't very much that he could do about the situation. For now, he'd just enjoy getting to know the new members of his family better.
Elsewhere Naruko and Sasuke was now sitting on their couch and Naruko glances at her husband warily. She didn't think that he would actually yell at her or do something crazy, but she didn't want to hurt his feelings either. The blonde just felt so horribly tongue-tied.
"I'm not pregnant. Well at least I don't think that I am. I could be. We didn't really use the Jutsu and we were together a lot. I just don't know, if I am or not." She blurts out.
"That was very smooth, brat. Very smooth." Kurama comments.
"Quiet! This is between me and him! So be quite, unless you can tell. Wait. Can you? Can you tell, if I'm pregnant because that would make things so much easier?" She half pleads with the Nine Tails.
She bites her lower lip as she waits for an answer. Naruko knew that this probably wouldn't end well. She really didn't want to hurt Sasuke's feelings or get his hopes up.
Wait. Did he want to have kids this early? He had mentioned it before briefly, but it had been in a rather casual way. Was Sasuke ready to be a father?
"Naruko, relax. It's okay, if you are. If I really didn't want a family, I would have been smart enough to ask you to use the Jutsu or take precautions. Don't worry about it. It's early. If you are though, you don't need to panic." He tells her as he kisses her forehead.
Naruko lets out a sigh of relief. Well Sasuke seemed okay with it. Maybe, it would be okay.
He was right. If her husband really didn't want children, Sasuke was smart enough to take the proper precautions. That must have meant that he wanted them. He might not be actively trying to get her pregnant, but he was fine with the concept of fatherhood in general.
"There. See? You were worried over nothing. He's your Mate. I don't know, why you thought that he wouldn't want to den with you. To answer your question though, I can't tell this early. The baby wouldn't be giving off a chakra signature this early." Kurama informs her.
"Good to know and yeah, maybe I did overreact. A bit. Still it's a pretty big deal. I mean becoming as mother is a big step." She says and she could swear that Kurama was rolling his eyes at her in response.
"I'll never understand humans. They make the most simple things, ridiculously complicated. Having children is one of the most natural things in the world." The Nine Tails says before he yawns and curls up for some sleep.
Naruko feels herself twitch. That damn fox just didn't understand what it was like for humans and how dare he do that?! How dare he go to sleep, after their very important conversation?! The nerve of that furball! That was just so rude!
"Naruko, you alright?" Sasuke asks in concern.
"Yeah. I'm fine. Just Kurama being well Kurama." She says with a sigh as she snuggles into her husband.
She was starting to get used to that word now. After their Honeymoon, it was kinda hard not to. Sasuke was definitely very attentive. Well when the bastard wanted to be, anyway.
"You want me to dispel him for awhile? I don't want you to get upset, if you might be pregnant. That's potentially bad for the baby." He says.
That was sweet. He was worried about their child. A child that she wasn't even really sure existed yet, but Naruko digress.
It was the principle of the thing. Sasuke was worried about their family. It didn't really matter that said family wasn't all there yet. (Well it might be, but still).
"Nah. It's okay. I'm used to it." She says as she burrows against his chest and Sasuke smiles as he wraps his arms around her.
"Guess you're in a more cuddly mood now. Wanna go to our room?" He asks slyly.
"Yeah, but as much fun as that is…um maybe just cuddling for tonight.. It's kinda a miracle that I can walk at all." She mumbles with a blush.
Sasuke nods and scoops her up. That was a shame, but it wasn't like he was a complete animal. He could wait another night or two. It wouldn't kill him. That and cold showers could work wonders, if absolutely necessary.
"I'm really liking the whole walking being optional thing though." She says with a laugh as she lets him carry her off.
"Mhm. I thought you might." Sasuke says as he carries her up the stairs and to their bedroom.
It didn't take him long to lay his wife gently on the bed and to join her. To say that it had been a long day was an understatement. To be honest, he was just glad to have a chance to have an actual pillow under his neck or maybe, he would just use Naruko's pillows instead.
Yeah. That sounded good. He was going to do that. He smiles and lays his head on her chest.
"You are such a perverted bastard. You can't even sleep without it being well you know." She mumbles and Sasuke smirks when he sees her blush.
It did amaze him that after everything they had done together, she could still be this shy sometimes. Oh well. That was just part of who she was, he supposed. He wasn't going to complain.
"You like it. Night, Vixen." He says with a yawn as he closes his eyes.
"Maybe, a little. Night, Bastard." She grumbles as she turns off the lights.
It didn't take long for them to drift off into a peaceful sleep. A sleep that they wouldn't have enjoyed, if they knew what was lurking right outside their own doors. They were far too occupied with each other to notice such things though.
The next day, the couple wake up and have breakfast. Naruko didn't have much luck making it. Thankfully, Sasuke stepped in and whipped up some pancakes rather quickly.
"So I'm heading back to the station in a bit. You going to be okay?" Sasuke asks.
"Yeah. Why wouldn't I be? I don't have any missions or anything." Naruko says.
"It should probably stay that way until we find out for sure, if you're pregnant or not. Just to be on the safe side." Sasuke says warily.
He knew that he was pushing his luck here. Naruko was a very dedicated ninja. She was hoping to take over for her father and become Hokage one day and that meant, proving herself on missions.
His Vixen didn't want anything to think that she just got the position because she was Minato's daughter. Sasuke could understand that concern, but Naruko had more than proven herself ten times over as far as he was concerned. He didn't think that she had to push herself this hard.
"What?! You want me to stay home until we figure out, if I'm pregnant or not?! Does that mean every time we're together, I'm going to have to take time off from missions until we know?!" She demands.
"Oh calm down. It's a reasonable request and do you really want to be out fighting when you might be carrying your child inside you? Surely, you can see why that's a risk. I can't believe it, but an Uchiha is being sensible. Hell must have frozen over." Kurama mutters to her.
"I guess you're right. It's too risky, but that doesn't mean that I just want to become a housewife for the rest of my life. Not that there is anything wrong with that, but you know?" The blonde replies.
Sasuke shakes his head in amusement and kisses her cheek. He still didn't know how it was possible for one person to have that much energy. Honestly, it still amazed him.
He did know one thing though. He was going to have to calm her down. Sasuke couldn't let her carry on like this, especially when she might be pregnant. That just wasn't' good for her or the baby. (If there was a baby).
"No. We need to decide, if we want to have a child this early on. Until you're ready, we can always use the Jutsu. It won't take that long to tell if you're pregnant. Just consider this a vacation." Sasuke informs her.
Naruko could only grumble in response as they sat down to eat breakfast. The Uchiha shakes his head more and snorts in amusement. She was cute when she sulked.
He wouldn't tell her that though. Sasuke knew what would happen, if he did. His wife would go bonkers. The woman was very animated to put it mildly.
"Alright, I guess." She mutters as she eats.
A short while later, Sasuke kisses her and then heads off to join the rest of the police. Naruko sighs and crosses her arms. Damn it. Now, she was going to be alone until he got back.
"Maybe, I'll visit my parents or his parents." She says with a sigh.
On second thought, visiting his parents might be a bad idea. They probably already thought that she should be picking out baby names. Visiting her father in his office, seemed like the smarter move.
She nods, deciding that was the best course of action and sets off. Naruko might as well talk to her dad about stuff. There was a chance that he was going to become a grandfather, after all. He did have a right to know that.
As she was heading off towards Minato's Office, she notices something strange. Sasuke was still standing outside their house. That was really weird.
"Oh hey, did you forget something?" Naruko asks in confusion.
Kabuto smirks from behind one of the trees. Perfect. The clone had established contact. Now, it was time to see what it could do.
Would it be able to fool her? He didn't know. Kabuto hoped that it would though. He had put a lot of time and effort into making his clone army. It would almost be a crime for it to all be for nothing.
"Yeah. I forgot a scroll that your father wanted me to bring him." "Sasuke" lies with ease.
Well it wasn't actually a lie. It wasn't like the clone had any knowledge about what a lie was. He was just following orders, but Kabuto digressed.
"Oh. Alright. I was just going to head that way, actually. I figured that I should talk to my dad about last night. My mom is probably harping on him pretty badly." The blonde woman says.
Hmm. That was interesting. What had happened last night? It sounded like Kabuto had missed something about a family get together.
Maybe, he should look into that. That would certainly make the clone seem more convincing. Oh well. He'd just have to read between the lines for now and let the clone do likewise.
"Yeah. Probably. Your mom can be pretty intense sometimes." Sasuke says with a smile.
"Whatever, bastard. I just hope your mother hasn't already started picking out the names of our children and grandchildren. I know how you Uchihas are about that sort of thing." She grumbles.
"You're an Uchiha now too though." The clone retorts smugly.
It was all that Kabuto could do, not to burst into a happy dance. The clone sounded so lifelike. It had even managed to copy Sasuke's mannerism with his guidance.
He was doing so well that Kabuto was now confident that even Sasuke's wife would be fooled. This would be perfect. Lord Orochimaru was going to be so happy, when he found out!
"Well yeah, but you know what I meant! I mean Uchihas by birth!" Naruko grumbles.
They were cute together. It was a pity that their relationship was going to seal the fate of their village. Kabuto once again consoled himself with the knowledge that in the long run, he was doing them a favor.
They were both doing them a favor. Him and Lord Orochimaru. The Leaf would surely flourish under his Master's leadership and eventually, so would the entire world.
"Yeah. I know. So I'll be right back. Can you wait while I grab it?" Sasuke asks innocently.
"Yeah. I'll wait." Naruko says as Sasuke darts into the house.
Hmm. Damn it. He was going to have to have the clone pick up a scroll. A scroll that Minato would find believable that he asked for, but it just slipped his mind.
This wasn't good. The clone was going to have to rely to him what he found and Kabuto would have to make a judgment call. Though there was some good news. Naruko so far didn't seem suspicious.
"Grab the one about the Fire Jutsus." Kabuto orders the clone.
The clone nods and grabs it. Well there was at least one good thing about the clone. He followed orders. That made him a better ninja than about fifty percent of the fools at the Sound Village.
Of course, most of them would just end up being fodder. Every ninja village in Kabuto's mind needed some disposables. People that you were wiling to sacrifice on the battlefield, if it came down to it. Pawns.
"Alright. I got it. Ready?" Sasuke says, after retrieving the scroll and heading back outside to Naruko.
"Yep! Ready!" The Leaf Ninja replies cheerfully as the two of them head off together.
Kabuto notices with no small amount of smugness that the clone had wrapped his arm around Naruko's waist. Good. The more that he acted like a real husband, the more believable that this would be.
"And now, the real fun begins." He whispers to himself as he watches the "happy couple" walk off together.