Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.

Story Rating: T

Summary: In order to restore the Uchiha clan to its former glory, Sasuke is given a special permission by the impatient elders. Part 1.

The Perfect Candidate

Part 1

Sasuke's life had always been a struggle. For his father's approval, for gaining power, for revenge. He was born to become a fighter and for the longest time, ever since the massacre of his kin, the battle was practically all he knew. However, with the conclusion of the Fourth War, the times had changed and he had returned to the village he had sworn to destroy, choosing the path of peace and forgiveness. The new way of life, while much safer and comfortable for the ex-missing-nin, was also hard for him to adapt, but Sasuke persevered in his determination to regain his comrades' trust and restore the honour to the Uchiha family name.

For once, the things were looking up for him. Then, this happened.

Sasuke was summoned before the village elders. While they had issued the formal apology when the truth about the massacre had come out, the Uchiha took to avoiding them in general, unsure how long he could stand their presence before snapping and undoing all his hard work as of yet.

"What do you want from me?" he demanded rudely immediately upon entering the room on one of the top floors of the Hokage tower. A terrible scowl was set on his face and he just wanted to get it over as quick as possible. He probably wouldn't have even come if the messenger didn't stress multiple times just how urgent the matter was.

The elders didn't react to Sasuke's infamous bad temper. Utatane Koharu gestured to the free chair in front of the impressive desk she and Homura were sitting behind.

"Sit down, Uchiha," she instructed sharply.

Sasuke had half a mind to disobey and remain standing, but his need to speed things up won over the natural contrariness. He stalked forward and pulled the chair out roughly, making it scrape the floor with a grating noise, then perched on it nonchalantly, letting a brief smirk fleet across his features when he spotted a small twitching vein on the old hag's temple.

A small pause occurred as both parties stared down each other.

"What is it? I was under impression that you had something important to tell me," Sasuke rolled his eyes to signalize how much stock he would place into something the elders deemed as 'important'.

Instead of answering, Homura slid a piece of paper with the official stamp of Konoha on it. Sasuke picked it up curiously.

Konoha General Register Office

The Grant of Exemption

Sasuke raised a brow and continued reading, intrigued, but with every next line he read, his mood darkened until he was fuming by the time he finished the document.

"Is this your idea of a joke?" he bit out, slamming the paper down on the tabletop.

"You should be thanking us for this favour," Koharu replied haughtily. "Didn't you state your desire to restore the Uchiha when you came back?"

"Don't twist my words, old woman. This isn't what I meant and you know it," his tone was positively dangerous.

"Oh, but that's exactly what your words meant, your intentions notwithstanding. Even if you never gave a single thought to the future, not that surprising for you, surely you must have realized at some point that you can't reproduce by yourself, correct?"

Sasuke glared, his hands clenched tightly as he restrained himself from flipping the desk at the two meddling old coots, his ire rising with every condescending word that left Koharu's desiccated lips.

"If you think you can make me do anything, you're wrong," he hissed out.

"Just think about it logically, Uchiha-san," Homura attempted to smooth over the situation before it devolved into a full-blown argument. "We've just removed the legal obstacles, so that you can reach your goal of Uchiha restoration. This will benefit both you and the village in the long run," he reasoned calmly.

Sasuke sprang to his feet, fed up with the elders and all they represented. "I'm leaving."

In a flash he was out of the door, anger, disbelief and embarrassment rolled into one as he powerwalked away from the two.

"You have two months to find the first candidate!" Koharu called out after him.

Sasuke slammed the door shut behind him without replying.

"Do you really think this was the best idea?" the old woman asked her teammate when they were alone.

"Don't worry, he will see our way soon," Homura assured her with a confident grin. "He's just been offered every man's ultimate fantasy. He would be a fool not to take this chance. He'll realize it once he calms down enough to think about it."

Koharu frowned sceptically. "But this is the only time we do this. The only exception," she reasserted firmly. "I don't want this to set precedence for the future. One allowance for polygamy in the village is more than enough."

"Yes, yes, Koharu-chan," Homura inwardly sighed. If only he were young again...

Sasuke traversed through the village, jumping on the rooftops at top speed, his teeth clenched in utter frustration as was the usual result of his dealing with the interfering old fossils that called themselves the village elders. Although this time they truly outdid themselves, their suggestion so inconceivable for the young Uchiha that he felt deeply insulted at being pegged as someone who would take it within a heartbeat. What were these two demented oldies taking him for? A breeding animal with only purpose in life to pass on his cursed genes? A means to save a dying bloodline from extinction?

He had more dignity than this!

Sasuke arrived at the training grounds situated in the remote part of the village that he usually frequented, then threw himself into relieving the angry energy through exercise. Turning the dummies into pincushions and incinerating them with a fireball technique provided a satisfying visual to his fantasies of doing the same to the elders.

Sasuke may have rescinded the ways of revenge but that didn't mean that he didn't entertain thoughts of it from time to time. Right now seemed rather appropriate.

Heading back home after his workout, Sasuke once again had a firm grip on his composure. He decided to forget that this day even happened.

However, if he thought that this was the end of the matter, then he grossly underestimated the elders' power and influence in the village.

The innocuous-looking letter he found in his mailbox was the first sign of coming trouble.

Sasuke eyed the letter warily due to the flowing lettering on the envelope which let him know it originated from the Hokage office. He tore it open and fished out the thick folder with a small note attached.

We compiled the list of viable candidates from the village to become your wives. Don't throw it out, because we'll just send you another one. You will be meeting some of them starting next week. Failure to comply would result in a temporary suspension from your ninja duties.

-Utatane K., Mitokado H.

Sasuke growled. This wasn't what he wanted to see first thing after coming back from an exhausting, high-profile mission. It had been a month since the last time he had seen the elders and now he was discovering that they could get on his nerves even without the need to be physically present there. Their arrogance was truly getting out of bounds. Now they were telling him what to do? Making a list of women for him to meet? The note crumpled in his spasmodically clenching hand.

He chucked the useless papers on the coffee table and went to the kitchen to make himself some tea, never noticing that with the force he used in the throw the folder slid off the edge and landed partially under the couch.

Leaving it there was the second mistake that he made.

Sasuke just got out of a shower, refreshed and relaxed, when the doorbell rang. Sighing, he quickly dressed in a loose gray t-shirt and sweatpants, before answering the door.

"Hi, Sasuke-kun! Can I come in?" chirped his pink-haired teammate. The medic bag slung over her shoulder gave out the purpose of the sudden visit. "I heard you were already back from your mission so I thought I'll check up on you."

"Sakura," he greeted and stepped aside to let her in. "You worry too much." But a small, barely there smile on his face told her that he didn't mind at all.

"Someone has to," she quipped back at him with ease. Their relationship as teammates and friends had been rebuilt not without hardship, especially at the beginning, but now it was much stronger than ever, making Sakura comfortable enough to even banter lightly with the strangely more responsive Uchiha. The medic cast a long-suffering look at him. "If you just came to the hospital for your after mission check-up, like you are supposed to, I wouldn't have to give you a home visit."

Sasuke grunted dismissively. Maybe he wanted her to come?

Sakura huffed, then settled on the couch, putting her bag on the table and taking out the necessary equipment. "Let's get started," she ordered in her doctor-voice. "I need to take your blood pressure."

The Uchiha sat down beside her obediently and gave her his arm, used to her work-mode by now. The check-up went uneventfully as Sasuke hadn't sustained any serious damage besides a few small scratches, which Sakura still insisted on properly tending to, going as far as to make sure he wasn't poisoned. He silently observed as she carefully applied ointment on his skin, rubbing it in with circular motions.

"I'm done," she smiled up at him briefly and turned to pack up her bag.

"Thanks," Sasuke murmured. "Would you like... some tea?" he asked out of a blue.

She stilled in surprise, then looked at him again, her face lighting up. "Yes, that would be great."

Sasuke disappeared into the kitchen, leaving her alone in his living room.

To be continued...