Vixen
Author's Note: Thanks for the reviews. I'm sorry that this one took so long to update. I was experiencing a severe case of writer's block for this one and got caught up on my other stories. I've also changed my screen name to SilverKitsune2017. I'm the same person as before though. Anyway, I hope you all enjoy this chapter.
Naruko talking to Kyuubi in bold.
Kyuubi talking to Naruko in bold italics.
Chapter 14
The next day, Naruko was snuggling up to Sasuke. This of course was one of her favorite past times. It was even better than ramen, but one thing was bugging her.
Sasuke had never told her what was in the scroll. "So what was in it?" She looks at him curiously.
It must have been important. She couldn't imagine Sasuke remembering to give Minato a scroll so soon after their Honeymoon, if it wasn't. Curiosity might have killed the cat, but it definitely bugged the vixen!
"Mmm what do you mean?" Her husband glances over at her with a confused expression in his own eyes.
Beautiful. Beautiful obsidian orbs. Well unless, he was in the middle of battle or in the heat of passion with her. Then they would turn ruby red. She liked that though! They were even prettier then!
Of course, her husband would probably go bonkers. He'd completely lose it, if Naruko call his Sharingan pretty. He'd probably consider it some insult to his masculinity or whatever. Not that that would stop her though!
She frowns. "I mean the scroll." Maybe, he was still half asleep or something.
"Naruko, what are you talking about?" Her husband's blank stare let her know that something strange was going on.
"I thought I smelled something off yesterday." Apparently, even Kyuubi knew something was up. "His scent was different somehow. I don't think that was him who got the scroll." Naruko nods in agreement.
She was beginning to suspect that as well. Something really weird was going on and she was going to find out what. Believe it! Future Hokages never gave up!
"Do you think Sasuke knows?" She hoped not. Naruko knew that Sasuke loved her, but honestly something really fishy was going on. What if someone was controlling him?
Kurama pauses. "I don't think so. It would be best to distract him until we figure out what is going on. He might not be fully in control of himself." Naruko nods in agreement.
Sasuke raises an eyebrow. Naruko eeps in response. Damn it. She must have spaced out and her husband wasn't stupid. He probably knew she was talking to the Fox Demon.
"Naruko, you were spacing out on me." He gives her a pointed look.
Damn it! She was really bad at the whole coming up with an answer on the fly thing. Right now though, she really needed to do it!
"You're his Mate." Kurama rolls his eyes at her. How do you think you should distract him?" Oh right. Good point.
Kurama might be a perverted fox, but he had a point. She smiles and kisses Sasuke. That was one thing that Naruko definitely knew how to do. Kiss her husband.
"Sorry. Just Kurama giving me some relationship advice." She smiles at him between kisses. "He thinks that I should be more proactive."
That wasn't really a lie. The Nine Tails had said that. Just not exactly in that specific context. Well actually, not just that specific context. Sasuke didn't need to know that though. At least not yet.
If he wasn't in control of himself, that wasn't good. As much as the blonde loved her husband, she knew that this was the best way to protect him at the moment. And that's exactly what she was going to do. She was goin gto protect him.
Sasuke smirks as he returns the kisses, pulling her on top of him. "Mmm for once, I think that I agree with the furball."
"Who is he calling a furball?!" Kurama simmers in outrage.
"Kurama, be quiet! I'm trying to focus on seducing my husband here!" Honestly, sometimes it could be really annoying having to share your body with a perverted fox demon!
Meanwhile the clone was back with Orochimaru in the Sound. He had retrieved some information from the Hokage's Office and Kabuto couldn't be happier. Thus far, their plan had been a successful one.
"This is an excellent start." Orochimaru smirks.
The silver haired medic couldn't help, but nod in agreement. The Clone had managed to grab an information book and a few emergency plans. To say the least, the evacuation sites in case of emergency had changed a bit since Orochimaru's day.
That was only to be expected though. The Sannin hadn't been part of the Leaf Village in years. Things changed.
Kabuto nods. "Yes, it is. What are your instructions now?" It was best to get clear orders.
The last thing that any of them needed was to go off halfcocked. This was a situation that had to be handled delicately. After all, taking over the Leaf Village was not something that was going to be done easily.
There were certain considerations that had to be factored in. For example, there were hundreds of skilled ninjas inside its walls and thousands more who were moderately skilled or fodder ninjas. (Every ninja village had its weak links).
' "Start organizing everyone." Orochimaru smiles with the cunningness of a viper about to strike. "We attack at dawn."
Not to mention, many of their ninjas had never set foot in the Leaf. So the locals would have the advantage of knowing the terrain. That wouldn't matter in the end though.
Kabuto was sure of that much. No one could stop Lord Orochimaru. He had absolute faith in the man who had saved his life and given him a purpose. Sooner or later, everyone would recognize that he was the right person to lead the ninja world.
The thought brought a smile to the medic's lips. "Very well. I shall see that it's done." Victory was well within their grasp!
"Good." The Legendary Sannin smirks. "I knew that I could count on you." He pauses for a moment. "Because you're far too intelligent to let me down. You know what happens to those that do."
Kabuto nods in understanding and takes off. He knew fully well what happened to those that outlived their usefulness. It was not a pretty sight.
While he was certain Orochimaru did have some genuine affection towards him, Kabuto wasn't completely naïve. He knew that he was just a valuable piece in the chessboard of history. One that he hoped would be of great use to Orochimaru.
He calls forth a village meeting. "EVERYONE!" Kabuto quickly casts a Jutsu to amplify his voice. "LORD OROCHIMARU HAS DECIDED THAT WE'LL ATTACK THE LEAF AT DAWN!" There really was no point in beating around the bush.
There were cheers. Not that Kabuto had expected anything less. He was speaking to a group of Criminal Ninjas. A group of Criminal Ninjas in which more than a few of them held a grudge against the Leaf. That and some of them were just naturally sadistic and looking for a good fight. So all in all, he had expected that reaction.
"What are Lord Orochimaru's specific orders?" One of the ninjas looks up at him. "Kill everyone in sight and destroy as much as possible or to spare those that surrender?" That was a good question.
The fact that the large ninja had the foresight to ask it, meant that he was saner than the average Sound Ninja. Of course, sane was a rather relative term here. Jugo of the Scales could transform from a gentle man into a bloodthirsty killer without any warning. Anything could tip his scales.
Jugo wasn't there by choice. He would have rather been back in the prison. The man was concerned about hurting people and thus really didn't belong in the Sound, but it wasn't as if he had many choices.
"We're taking over the village." Kabuto pauses. "So ideally, there would be something left of the village to be worth taking over. Use as much force as necessary to subdue them, but do try to leave at least most of the main buildings intact and spare the lives of those that surrender. You do have permission to kill though." He smirks.
Not surprisingly, many more cheers rang up at that last part. This was particularly the case when it came to Suigetsu. Naturally. He wasn't called a Prodigy in the Art of Murder for no good reason, after all.
That was another one who should be locked up. Until very recently, the white haired man had been stored away in a tank. Orochimaru had only released him when it became clear they were preparing to attack the Leaf.
"Sounds good to me!" The former Mist Ninja smirks. "Let's show em whose boss!"
He was far from a loyal follower of Orochimaru. Still, the man was good with a sword and they were going to need that. If they were going to take over the Leaf Village and eventually the world, they were going to need every capable ninja they had and that included Suigetsu. Like it or not!
A few hours later, Sasuke shakes his head at a slumbering Naruko. She had certainly managed to distract him quite successfully for a few hours. At the end of the day though, he wasn't an idiot.
"She's definitely hiding something." He kisses her cheek and runs his fingers through her golden tresses. "And I guess I'm going to have to figure out what."
He's start with Minato. After all, he was her father and she was talking about a scroll. The only person who he might deliver a scroll to was Minato. The Fourth Hokage.
He sighs as he gets out of the bed and take a quick shower. "It's as good a place as any to start." Sasuke certainly didn't like the fact that his wife was keeping secrets from him.
Knowing Naruko though, it wasn't done out of malice. On the contrary, she was probably doing it out of some misguided notion that she was protecting him! God help him, his wife was just as foolish as she was beautiful.
He quickly dresses and casts one final look at his lover. "Foolish Vixen." There was no way that he was going to let her shoulder the burden of whatever this was on her own.
They were husband and wife now. Her burdens were his and vice versa. That and there was a chance that they were a family now. However slim, that chance might be.
Keeping secrets from each other wasn't a good sign, especially if they were bringing a child into this world. Of course, they had yet to confirm that fact. Still, it was the damn principle of the thing!
"Best to get this over with." He sighs and heads off to Minato's Office.
Hopefully, his Father-In-Law would know what was up because something was going on. And whatever it was, ti was not normal. That meant that he had to figure it out.
A few minutes later, he slinks into the other man's office. The guards didn't bother trying to stop him. Why would they? He was the Hokage's Son-In-Law and everyone knew he had returned to the village with his wife. There was no reason to be concerned.
"Lord Hokage? Do you have a few moments? I need to speak with you about something that might be important." Sasuke didn't really know, if that was the case.
Despite that, he didn't hesitate to call it important. It might very well be the case that it was. Better safe than sorry. Besides, such an opening was far more likely to get Minato's attention than one that seemed to be a social call.
Minato blinks and nods. Sasuke had been behaving so strangely since his return. Perhaps, he was about to find out the reason for that.
"I always have a few minutes for you. You're my son now." He smiles at him.
That was the truth. Sasuke wasn't his son by blood, but he was married to Naruko. Naruko was his only child. So in the Fourth Hokage's mind, the young Uchiha was the closest thing to a son that he had at the moment. He would make the time to speak with him about whatever was troubling the Leaf Ninja.
"Thank you. Naruko mentioned that supposedly I brought a scroll to you yesterday." Sasuke glances at him warily and Minato nods.
That was indeed the case. It had puzzled him greatly at time, but the Fourth had just dismissed it. The Uchihas might want to share their signature Fire Jutsus as a way to proving that they sincerely wished to become more intergraded into the village. Judging by the look on Sasuke's face though, that was not the case.
"Naruko, Sasuke, what are you doing here?" The blonde looked at them in bewilderment.
They were newlyweds. Their official Honeymoon was now over, but he hadn't expected them to leave the bed for at least a few more days. It was obvious that the two of them did at least share a powerful physical attraction in common.
He supposed that was something. The Fourth Hokage wished that his daughter's marriage hadn't been arranged, but the couldn't really argue with the results. Their marriage might very well still save the village one day!
Naruko smiled at her father. "Um, I'm not sure really. The Ba-I mean…baby wanted to give you a scroll." Minato chuckled in response.
He knew what his daughter had really meant to say. She was going to say Bastard. It was a nice save though and he wasn't going to call her on it.
The two of them had had a rather unconventional courtship. So it wasn't particularly surprising that their pet names for each other would be just as unconventional. Not that he was going to tell her that though. Minato had no desire to embarrass his daughter.
"Oh. Alright." Minato smiled at Sasuke. "What did you want to give me?"
Sasuke quickly handed him a scroll. The father opened it and glanced at it in confusion. "Thank you, Sasuke. I appreciate it. Do give your family my best." He grinned at him.
It was odd. Minato couldn't for the life of him understand why Sasuke would give him a scroll about his family's trademark Jutsus, but he ignored it at the time. It was probably just a gesture of peace.
"You're welcome." Sasuke smiled back. "We'll be going now." He said as he wrapped his arm around Naruko's waist and the two of them headed off.
"There was no supposedly about it." Minato raises an eyebrow. "You handed it right to me. I saw it and so did Naruko." What on Earth was going on here?
Sasuke was acting like he didn't remember giving Minato the scroll at all. That didn't make any sense though. While it was nothing particularly earth shattering, it was still a family scroll. The young Uchiha should have remembered giving it to him!
The Uchiha glances at him warily. "That's the thing. I never gave you the scroll."
Unbeknownst to Sasuke, Naruko was waking up back in their house. The blonde woman looks around in confusion. Normally, she woke up safely snuggled into Sasuke's arms after a lovemaking session like that.
"Kyuubi, can you sense Sasuke?" She didn't like asking, but she had to.
Kurama nods. "He went to see your father for some reason. I think that it's about the scroll. Hurry." And that was all Naruko needed to know before she bounded off.
Something really weird was going on. Why did Sasuke want to give her father that scroll so badly? What was in it? And most importantly, why was he sneaking off to see the Fourth Hokage now without a word?
That just didn't seem like her husband. He could be ridiculously responsible sometimes! With that thought in mind, she quickly darts towards her father's office.
The blonde ignores the guards as she sneaks into the room and blinks at what she heard. "That's the thing. I never gave you the scroll."
"Wait! What?! Kurama, did you hear that?!" Sasuke was claiming that he had never given her father the scroll.
That didn't make any sense either though. She had been standing right next to the bastard, when he did. This was now getting even more weird.
"I heard it. I think that we must have been dealing with an imposter." Kurama pauses as he considers something. "I knew that something didn't smell right!"
Naruko mentally growls at the fox. Why hadn't Kurama said that in the first place?! All of this could have been avoided, if the fox had just spoken up!
"You should have told me something was wrong!" Why couldn't she get a more considerate demon inside her head?
Kurama growls right back at her though. It looked like the Nine Tails wasn't going to be cowed that easily. Not that she had expected anything less, really.
The growling continues for a few minutes, before it finally subsides. "I wasn't sure and your Mate and your father are now staring at you. Just so you know."
Damn Fox! Why couldn't he have said something sooner?! This whole making her look like a space case thing, that really had to go! It was super embarrassing!
"Naruko, what are you doing here?" Sasuke looks at her.
The blonde could only rub the back of her head sheepishly in response. What else could she really do or say? This looked bad.
Really bad. "Well more like what are you doing here?!" Yeah! She knew how to get out of this! She'd just turn the tables on her husband! That was it!
Sasuke sighs. He actually looked a little guilty. That was a really bad sign. Her lover almost never looked guilty about well…anything.
"I wanted to see what you were talking about. I never gave your father a scroll." Wait. What?!
Minato nods in agreement. It was obvious that the Hokage figured something was up too. That was another bad sign.
He pauses. "It appears that someone might be impersonating Sasuke." Damn it!
No one was supposed to impersonate her husband! That was just wrong. Whoever this jerk was, they had gone wayyyy too far!
"We'll have to pretend we don't know." Sasuke looks at Minato with pleading eyes. "If we put out a bulletin, it'll spook the imposter."
Well he kinda had a point there. Whoever had done this, probably wasn't going to just fess up. They had to be smart about this.
"Of course. We'll keep our eyes open. For now, the two of you should get some sleep." He sighs. "I have a feeling that we're all going to need it soon enough.
That wasn't good. Her dad sounded really worried and Minato wasn't the type of man to worry without good cause. Naruko gulps at that knowledge.
Sasuke nods. "You're right. Come on, Naruko. Let's go home." He smiles at her reassuringly and takes her hand, Flickering them back to their house.
It took forever for Naruko to fall asleep. At some point though, she must have. One minute, she was laying next to Saskue on the bed and the next thing she knew, Naruko was being awoken to the sound of screams.
That was right. Screams! Someone was screaming! A lot! Something bad must be happening!
"Naruko, I want you to go to the evacuation site." Sasuke gets up and starts throwing on his Jonin Gear.
Naruko just gapes at her husband. He had to be out of his mind. That was the only logical explanation!
He didn't seriously think that he was just going to leave her behind, did he?! Come on! Sasuke really should know her better than that by now. She was a ninja. Naruko was going to protect their village!
"I'm coming with you." This was nonnegotiable!
Sasuke gives her a dirty look. "Vixen, there is a chance that you're pregnant." Oh no. He was calling her Vixen. That meant that Sasuke might legitimately be worried and if he was legitimately worried, there was going to be a fight.
"Yeah. I know." She sighs and wonders, if there was any way to change his mind.
They didn't know if she was or wasn't. Naruko wanted to protect her village, but there was a chance she could hurt herself or the baby…if she fought. (A baby that she wasn't entirely sure even existed, but she digressed)!
Sasuke kisses her forehead. "For me and for our baby?" Oh geez.
How was she supposed to argue with that?! Damn Sasuke for looking at her all worriedly and stuff! Now she just felt guilty!
"Alright. If you need any help though, you know where to find me." This was apparently a losing battle.
That and they were wasting too much time. More screaming was going on. The higher the Sun rose in the sky, the worst it got. Clearly, someone had decided to attack the Leaf at dawn.
Sasuke nods. "I know. Stay safe." He caresses her cheek.
"I will. You don't have to worry about me." After all, she did have a Fox Demon inside her. "I'll make sure everyone else stays safe too! Just make sure that you're pretty boy self comes back to me in one piece!" She grins at him.
Sasuke rolls his eyes at that. Naruko couldn't help, but giggle in response. There was just something really funny about Sasuke's face when any sort of emotion was displayed on it.
She didn't know what it was. It was simply hilarious. Oh wait. She was getting distracted.
"I'll come back to you as soon as I can and I'm not a pretty boy." He gives her a dirty look for that comment as he flits off to join the others on the battlefield.
"Yes, you are!" Naruko doubted that he had heard her, but really it was the principle of the thing.
Oh well. It was time to head off to the evacuation site. As much as she didn't like it, it probably wasn't a good idea for her to fight. Not if she could help it, anyway.
"If he needs me though, I'm fighting." The blonde decides as she slips off towards the evacuation site.