Story title and summery: TRIAL: Sasuke's time to become a vessel is nearing, he decides to face his brother with his own power. Not wanting his clan to disappear should he fail Sasuke turns to the one person he knows can face the trial of protecting his heir. M/preg, Slash, Yaoi, pairing could be considered nonconsensual, bad language, adult situations, fight scenes, character death.

Blanket disclaimer: I do not claim any rights to Naruto or any characters associated with the anime/manga. They are the property of Masashi Kishimoto.

Author's detailed warning for this story please read: This story contains M/preg; later in story, slash pairings; (SAS/OC'S) no details with these pairings and no actual characters introduced just stated in the story,(SAS/NAR) this pairing comes later in story could be considered nonconsensual but nothing violent, manga spoilers; up to ch 31 vol 280, altered time line; after previously mentioned chapter is from my own imagination, adult situations, cursing, graphic fight scenes, and character death (Oro). If you are not of age to be reading such things, or anything listed above is offensive to you then please push the back button now. Reviews and comments are encouraged and appreciated as long as they are not flames.

My deepest thanks to Jaded Lady for her work as beta on this story. I appreciate all your hard work.

'thinking'
"talking"

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In a shadowed hallway lit only by candles, within the underground hideout of criminal Sennin Orochimaru a lone figure makes his way toward a door at the end of the hall. The sounds of someone's agonizing screams could be heard from the dungeons below. Obviously someone was on the receiving end of either Kabuto or Orochimaru's attention. Reaching the room at the end the figure slowly opened the door and entered.

Leaving the door open to allow some light to filter in from the hall the young man worked to light the oil lamps contained within the room. As the room was illuminated it was clear by the different instruments contained this was a medical lab of sorts. Walking to the door the young man leaned against it, at the sound of the door clicking shut the dark-haired boy reached above him and slid a thick bolt into place, locking himself inside and the terrors he lived with outside.

'If only it was this easy to lock out the terrors that plague me.' Sasuke thought, closing his eyes he shivered in disgust, wishing he could wash the feel of the snake Sennin's touch off of him. His master, Orochimaru, had never touched him in a way one would consider deviant or even remotely perverted, but he always left Sasuke feeling like he was a piece of merchandise; like a fine silk waiting to be crafted into an expensive ceremonial kimono.

Sighing, Sasuke knew in a way that was exactly what he was. When his time was up that was just what Orochimaru would do. 'He'll take my body and cover his soul with it just like putting on a kimono.' Shaking off the feeling Sasuke moved towards the back counter and began to set up a microscope. Pulling his research journal and his latest specimens out of his robe's hidden pocket Sasuke hoped he would find the results he had been trying for this time.

He knew from the things Orochimaru had been saying he had little time left before his body would be taken over. It seemed he wasn't the only one on a short time span though. His master had plans to attack Konoha again, and soon from the impression he was given. He knew his best bet to be free of Orochimaru and fulfill his plans would be during the attack on Konoha, so he was pushing his research forward to ensure he was ready when the time came.

This last year of his life had been a time of preparing and he was glad the time for action was approaching. He left his home over two years ago to become the Sennin's student only for the older man to become unwilling to teach him. Saying that Sasuke had learned enough. Never one to remain idle, Sasuke pushed to improve himself on his own when he overheard Orochimaru admit he had no intention of following through with his promise to avenge the Uchiha clan after he took over Sasuke's body. It seemed Orochimaru would take on Itachi only as a last resort if Akatsuki threatened him.

Sasuke sat alone in his room for many days coming to terms with the fact that he had been lied to and his life ambition would not be fulfilled. In the end he realized he was nothing more than a tool for Orochimaru's use, worth less than the boy named Haku they had meet in Wave Country on their first mission away from the village. At least Zabuza had felt something for the boy at his death; all Sasuke was to Orochimaru was a covering for his soul to wear.

With this new knowledge Sasuke decided he would lay in wait until the time was right for him to strike. That was one thing he had leaned from his summoned snakes he was contracted with. One must be patient, and wait for the right time to strike to ensure success. He would kill his master and afterwards he would go after Itachi.

It was during this time that Sasuke decided to start studying medical jutsu with Kabuto, who thankfully had been happy to teach him. While studying he came across information about curses and found that just killing Orochimaru would not be enough to release him from the curse the Sennin had placed on him. He did find the answer though, a large influx of chakra after the man's death could dissolve the curse. There was only one place and one person he knew with enough chakra to break the seal and that was Konoha's number one knuckle-headed ninja; Naruto. He could only hope Naruto would help him. Sasuke smirked thinking about how confused his old friend would be when he witnessed Sasuke betraying Orochimaru.

Not long after his discovery about the curse Sasuke began to make plans on what to do regarding Itachi and his lost clan. When he went after Itachi he knew there would be a chance he would be killed. It wasn't that he was concerned for his life, he was a trained ninja and one had to be prepared to face death. But the idea he would die and leave no heir to the Uchiha clan did bother him.

The thought of finding a woman he could impregnate was hard for him to deal with. First off Sasuke had always found woman an annoyance, and not just anyone would be worthy to birth his child. He wasn't about to let one of these crazy bitches from Sound do it.

He decided the one to bare his child should be from Konoha, in Konoha hopefully the mother would not be held responsible for what happened to her and having an innocent child with Uchiha blood back in the village would save the child as well. If Konoha accepted such a child Sasuke knew they would do all in their powers to protect his offspring. He wasn't a fool, he understand how important his clan was to the village.

The person to give birth to his child would have to be strong, a kunoichi at least. Someone with enough strength that if he didn't defeat Itachi and died then his child would still have protection from his brother. Going over his options Sasuke felt none of the girls he knew were candidates for such and important job. Truthfully the only one in Konoha Sasuke felt he could trust was Naruto; he was the only one their age to have faced Itachi and lived, besides himself.

His imagination provided a picture of Naruto in his Oiroke no Jutsu form. At first Sasuke snickered. 'If only it was that easy.' He had thought to himself, that was when the insane idea came to him. The idea to create a womb inside of a man to allow him to carry a child. While studying under Kabuto, Sasuke had helped during several surgeries. Some were for actual medical reason, like when a follower had been injured. Sasuke knew that taking a piece of a person that contained their DNA, like their hair, could be used to help replace tissue lost from battle. Sasuke had himself done the procedure many times when Sound nin's would return from a mission with large gapping wounds that needed flesh to be replaced. From watching and assisting in experiments done on unlucky prisoners Sasuke knew those medical techniques could be twisted to do many different unnatural things. He didn't see why he couldn't do something similar and create a womb inside of man, a womb that could be sustained with the person's chakra.

Naruto was a natural choice. Naruto had almost unlimited chakra and if anyone would refuse to kill a child it was Naruto, even if the child was unnaturally created. Sasuke figured being the vessel for a demon would certainly broaden your idea of what was unnatural. Naruto would give his life to protect anyone he cared for, plus if Naruto's own DNA were to be mixed with Sasuke's in the creation of the child then blonde shinobi would never be able to turn from a child as much his own as Sasuke's.

Sasuke found himself dabbling in the forbidden world of experimental medical jutsu. It was a simple jutsu really, the idea was the jutsu and new tissue would feed off a person's chakra. The female egg was a donor that would be cleaned out and his and Naruto’s sperm would provide the two halves of the genetic information needed. Once the genetic information was combined it would be put back into the egg and allowed to develop naturally within the created womb inside of Naruto's body.

As soon as he felt he had a way to make a man carry a child he knew it was time for the procedure to be tested. That was where Orochimaru's dungeons came in. With permission to use whatever prisoners he needed for his experiments Sasuke went to pick out the men that would be his victims. A part of him felt badly for what he would be doing to the men. He separated them from the others so Kabuto and Orochimaru wouldn't touch them, they had to be kept in good health for what he was doing, and most had to be fattened up and given supplements before he could even start. At first they treated him with suspicion and made a few tries on his life, after he explained what he was going to do and promised they would not be injured, and would be well treated he was able to get their cooperation.

He shook his head wondering if he would have fought for the chance to be a test subject to someone like himself if he had faced the choice of either being used by him or by Kabuto and Orochimaru. The six he had taken assured him they would rather be used by him than the other two, since survival was never the objective with them and it was with him. Plus the added food rations and blankets he gave them in return for their cooperation seemed fair, at least from the prisoners perspectives.

Thanks to them he had not only perfected his medical treatment jutsu but now was well instructed in ways of pleasuring the flesh. He had been the blushing virgin in the beginning; the men were all older and knowledgeable in the pleasures between men. Thanks to them he certainly wasn't a blushing virgin anymore. Shaking his head Sasuke assured himself the men certainly hadn't voiced any problems with teaching him all about sex between men nor had they seemed to hate being on the receiving end of his attention either. It still did little to ease his mind over what he was doing to them, but he could not allow his conscience to deter him when he was so close. Besides he had already decided if it worked he would be allowing the six men the means to escape as thanks.

Through his experiments he'd found the best way to deliver the genetic information to the donor egg was to implant the first subjects information into the egg. Then after the chemicals and jutsu had created the womb, implant the egg and deliver his own seed into the test subjects body and let the combination happen there. It seemed there was fewer problems that way. After having sex with the man Sasuke would use his medical knowledge and chakra to seal up the womb's opening; that opening just so happened to be near the man's prostate. By sealing up the opening the child would be safe and protected until it was time for the birth. Birthing would have to be done by cesarean section, since there was no birth canal, but any trained medic-nin or doctor could do that.

He knew this was the only way he would be able to bring another Uchiha into the world. No woman had the strength to protect a child against someone like his brother, if he failed in his quest to kill Itachi and was killed himself then his child would have to continue the Uchiha line in his place. The child would need a parent that would be loyal to his memory along with possessing enough strength to take on anyone that would be out to harm the child.

"Hn, not like there is any women out there like that." He remarked to himself, finishing the set up of the microscope, the only person those words described was Naruto, plus if he was able to survive he wanted to return to be a part of the child's life. Once again the only person he could come up with that he felt he could stand to be around while raising a child was the one he had called his best friend. The blonde had always been good with kids, truthfully he just had a way with people in general.

During the time he came up with this plan Sasuke decided if he had to combine the Uchiha clan with anyone, Naruto was the best one he could come up with. Beyond the fact that the dobe was attractive to look at he also had many good qualities as a shinobi. Their union would prove to be a good one, if he could make it work. The results of these latest samples would tell him if he was going to have the ability to use Naruto as his vessel to continue his clan or not.

Focusing the scope on the sample Sasuke's eyes widened at what he was seeing. Turning to the scans he had done of the six men he studied them intently, a satisfied smile crossed his face, it had worked all six had conceived and life now grew within them.

Getting the necessary medications together to stop the experiments from continuing Sasuke used his Sharingan to seal the information within his memory, detail by detail so if anything happened to the papers he would still have the knowledge. It wasn't like he hadn't practiced enough with those men that the procedure wasn't burned into his mind but it never hurt to have the information of the results and failures in his memory as well.

Gathering up the extra food rations and some water containers Sasuke unbolted the door hiding his papers within his robe again and went to where his men were kept. Entering their area of the dungeon he distributed the medicine and watched as they all finished it then gave out the water and food. In a quiet whisper he instructed to one of the men how to escape from the dungeon and to pass on the information to the rest as silently as possible. He suggested they waited a few hours before heading out and that they not even try to enact revenge on Orochimaru. "I suggest you swallow your pride and run for your lives." He concluded, then turned and left.

All that was left now was to wait for the time when he would see Naruto again. Sasuke had overheard Orochimaru's plan to release the Kyuubi from Naruto and set the demon loose on Konoha. 'I can't allow that to happen, it's only with that endless demon chakra he has that my plan will work. Before Orochimaru can begin his plan for Naruto I will enact my own plan and take my master's life. Then all I have to do is get the dobe to help me finish breaking the bastard's curse over me.'

Reentering the lab he went about mixing the ingredients he would need when he faced Naruto again. His mind supplied him with the image of his last living precious person. He found he was able to smile very easily when he thought of the blonde boy, young man his mind corrected. Sasuke wondered as he hid all his needed supplies how much Naruto had changed in looks over the years since he had seen him.

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Akatsuki: organization of missing-nin's, name means dawn.

shinobi: means ninja

kunoichi: female ninja

Additional information: There is a saying that goes, 'truth is sometimes stranger than fiction.' Which applies here. What Sasuke has in mind to do is based off of research I did regarding SCNT (cloning). No, what I describe is not what is done but it isn't that far from the truth either. I took the information I learned on the subject and allowed my imagination to run with it a bit. If your interested in the subject just do a search for SCNT and you can learn all you want. I am not claiming that what I describe in the story is the procedure for cloning just that the idea is based off the information I got on the subject. As far as the medical treatments Sasuke describes I got this off the anime and manga where they showed the medical ninjas fixing Neji's wounds with his hair and chakra along with the scenes from later anime where they showed experiments Orochimaru and his followers had preformed on people.

Blanket disclaimer: I do not claim any rights to Naruto or any characters associated with the anime/manga. They are the property of Masashi Kishimoto.

Author's detailed warning for this story please read: This story contains M/preg; later in story, slash pairings; (SAS/OC'S) no details with these pairings and no actual characters introduced just stated in the story,(SAS/NAR) this pairing comes later in story could be considered nonconsensual but nothing violent, manga spoilers; up to ch 31 vol 280, altered time line; after previously mentioned chapter is from my own imagination, adult situations, cursing, graphic fight scenes, and character death (Oro). If you are not of age to be reading such things, or anything listed above is offensive to you then please push the back button now. Reviews and comments are encouraged and appreciated as long as they are not flames.

My deepest thanks to Jaded Lady for her work as beta on this story. I appreciate all your hard work.

'thinking'
"talking"


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From his place near Orochimaru, Sasuke wiped his face with the edge of his haori. His master's attack on Konoha had so far been a very bloody affair. To his credit Sasuke had managed to refrain from taking the life of anyone he had faced-off against, choosing instead to knock them out. At Kabuto's word he and a few select others took up position in the form of a box preparing to form the barrier. From what Sasuke had overheard it would be inside this barrier that Orochimaru was planning on releasing the demon housed within Naruto.

Sasuke watched as the events played out before him as the three legendary shinobi faced one another. In a place in his mind Sasuke realized this might be his, Naruto, and Sakura’s fate one day if he lived past today and his actions ended the bond he had with Naruto. But he couldn't allow treacherous thoughts such as this to stop him now, not when he was so close.

Through the battle Sasuke watched as his ex-teammate forced his way towards them to stand with Tsunade and Jiraiya. His breath hitched at the sight of Naruto, while the younger shinobi had grown he was still shorter than himself, Sasuke observed with a smirk. He still wore an orange outfit, so improper for a ninja but it did suit him. Same wild spiky blonde hair, eyes as blue as the endless sky and the marks on his face that showed his connection to the creature Sasuke knew was housed within him.

Stopping next to Jiraiya and Tsunade, Naruto's stance said he was ready to fight Orochimaru himself if need be to protect those he held precious. Staying near the back where Orochimaru had told him to be Sasuke could just make out the threats the snake master was making in regards to those people Naruto held as precious. Loosing control of his emotions due to the criminal Sennin's words Naruto bolted forward to fight the man himself, disregarding his sensei and Hokage's warnings as fiery red chakra formed around his body. Claws, fangs, darkened whisker markings, and red eyes proved the power of Kyuubi had been pulled into the boys body giving him power to face this man.

That was the moment Orochimaru had been prepared for, with the three other followers Sasuke began to help form a bubble around their master and Naruto; the same that was used against Sarutobi-sama when he faced Orochimaru. Sasuke knew Orochimaru didn't care what happened to his followers that were fighting against the Leaf ninjas, if they all died so that he could complete his plan so be it, they were merely tools. The only reason Sasuke and the other three were with Orochimaru was because they were all seen as worthy to be his host bodies and he would need one of them very soon.

If nothing was done Konoha would fall thanks to the power of the Kyuubi. Orochimaru had discovered a jutsu to allow the kitsune to have control over Naruto's body. Once the demon was unleashed it would do Orochimaru's dirty work for him. The Hidden Village of Konoha would fall that day to the power housed within the jinchuuriki of the Kyuubi, leaving Orochimaru in control of two villages. In the end Naruto would die, his body would be destroyed by the unlimited power of the creature. No matter what happened Sasuke had already decided he would never allow his friend to become Orochimaru's tool like he had.

As the barrier was going up Sasuke slipped five connected kunais out from inside his haori. On the kunais Sasuke had placed special tags that he had discovered could be used to substitute the people who were currently beginning the barrier. The fifth would remain inside giving him a way to drop the barrier. Acting quickly Sasuke embedded the kunais at each point. While drawing his katana from its sheaf Sasuke activated his Sharingan, running at top speed within the barrier he dispatched the other followers and landed in a crouched position inside the barrier walls as it finished going up behind Orochimaru and Naruto.

Standing, Sasuke could tell Orochimaru was beginning the jutsu he intended to use against Naruto. Before the man had a chance to hurt his last living precious person the dark shinobi drew back his blade and poured all his power into it, electrifying it with his natural chakra. With a cry he leapt forward bringing the blade across the back of Orochimaru's neck, severing the man's head from his body. Thanks to the heat given off by the chakra charged sword the wounds had been cauterized immediately so there was no blood.

Having just raised his hands to form the seals for the jutsu against Naruto, Orochimaru was caught by surprise as his men fell but the barrier stayed in place. Before he could figure out Sasuke's deceit, his student showed he had in fact surpassed his teacher as the blade of the katana cut through him.

Naruto jumped back in shock as the head of Orochimaru rolled towards him. The red chakra that had enveloped him quickly dissipated as he starred into the equally shocked eyes of Orochimaru's severed head. The sound of a sword hitting the ground brought his attention back to the raven haired shinobi, Naruto's eyes widened and he blushed slightly, watching as Sasuke ripped off his shirt, the curse seal on his neck was burning him for his deed. Naruto couldn't help but take a step back when Sasuke's Sharingan eyes locked onto his; it was too much like the day in the valley.

"Wait . . . . " Sasuke called to him reaching one hand out. "Please, I . . . I . . . need your help." He admitted gritting his teeth against the pain. Blinking in shock that Uchiha Sasuke had just asked for help Naruto found himself at a lost for words, silently he nodded his agreement to help. Smiling despite the pain at his old friend Sasuke motioned for him to come closer.

Rushing over as Sasuke's knees gave out Naruto caught him by his shoulders and carefully finished lowering him till he was kneeling on the ground, squatting down in front of him Naruto could feel himself beginning to panic. "Let me figure a way out of this barrier, I'll get Tsunade-baba she can help better than I can."

As Naruto was making a move to stand Sasuke caught a hold of him by his sleeve, getting the blonde's attention once again Sasuke shook his head no. "I figured out how to rid myself of the curse, only your power can do it." He explained employing the blonde to understand.

"Me? Alright if you say so." Naruto agreed squatting back down, out the corner of his eye he could make out the form of Orochimaru's headless body, making a face at it he asked what had been going through his mind since it happened. "Why . . . why did you kill him?" Waving his hands in front of him at the strange look he received Naruto explained. "Not that I'm not happy to be rid of him."

Biting his lower lip Sasuke looked back at his former master so he didn't have to face his friend. "It was the only way, I've been fighting his control for over a year now trying to escape him. I need your help to finally be free. Will you help me Naruto? Can I still trust you to save me?" He asked taking the chance to look into Naruto's blue eyes. "Are you still the friend I hoped you were to me when that bastard forced me to fight you in the Valley of the End?" Sasuke asked clearly in pain as he held onto his neck where his curse seal was.

"He made you fight me then?" Naruto asked looking at Sasuke with hope shining in his eyes. Smirking Sasuke touched one of Naruto's hands that was still on his shoulders. "Come on dobe, you don't really believe I would try to kill you do you? You were . . . are my best friend. Would I have thrown myself in front of those senbon needles in the Land of Waves if I wanted you dead?"

Before he knew what was happening Naruto had wrapped him in a tight bear hug, tears running down the smaller blonde's face. "I need you to burn off this seal Naruto, before it kills me." Sasuke hissed unable to return the embrace, he could feel Naruto nod against his shoulder pulling back. "What do you want me to do?" He asked awaiting Sasuke's instructions. 'I never thought he'd grow up enough to sit still and listen.' Sasuke thought surprised at Naruto's teamwork skills and maturity. "I need you to bite my neck where the seal is, hard enough to break the skin. When you do I need you to channel your red chakra into the seal and burn the damn thing off."

Naruto gasped at Sasuke's request, composing himself he nodded in agreement, he felt strange doing something seemingly so intimate towards Sasuke but he would do anything to help his friend, even this. Yes, Sasuke was still his friend; he smiled at the thought. He had only dreamed it was possible and now Sasuke had swore it was Orochimaru that had caused the mess, Naruto felt more light hearted then he had in years.

Blushing Naruto wrapped his arms around Sasuke using one hand to hold his head to the side, leaning in towards Sasuke's neck he opened his mouth to bite him. "Alright teme, I don't want to hear any of your crap when you end up with one hell of a hickey from this. You did ask for it." Naruto smarted off against Sasuke's neck. Sasuke snorted at him for his choice of words. "I'll keep that in mind dobe, go ahead I want to get this over with." Nodding just once Naruto pulled Kyuubi's chakra into himself, once his fangs had formed he bared them biting down hard enough to draw blood. As soon as he tasted the coppery substance he began sending the fox's red chakra into the seal.

Sasuke reached up to grip Naruto's shoulders, though it was painful a part of him enjoyed the act, Naruto had agreed to do this without a second thought. 'Perhaps this means things could work out how I'm hoping for after all.' His mind supplied to him as he hissed in pain from the burning sensation the demon chakra was making on his neck. Just as the seal dissolved Sasuke screamed out from the intensity of the pain from both Orochimaru's seal and Naruto's chakra pulling his head out of Naruto's hands. Naruto lift his mouth from Sasuke's shoulder carefully watching his friend for signs that everything was alright again.

The intense pain from the curse and demon chakra had become more manageable, leaning his forehead against Naruto's shoulder Sasuke worked on slowing down his breathing. He could feel it, finally he was free. His mind was clearer than it had been in years and the only pain now was from the bite wound he was left with from Naruto. The blonde was right, he was going to be left with one hell of a hickey. Now that he was free it was time to begin his own plans concerning Naruto. His clan needed him to be strong now, he knew he had the power to defeat his brother but he was not sure if it would take his life or not, before he headed out to his brother's location he had one other duty he needed to fulfill.

Naruto released his hold on Sasuke pulling back some, licking his lips to remove the trace of blood that remained on him. Nervously looking at the place where the seal had been, it was no longer there, only the bite wound from his fangs remained and some steam coming off his skin. Taking a chance he looked up into Sasuke's face, he found Sasuke actually smiling softly at him. "Thanks Naruto, I knew I could count on your help." Beaming under the acknowledgement and praise Naruto broke out in a large foxy grin. "Well you know," he said chuckling happily. "You can always count on me Sasuke."

Reaching up Sasuke wrapped his arms around him and pulled him close causing the smaller boy to stiffen from the unexpected contact. "I know where Itachi is Naruto. I have to go and avenge my clan then I'm coming home. I need your help with one more thing if you think you can handle it. I can trust no one but you to help me with this." Sasuke quietly explained his warm breath ghosting over Naruto's ear.

Naruto blushed from Sasuke's treatment of him, he wondered just what all he had been through to make him so touchy-feely. But he ignored it due to the fact the Uchiha Sasuke had not only asked for his help once today but, was asking for it again and even admitted only he could help him with it. Naruto felt his heart and ego swell with pride that Sasuke trusted him so much. If he had any doubts about Sasuke before they were gone now, Sasuke had never meant to hurt him or leave him it was all to obvious to Naruto, it had been that horrible snake bastard's fault all along. Hugging Sasuke back with all the happiness he felt at that moment Naruto replied. "I'll do what ever you need me to do Sasuke, you just name it."

Sasuke nodded as he formed the seals for a sleep jutsu behind his happy friend's back then reached up and touched his forehead releasing the jutsu on the boy. "Sleep Naruto. . . . " Naruto's eyes clouded over with sleep as he gave a questioning look to Sasuke. Smiling Sasuke laid him down gently. "Trust me Naruto, I won't harm you I promise." Trusting as ever Naruto nodded, allowing Sasuke to lay him down.

Sasuke pulled out a sealing scroll he had made especially for Naruto. The seal would ensure the blonde would stay under the light sleep jutsu even during what Sasuke planned on doing to him. Without the seal Sasuke knew Naruto would have easily been able to break the sleep jutsu being it was so light but if he had made the jutsu too strong then Naruto wouldn't have been capable of responding at all to Sasuke. Carefully Sasuke placed the scroll on Naruto's forehead. Now that everything up until then was taken care of Sasuke could concentrate on his plan.


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kitsune: fox

baba: grandmother, hag

senbon: needles

kunai: throwing knife

katana: a curved single-edged sword traditionally used by Japanese samurai

teme: bastard (Naruto's pet name for Sasuke)

dobe: dead last (Sasuke's pet name for Naruto)

jinchuuriki: a human vessel housing a demon, term means power of human sacrifice (at least that is a translation I've found).

Blanket disclaimer: I do not claim any rights to Naruto or any characters associated with the anime/manga. They are the property of Masashi Kishimoto.

Author's detailed warning for this story please read: This story contains M/preg; later in story, slash pairings; (SAS/OC'S) no details with these pairings and no actual characters introduced just stated in the story,(SAS/NAR) this pairing comes later in story could be considered nonconsensual but nothing violent, manga spoilers; up to ch 31 vol 280, altered time line; after previously mentioned chapter is from my own imagination, adult situations, cursing, graphic fight scenes, and character death (Oro). If you are not of age to be reading such things, or anything listed above is offensive to you then please push the back button now. Reviews and comments are encouraged and appreciated as long as they are not flames.

My deepest thanks to Jaded Lady for her work as beta on this story. I appreciate all your hard work.

'thinking'
"talking"

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Sasuke took a moment to take notice of his surrounding, while no one could get in or hear what was being said until he released the shield, those that gathered could see quite clearly what he was doing. Strangely he felt slightly self-conscious about what he was about to do. Which was odd being that every time he had been with one of his test subjects it had been in the one holding cell they were all in, he had never been bothered by having an audience before. 'It's probably for Naruto.' Sasuke decided, noticing that several people he knew to be friends to his soon to be lover were watching. To his credit Sasuke wished this moment between them could happen in private under a different setting as well. Shaking his head to rid himself of his hesitation Sasuke knew he had to put such thoughts out of his head, he had no choice, it was now or never.

Steeling himself he took off his ripped shirt, removing his medical kit and laying it beside him. Once everything was set up he went to work on stripping Naruto down to his bare skin. From the corner of his eye he could see Kakashi and several other Jounin’s he remembered from his Genin days in the village trying to find a way to open the shield as well as Sakura, who looked absolutely terrified and a little embarrassed at the moment. Not that he could blame her, it's not everyday that one gets to see their teammate of the opposite sex naked, and Naruto was attractive if he did say so himself. Sasuke felt a shiver go up his spine at the cold killing look he saw on the Godaime's face directed at him, the look from Naruto's ero-sennin wasn't any better. Sasuke smirked, if Konoha had the resources to have so many gathered it was obvious that Orochimaru's forces had been taken care of.

Turning his attention away from those outside the barrier Sasuke went about following the steps he had worked out to enact his plan. He knew he needed to arouse Naruto first so he could get some of his seed to make everything work. Having finished stripping himself so he was as bare as Naruto, Sasuke leaned over and began slowly kissing and lightly touching him. First on his face, tracing his whisker like markings then on to his neck and chest, making his nipples stand out. Sasuke was amazed at how responsive Naruto was, knowing Naruto could respond a bit to him being the sleep jutsu was so light Sasuke leaned over to his ear. "Naruto, has anyone ever touched you like this before?"

"Nngh . . . ." Naruto whimpered thrashing back and forth, indicating he hadn't. Naruto's reply left him feeling strangely satisfied to know that no one else had ever been near the boy like he was now it made his male pride swell. Sasuke continued his worshipping of the blonde's body, even whispering sweet words of encouragement and promises to him. All of which he intended to keep. Promises of returning to him when his duty was fulfilled. Even going as far as admitting how much Naruto meant to him. It was easy to do so locked within the protective shield, it was like a dream that no one could disturb. Soon Sasuke had Naruto withering as his gentle caresses paid off and the smaller boy found release.

Grabbing one of the empty test tubes he had brought, Sasuke quickly scooped up as much of Naruto's seed as he could. Getting the tube containing the emptied donor egg Sasuke introduced some of the blonde's seed into the egg's container. Pulling out his handheld microscope Sasuke used his Sharingan and chakra to guide what would become Naruto's half of the DNA into the egg. Sasuke watched until he saw the combination of one of Naruto's cells and the egg. Satisfied with how things were going Sasuke carefully capped the vial and sat it aside to begin preparing Naruto for the next step.

Uncorking the lubricant he had brought Sasuke worked on making sure to slick Naruto as completely as possible, he knew it was going to hurt him some but he was determined to prevent as much pain as possible for him. From what he had learned one could never have too much lubrication. He had done this enough times with his test subjects that he knew what he needed to do. Gently Sasuke began using his finger to stretch Naruto's muscles in his entrance. Unfortunately Naruto kept tensing up against the foreign feeling, knowing he had to distract him Sasuke leaned forward and took hold of his currently softened member and began teasing him with his mouth.

Sasuke snorted as Naruto arched his back pushing himself towards Sasuke, now seeking out more of the sensations Sasuke was giving him with his mouth seemingly to have completely forgotten about what else Sasuke was doing. Things progressed quickly from there; Naruto was soon ready to proceed. Looking down at his own arousal Sasuke smirked thinking his blonde wasn't the only one ready as he slicked himself up with the lube.

First thing was first though Sasuke reminded himself, grabbing a second paper seal he placed it on Naruto's stomach causing the Kyuubi seal to appear. Gathering the chemicals he had perfected he lifted Naruto's legs putting them over his shoulders positioning his body so he could insure everything would pool inside him. Uncapping the chemicals he lubed up the rim and slid it slightly into Naruto's entrance draining them into his body. The Kyuubi's chakra flared at the intrusion of the chemicals that would form a womb and the other necessary physical parts Naruto would need for the child Sasuke was creating with him. The child would be fed not only from Naruto's body, but also from his chakra. No other human man would have been able to be a carrier for the entire duration, only Naruto had the extra-unlimited chakra needed to do so thanks to his internal guest. Working through the jutsu Sasuke used his chakra and the chemicals that were now inside Naruto's body to create the womb and an entrance, the entrance was located by the blonde's prostrate. Once the egg and his seed was within Naruto, Sasuke would once again use the medical jutsus he had learned and seal the entrance.

With the jutsu finished it was now time to introduce the egg into Naruto's body. Mimicking what he had done with the tube of chemicals Sasuke greased the vile containing the egg and then dumped it into Naruto's body as well. Using his medical training Sasuke made sure the egg was in the correct position within the newly formed womb.

During the process Sasuke had continued when able to stroke Naruto keeping him interested and unaware of what exactly he was doing. The dobe might have been under the sleep jutsu but he could feel what was going on and understand what Sasuke was saying to him, but he could not resist him in anyway.

With the completion of the jutsu it was time to proceed, looking down at Naruto laid out so desirably in front of him Sasuke could not help but to test out the feel of what he was going to do. Ever mindful of the fact this was the first time for Naruto, Sasuke nudged his tight portal with the tip of his manhood. Bumping against the small opening Sasuke shivered imagining what it was going to feel like to be in the blonde's embrace. Sasuke had experience the pleasure of sex with many men but something about who it was lying before him made it different. In his mind he could picture how Naruto would look if things could have happened the way they should have instead of this public showing he was putting on at present. He could see Naruto lying under him in the privacy and comfort of a bed. His blonde hair fanned out around him, panting and wanton from the sensations of Sasuke's hands, his lips, and his tongue coaxing a sexual high out of him. Just as he would enter him Naruto's blue eyes would shine with a collection of unshed tears, tears brought on from the intense pleasure he had been giving him and the unavoidable pain from giving up his virginity to Sasuke. In his imagination he could see the bright flush adorning Naruto's cheeks and hear mewling cries he would make from the feeling of Sasuke's member pushing oh so slowly into him.

From the corner of him eye Sasuke noticed the Hokage pounding on the side of the barrier. 'Hn, she doesn't appear very happy right now.' He decided; the saying if looks could kill came to his mind as he watched her hitting the shield as he positioned himself to enter Naruto. He realized the angle they were laying was providing quit the show for those still left. Most of the ninja's who had been there at first were now gone. 'She probably sent them away when they figured out they couldn't break in.' For a moment he felt bad for the Hokage, he remembered she seemed to have a liking for Naruto. 'Seeing him like this is probably hard for her.' He decided when he noticed Naruto's sensei Jiraiya was lending his support to her with his hand on the Godaime's shoulder.

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Godaime: means 5th used to refer to the 5th person holding the Hokage postion.

Sharingan: copy wheel eye (doujutsu-bloodline limit of Uchiha clan) capability to read and defeat all types of nin,tai, and genjutsu can copy almost any technique seen except for hijutsu. This is same for all the types of Sharingan.

ero-sennin: perverted hermit

Blanket disclaimer: I do not claim any rights to Naruto or any characters associated with the anime/manga. They are the property of Masashi Kishimoto.

Author's detailed warning for this story please read: This story contains M/preg; later in story, slash pairings; (SAS/OC'S) no details with these pairings and no actual characters introduced just stated in the story,(SAS/NAR) this pairing comes later in story could be considered nonconsensual but nothing violent, manga spoilers; up to ch 31 vol 280, altered time line; after previously mentioned chapter is from my own imagination, adult situations, cursing, graphic fight scenes, and character death (Oro). If you are not of age to be reading such things, or anything listed above is offensive to you then please push the back button now. Reviews and comments are encouraged and appreciated as long as they are not flames.

My deepest thanks to Jaded Lady for her work as beta on this story. I appreciate all your hard work.

'thinking'
"talking"

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Sasuke had no more time for such things, with Naruto's legs still hooked over his shoulders he leaned forward to kiss Naruto's lips gently to apologize for the pain he was going to cause him. "This will hurt some Naruto, I'm sorry it is not my intention to do so. I promise it will not last though." He said against Naruto's lips as he slowly entered his body. Sasuke took his time; he was a well-trained shinobi after all and had a lot of control. He allowed Naruto all the time he needed to adjust, going bit by bit slowly pressing forward, always waiting until Naruto's muscles stopped contracting and he relaxed, then he would begin again advancing this way until he was completely within him. The whole time he had been stroking Naruto gently not only to take his attention away from what he was doing but to also lessen any pain. Sasuke kept himself under tight control as he shifted himself searching out the bundle of nerves he knew laid within. He needed to find them not only to make things pleasurable for Naruto but also the temporary opening to the female organs that were now within the blonde's body were located there. If he was going to impregnate his friend that was the spot he needed to be at.

Naruto's jerk and gasp alerted him when he had found them. Smirking he angled himself so he would rub right along them as he began the process that would lead him to conceive a child with Naruto. Sasuke hadn’t realized the sensations he would be experiencing. Of course there had been some physical pleasure for himself with the test subjects, but he had not counted on the flood of emotions he felt since the one under him wasn't just some nameless man who would help with his research. This was Naruto, the one who would help him restore his clan. The emotional control he had always prided himself on was soon gone, knowing he could not fight what he felt he simply accepted them as proof that he had been right in picking Naruto. He found himself praying that when he faced his brother he would not only succeed in avenging his clan but would live to return to Naruto so that he could further analyze the connecting he felt with him.

Sasuke made sure he helped Naruto find release before him, it was the least he could do for him after all, he found himself falling over the edge into bliss soon after from the sudden grip Naruto's body had on his member, the spasms proved to be his undoing. He was happy to find Naruto's body seemed eager to have his seed as it milked him dry. All Sasuke wanted to do at that moment was lay down on top of Naruto and hold him till his vision cleared. But he knew if he was going to insure Naruto conceived he had to hold him up.

Blinking to force his vision to come back into focus he watched the Kyuubi's seal on his stomach flare up. Waiting a few minutes Sasuke pulled his chakra into his hand to allow him to manipulate his seed to the place where the egg that already possessed Naruto's DNA to mix. The sight of the Kyuubi seal fading from view was Sasuke's sign that everything was going according to plan. With his medical training from Kabuto, Sasuke ghosted his hand over the blonde's body looking for the new chakra signature that would say it had worked. Sasuke chuckled as he found it rather quickly, it was already strong and pulsing, his plan had worked, the egg had everything it needed and was well on it's way to forming his and Naruto’s child. Moving his hand lower Sasuke used his training again to seal the opening in Naruto's canal that had been formed to allow for the miracle to take place. With the opening now sealed Sasuke knew the child would safely grow inside Naruto's body till it was time to be taken out. Carefully Sasuke pulled himself from Naruto's body, hissing at the friction on his overly sensitive male part.

Leaning back Sasuke watched in amazement as Naruto's opening; that had tore a bit from the intrusion, seeped red chakra and sealed back as if it had never happened. Smiling Sasuke was immensely satisfied his theory had worked just as he had predicted. He had hoped the Kyuubi's chakra would heal any wounds quickly enough that no seed would be lost and he had been correct. Not that anymore of his seed was needed, the egg was already dividing well on it's way to forming their child but it was his male pride that had hoped Naruto's body would heal and hold on to his seed, marking Naruto inside and out as his. Reaching over he grabbed his pants, dressing quickly. From his medical belt he pulled out two rolled up scrolls and a bag of gold, placing them above Naruto's head. One scroll was addressed to the Hokage giving an explanation on what had happened here today, instructions on when and how to deliver their child, and to remove the seal on Naruto's forehead to break the sleep jutsu. He had also instructed that Naruto was to not go on any missions or train, for he needed to leave his chakra for the child. The other scroll was addressed to Naruto, explaining what he had done and why he had picked him. Sasuke left the promise that if he survived he would return to help him raise the child and that the gold and the whole Uchiha clan inheritance was his now.

Leaning down Sasuke kissed his fingers then placed them on Naruto's stomach where the future Uchiha-Uzumaki heir lay, removing the paper seal he had placed there. Moving to Naruto's face he laid one more kiss onto Naruto's lips. Grabbing his torn haori he covered Naruto's lower body up to try and preserve the blonde's dignity. Gathering up his possessions Sasuke walked to the kunai that remained inside the barrier, removing it from the ground and dropping the barrier. Forming the seals needed Sasuke transported himself away, leaving those present to deal with Naruto and their child.

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. . . Flash ahead several months . . . .

Naruto sat slowly swinging back and forth on the lone swing outside of the ninja academy as he awaited the end of Iruka's day at the school. Tsunade-baba had ordered him to live with Iruka after the incident with Sasuke and he was glad for the company. Time had passed rather quickly and soon he would be a father . . . or mother . . . well a parent anyway. "It's a good thing I don't have much longer to wait, I'd hate to have buy any more clothes that I'll never fit into again." Part of him was excited but scared at the same time, his feelings about having a brat just depended on the time of day one would ask. Like his feelings towards Sasuke, one moment he really hated the bastard for what he had done. Then he would remember the words Sasuke whispered to him while he was creating this child between them and he found himself praying for Sasuke's safe return. No word had come as of yet on if Sasuke had killed Itachi or if he was alive himself. Naruto tried to hold on to the hope that Sasuke wouldn't break the promises he had made to him when he left him with this most important duty. Truth be told a part of him didn't mind what Sasuke had done to him, sure it had hurt some but he had felt worse, he was a ninja after all, and most of it had felt really, really good. Not that he could imagine doing those things with anyone else, but if Sasuke came back he could probably be talked into doing them again. In the end Sasuke had given him something precious. Someone to love, a family of his own, Naruto had never thought he'd have one being he was the Kyuubi vessel but, here he was expecting a child of his very own. No it wasn't a traditional family but he had never been one for tradition anyway. Sure it had been a long hard task Sasuke had given him, it was one hell of a trial to test not only his strength physically but, also mentally and spiritually. Reaching down to rub the bulge sticking out from under his shirt Naruto had to admit he thought he had passed this trial with flying colors.

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MESSAGE FROM AUTHOR (3-20-2007): After many reviews asking that I please add to the story I have finally found the time to get an additional chapter prepared for this story. Chapter 5 will take up exactly where chapter 4 left off. I hope everyone enjoys the following chapter.

Blanket disclaimer: I do not claim any rights to Naruto or any characters associated with the anime/manga. They are the property of Masashi Kishimoto.

Warnings for this chapter: This story contains M/preg, slash pairings (SAS/NAR), talk concerning a sexual act that could be considered nonconsensual, adult situations, cursing, fight scene, a few Japanese words used in the English version of the series are used in this chapter; translation is at the bottom of the page, and hopefully an ending the reader can live with (lol). If you are not of age to be reading such things or anything listed above is offensive to you then please push the back button now. Reviews and comments are encouraged and appreciated as long as they are not flames.

A/N: Thanks everyone for being patient, hopefully now that thing are on track for myself and my dear friend and beta Jaded Lady we can start cranking out some updates and new stories. Thanks to those who reviewed to 'Trials'. Before you all ask . . . I am considering at least one more chapter to the story. Because one more yaoi scene between Sasuke and Naruto is something we all need . . . right?

My deepest thanks to Jaded Lady for her work as beta on this story. I appreciate all your hard work.

'thinking'
"talking"

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Ear-marking the page he had been reading for later scrutiny Kakashi shifted his eye to check on his target. Naruto was still sitting on the swing outside of the academy. Gazing at the bulge his student had the Jounin brought two of his fingers up and silently made the command to cancel. Sighing when Naruto's form didn't change Kakashi watched as the boy rubbed his bulging stomach.

After the assault, Tsunade had given him the mission to watch over the boy until after he gave birth, since no one could talk Naruto into aborting the child. Personally he was rather proud that his student wouldn't be swayed into killing an innocent. Proud but thoroughly disturbed as he watched his very male student grow heavy wiith child. Hence the reason he often tried the kai command, hoping he was simply stuck within some twisted genjutsu.

It had been over eight months since the day his wayward student returned only to turn on Naruto once again. Eight months and still he was plagued by the memories his Sharingan had burned into his mind of Naruto's assault. Kakashi knew of Sasuke's promise to return and part of him hoped Sasuke would. Not only for Naruto and the small life Sasuke had left within the blonde but also because Kakashi had the overwhelming urge to deck the impudent brat for all that he had put everyone through.

Watching over Naruto while he was pregnant had been very interesting and informative to say the least. Kakashi could now state with absolute certainty that he had no interest what-so-ever in ever having a family. Thankfully Naruto's moods had calmed down the closer he came to the date his child would be born. At first everyone had been hard pressed dealing with Naruto and his raging emotions. One second the boy would be happy and smiling, the next scarier than the Kyuubi when it had attacked Konoha and then crying his eyes out while denying he was crying at all.

Seeing Iruka approach the boy Kakashi formed the seals to transport himself down by the two. He had been informed by the Hokage earlier that she would be delivering Naruto's child today and it was his duty to escort Naruto to the hospital, sure they were a little late but it wasn't like that kid was going to birth itself.

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. . . . Time skip-3 years later . . . .

Naruto smiled as he watched his son chasing a butterfly, he was such a happy child. Even though the boy had to deal with his own share of dirty looks and whispered remarks that seldom went unheard. At least unlike his own childhood Nobuyuki was surrounded by people who loved and accepted him. From his own experience he knew that having loved ones helped soothe the pain from those who got around Hokage mandates about not talking about things. Sure he had every intension of telling his son the truth about who his other parent was and his birth when he felt Nobuyuki was old enough to understand. It was just deciding when to approach the subject that was really hard, especially when he didn't feel old enough to talk about it and he had went through it. But it seemed he would be telling the boy soon.

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Sasuke sighed as he watched the little boy chasing after a butterfly without a care in the world. A smile found its way to his face as he observed the child that was obviously Naruto’s and his son. 'Hn, it seems the dobe's genes and mine mixed giving the boy light brown hair with blonde highlights.' He mused, the part of him that had studied so diligently under Kabuto found it quite fascinating to see the mixture of their two genes together. The boy had Naruto's blue eyes, though they were a darker shade of blue. Sasuke could see some of himself in the boy like the shape of his nose and instead of Naruto's naturally tan skin tone the boy was paler. It seemed the boy had taken after Naruto more than himself but he was fine with that.

It had been almost four years since he had been in Konoha, meaning the child would be a little over three years old. 'He's sort of small for his age.' Sasuke thought, smirking when his mind reminded him that the boy's 'mother' had always been on the short side. 'Maybe Naruto would be willing to see what other gene combinations we could come up with.' Sasuke thought, hoping he hadn't ruined his chances being gone for so long. Sasuke's breath caught as he watched Naruto smile at their son.

Biting the inside of his cheek Naruto zeroed in on the faint chakra signature he had been feeling. It was a signature he hadn't felt in years. Putting on a sweet smile for his son Naruto turned to the small boy. "Nobuyuki, I need you to go play with baba." Stopping in mid grab of the elusive butterfly, Nobuyuki blinked at his father with his large dark blue eyes. Still smiling Naruto gestured for his son to leave. "Tell her . . . daddy is talking to an old friend here in the forest." Even with his young age Nobuyuki was a true child of a shinobi, he understood when his father instructed him to do something it was for a reason. Nodding the young boy turned taking off in the direction of the Hokage Tower.

Watching his son run from the clearing Naruto couldn't help but feel pride in how well he had trained the boy. Once his son was out of sight Naruto braced himself. He had felt a familiar chakra watching them, at first he had thought to take his son and leave but he had never been one to run, especially from this bastard. Taking a deep breath he yelled out in the direction he had sensed Sasuke's chakra signature. "Come on out you bastard. I know it's you."

Watching as the child did as he was instructed, Sasuke was shocked that Naruto had realized he was there. Impressed with the dobe's parenting so far he tensed his muscles and leapt from cover, keeping his distance from his past lover. Sure he was powerful enough to defeat his brother but that didn't mean he was going to tempt fate by standing too close to Naruto before he judged the other's reaction to seeing him again.

Taking up a fighting stance Naruto frowned at the young man he was facing. It had been almost four years since Sasuke had looked to him for help in breaking Orochimaru's curse and like a fool he had overlooked everything that had happened in the past only for Sasuke to once again stab him in the back. Knocking him out, using him as woman, doing some weird medical jutsu on him that resulted in their son . . . their son, strange how those two words gave him pause. It was true he loved that little brat more than he thought was possible. 'Bastard probably wanted a replica of himself. Heh, showed him.' Naruto thought, smirking a bit.

"So are you ready for me to kick your ass for what you did?" Standing across from Sasuke after so many years Naruto couldn't lie to himself, there was a part of him that wanted nothing else than to hug the smug bastard and welcome him back. He blamed that on whatever it was Sasuke had done to him. Being made to give birth when you were a man had to have side effects, no matter what the old hag said. Even if he was happy to see Sasuke wasn't dead there was no way he was going to let what had happened between them go without at least kicking his ass first.

Sasuke found himself sighing. He figured he wouldn't be welcomed with open arms but no one could blame him for hoping. Smirking Sasuke corrected himself, he had dreamed Naruto would welcome him with open legs not arms.

Seeing Sasuke smirk Naruto growled. 'That smirk . . . I'm goin' to wipe it off that smug bastard's face.' He swore to himself, tightly clenching his fists till he could feel his nails bitting into his flesh. "I'm going to beat your face in for using me for a girl. You had me naked, surely the genius Uchiha could tell I had a penis." Unable to resist the barb Sasuke replied while assuming a fighting stance. "Hn, it was so small I wasn't sure."

"Ugh!" Reaching up Naruto pulled on his hair in frustration as he screamed. "What is with you dark broody types and the penis jokes?" Narrowing his eyes Sasuke wondered what and more importantly who Naruto was referring to, instinctively he knew he wouldn't like it. The idea someone else was interested in his dobe made him flare with anger.

Sasuke couldn't say he was too shocked when Naruto came flying at him punching him in the face. Dodging the next blow Sasuke decided it was only right to let Naruto at least of one free hit. "Why did you use me as a guinea pig instead of just getting a girl?" Naruto demanded trading hits with Sasuke. Weaving away from Naruto's strikes Sasuke figured now was as good a time as any to explain what had happened almost three years ago. "I chose you to be my partner in this Naruto because I knew I could trust you to protect the child." Blocking a kick that almost got him in the side of the head Naruto grunted against the force Sasuke had used. "Anyone would have protected their child you bastard."

Flipping out of range before Naruto could grab his ankle Sasuke slide to a stop before he answered. "I've had the chance to watch women and I've seen how they are. They have the tendency to move from one man to another very easily. And if they have a child by someone and find another man that child isn't always treated as well as it should be."

"Do you always look at the bad side of people?" Naruto asked rolling his eyes. "Not all women are like that. Sure I know what you're saying. I've seen people, not just women, do those things but that doesn't mean all people are like that. You got to take time and get to know folks before you make such decisions." Making a run at Naruto, Sasuke was able to catch him with part of a back-hand strike before Naruto ducked out of range. "Let's just say being idolized by girls all those years turned me off to them all together." Wiping the blood off his lip Naruto huffed. "Whatever."

"You have to understand Naruto, women bow to their husband's will on issues. I watched my own mother do so with my father. Perhaps if she would have spoken up father wouldn't have pushed Itachi passed his limits. Maybe Itachi wouldn't have lost his mind, my clan might still be here if only . . . ."

Breathlessly Naruto whispered. "Sasuke . . . ."

Pressing his lips into a thin line Sasuke shook his head to clear his thoughts. He'd spent a long time thinking about what could have been done to prevent his clan's deaths but in the end it didn't matter. Especially now that Itachi was dead. "I knew even if you took up with someone you wouldn't bow to anyone else's will and would always protect our child." Sasuke admitted, hoping Naruto would understand him.

"I'd never let anyone mistreat my child." Naruto declared rushing forward once again. "I knew you wouldn't." Sasuke replied smiling as he blocked another punch. Slightly winded Naruto asked. "Why me though?" Breaking away from Sasuke again. He smiled, noticing he wasn't the only one slightly winded.

"You’re strong and you have a nice face that is easy to look at. Your only bad point is you’re a moron, but I hoped my genes would even that out. All in all I figured our genes would match well and create a good offspring."

Somehow Sasuke's explanation did little to make him feel any better. "Oh . . . ." He softly replied. "So, basically I was the best stud you could find to breed. Is that right?"

"I wouldn't say you played the stud's role." Was Sasuke’s lewd answer. Shaking his head Naruto gave Sasuke a gesture with his middle finger. "Fuck you." Having caught his breath Sasuke walked towards his blonde friend. "Maybe . . . after I've had a turn at you. It has been years since I last had a taste of you after all." Naruto stared at the dark shinobi as he came closer, his eyes widened as Sasuke tenderly placed a kiss to his lips as he cupped his cheek in his hand. "The most important reason is you’re the only one I could picture spending the rest of my life with."

Blushing Naruto pulled away, he wasn't sure if it was the kiss or the words Sasuke was saying that made him blush. He wasn't used to either. "Are you saying you want to be with me?" He quietly asked, only to harden himself and demand. "Then why did you leave?"

Placing his hand on Naruto's shoulder, Sasuke squeezed it gently. "Itachi not only needed to pay for what he did to the clan but your life was in danger from him as well. By killing him I freed myself of my obligations plus I was protecting the family I made with you."

Before anymore could be said Nobuyuki ran out of the woods and grabbed onto Naruto. Sitting down on his father's foot the boy wrapped himself around Naruto's leg. "Nobuyuki, I told you to go to baba." Naruto said petting the boy on top of the head. Rubbing his face in his parent's pant leg the small boy replied. "Baba is scary." Drawing his hand away from his son Naruto looked back to Sasuke and blinked in confusion.

Before anymore could be said Tsunade appeared out of the woods. Sasuke didn't have time to register the Hokage was in front of him before he found himself flying off through the trees. "Get your hands off of him you little shit." Tsunade growled cracking her knuckles. Smashing through a few branches till his back connected with a thick trunk Sasuke's pained "oof" was all that was heard for a few moments. Carefully sucking in some air to replace what had been knocked out of him Sasuke slowly pushed himself up to walk back into the clearing. The side of his face was already swelling from the force of the Hokage's punch. 'She didn't pull any of her strength on that one.' Sasuke thought touching his cheek. 'I think she broke it.' He decided, feeling the injury. He figured he probably deserved it being the Hokage had a front row seat to their son's conception. 'Well she didn't follow me into the woods after that hit so she isn't out to kill, at least not at first sight.' He figured coming back into the clearing.

Masking all his outward emotions Sasuke watched as Naruto hunched over their son's form as the large busted Hokage lectured them. As she turned back to him, Sasuke couldn't help but smile when he heard Naruto's loud whisper to the boy under him. "You're right, Tsunade-baba is scary."

"Give me one good reason I shouldn't slit your throat?" The Godaime demanded. "You left our village, joined Orchimaru, and then you attack Naruto and disappear again. And you can't blame that attack on that curse, I watched as Naruto helped you break it." Shrugging his shoulders Sasuke replied. "I wouldn't say I attacked Naruto." Pulling out a weapon from her robe Tsunade demanded. "Oh, then what would you call it?" Bringing his hand to his mouth to cover his cough Sasuke answered. "Foreplay."

Moving to stab the young man Tsunade found her wrist grabbed by her apprentice, Sakura. "Please Hokage-sama, let's at least hear him out." The younger pink-haired woman tried to reason, feeling her master un-tense she gave the missing nin a dark look. "Besides, you aren't the only one who wants to hit him."

Sasuke stood still, his face gave away nothing he was feeling but inside, he felt a chill when he looked at both women. 'Just another reason I prefer Naruto over women as a group.'

Stowing her kunai back inside her robe Tsunade gestured to Sakura to restrain Sasuke. Walking towards him with chakra enhanced rope Sakura wondered if she'd have to fight with her ex-teammate. She was surprised when the young man presented her with his wrists without so much as a twitch.

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In the end Sasuke answered every question he was given. He explained his second disappearance by simply saying he had to finish the work that had been left for him to do by his clan. Pointing out that with Itachi's death the group he had been with was now down in numbers and were less of a threat to Naruto; another reason he had went after his brother. And the reason for his return was that he wanted to be with his family; the one he made with Naruto.

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Pacing in front of Tsunade's office door, Naruto tried to calm himself down as he awaited news from the meeting that was being held within. He still felt a pinch to his pride for lowering himself to pleading those old farts. He wasn't sure if he'd ever live down that he'd spent a good ten minutes on his knees with his forehead touching the ground asking that they not kill Sasuke. His pacing was brought to an end when Tsunade appeared from within the chamber. "So?" He eagerly inquired.

Sighing Tsunade motioned from him to follow. "I never thought I'd see the day when you'd get down and plead like that, especially to them." Crossing his arms Naruto huffed. "Well, there's never been anything that was so important to me." Glancing at the young man beside her Tsunade smiled. "Don't make it a habit. It isn't good for the future Hokage to be so humble to the council." Nodding he assured her. "I'll remember that."

"Sasuke has two choices." Holding up one finger Tsunade explained. "He will never be allowed out of the village again and he will allow a seal to be placed on him similar to the one the Hyuuga use. His life will belong to the Hokage, whom ever it maybe. The one holding the Hokage title will know how to activate the seal." Gasping Naruto's eyes widened. "Such a harsh thing?"

"No . . . ." Tsunade said letting Naruto hang to her words for a moment. Holding up a second finger she continued. "Second choice is death." When Naruto still hadn't said anything after a few more steps Tsunade stopped, turning to watch the emotions play across his face, finally acceptance won. "Can I be there when you tell him?" Nodding she gestured towards the area holding Sasuke. "Come on."

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Naruto had to admit Sasuke was really good at keeping his emotions to himself. He didn't even blink in a manner that gave anything away.

"Hokage-sama, I returned knowing I would be in for some harsh treatment. As long as I have a place with Naruto and our son I will submit. If I don't then I choose death." Even though what he said had been directed to the Hokage there was no doubt in anyone's mind who the words were really meant for, especially since his eyes were set on Naruto.

Before Tsunade could answer Naruto spoke up. "I won't lie to you, part of me is angry with you and will be for along time. At this time I can't promise you anything but before you choose death remember you left me with a child that is as much yours as mine. Don't rob him of his parent like Itachi did you." Turning away Naruto left the room, stopping only long enough for Ikibi to open the door for him.

With Naruto's words still fresh in his mind Sasuke finally acknowledged the Hokage. "Do your seal Hokage."

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Moving his jaw to make sure it hadn't been re-broken Sasuke gave his old sensei a rather dirty look. He figured he had better get used to people randomly coming up and slugging him; it seemed to be the reaction he got from those that had been present the day his son had been conceived. Following the silver-haired Jounin he adjusted the new headband he had been given. He was still sort of a ninja of Konoha but he would never be allowed any missions other than serving as a sentry or a D ranked mission within the village and that would be rare. Kakashi was leading him to the place he would call home from now on. He hadn't seen Naruto again since the day his curse mark had been placed on him. Reaching up to rub his neck, he sneered at the irony that they had placed it over the same spot Orochimaru once marked him.

From the corner of his eye one of the buildings they past gave him pause for a moment. Taking stock of his surroundings it finally registered where they were. He was currently standing in what had once been the Uchiha district. But this place was nothing like what he remembered. Gone were the old empty buildings that seemed to haunt him, instead the buildings were either redone or from the looks of them completely torn down and new ones built. What had once been void of life other than his own was now repopulated with many faces he remembered from his time as a member of the village, in fact he believed he had just seen Rock Lee exiting one of the homes. Coming up to the house that had once been his family home Sasuke watched as Kakashi knocked on the door.

When the door opened Sasuke stood shocked to find Naruto there. Looking between both men in question he was brought out of his confusing by Naruto's laughter. The blonde had his hand behind his head in a familiar gesture as he explained. "Well, it is really your home after all. I just took to living here after Nobuyuki was born. My place was way too small for two." Naruto dropped his hand and looked away. "I got to thinking, I wouldn't even have Nobuyuki if it wasn't for you. He deserves to know both his parents if nothing else." Shaking his head Naruto's eyes turned hard for a moment as he learned closer to Sasuke looking at him directly. "Don't think this means you're completely forgiven or anything. There's not going to be any funny business between us. Understand?" Getting one nod of agreement from Sasuke, Naruto smiled now feeling more reassured. "This place is big enough we can all stay in it and still have our separate place." Turning his smile into a sneaky grin he added. "Plus this way I'll have a built in babysitter when I go on missions."

Sasuke turned away for a moment to look at his clan's old district, watching in awe as a group of children ran past. Sasuke's attention was called back by Kakashi. "Being you left everything to Naruto he couldn't stand staying here how it was so he and his friends used their money to fix stuff around here." Kakashi explained, not once looking away from his book.

Setting his sight on Naruto, Sasuke watched as the blonde shifted his weight from one foot to the other. "What can I say, you know how I feel about ghosts and I figured your family wouldn't have wanted their grandchild to be raised in such a lonely place. Now he is surrounded by those who love and accept him."

Sasuke knew he was grinning like a fool but he couldn't help it. His eyes softened when Naruto called for their son to come to them. Running full speed the little boy ran right into Naruto's leg, wrapping his arms around his father's leg and plopping down on his foot. "Alright you little brat." Naruto said while patting the boy's head affectionately. Sasuke got the idea this was something the boy did often.

Sighing Naruto figured now was as good a time as any to try and explain to Nobuyuki about Sasuke. "This is your other parent." He began gesturing to Sasuke. "He has been away for a long time and has missed out on getting to know you so I thought he could live here with us from now on so you two could get to know one another." Carefully he watched to emotions play on his son's face, surprised when the boy seemed to accept the idea easily enough. Naruto knew there was going to be lots of questions in the future but for now Nobuyuki was taking it alright. "Please think well of him and give him a chance, even if he is a bast . . . er . . . jerk." Naruto corrected at the last minute, rubbing the back of his head. The young boy made a face but nodded in agreement.

Watching his son, Sasuke decided he was glad the boy took after Naruto more than himself. In fact the boy reminded him of Naruto when he was a child.

Going on with the introductions Naruto continued. "Nobuyuki this is Sasuke, and Sasuke this is Nobuyuki."

Squatting down Sasuke smiled at the young boy who was the result of his crime against Naruto. "I'm sorry I haven't been around for you and your father. I hope I can make amends for that." Sasuke was shocked when the young boy spoke up. "Welcome home, old man." Nobuyuki said with the same beautiful smile Sasuke could recall from the past adorning Naruto's face lit up his son’s. Sasuke decided in that one moment that if devoting the rest of his life to these two in this place was his punishment for the path he had chosen then the judgment against his crimes was one he looked forward to serving.

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Hokage: Title given to the leader of Kohona, the highest position a ninja can obtain in a village.

Jounin: Level after Chuunin, elite ninja's, can take on Genin teams, do A and S rank missions. Perform other positions in village.

kai: cancel; skill to cancel an illusion technique caste.

genjutsu: illusion skills used to confuse an opponent or incapacitate them mentally.

Sharingan: copy wheel eye (doujutsu-bloodline limit of Uchiha clan) gives the user the ability to read and defeat all types of nin,tai, and genjutsu. Can copy almost any technique seen except for hijutsu.

baba: grandmother, hag. This is the nickname Naruto has given to Tsunade.

Godaime: Term used when talking about Tsunade, it refers to the fact she is the fifth person to hold the title of Hokage in Konoha.

kunai: throwing knife

Nobuyuki: Japanese means faithful happiness.

CH 6-Released From Judgment

Blanket disclaimer: I do not claim any rights to Naruto or any characters associated with the anime/manga. They are the property of Masashi Kishimoto.

Warnings for this chapter: This story contains slash pairings (SAS/NAR), talk concerning a sexual act that could be considered nonconsensual, talk about M/Preg, adult situations, cursing, fight scene, oc's and oc death, and a full-detailed LEMON between SAS/NAR. If you are not of age to be reading such things or anything listed above is offensive to you then please push the back button now. Reviews and comments are encouraged and appreciated as long as they are not flames.

My deepest thanks to Jaded Lady for her work as beta on this story. I appreciate all your hard work.


'thinking'
"talking"

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Leaning against the doorframe, Sasuke watched as Naruto rushed around preparing for his mission. "How long will you be gone?" He asked, pushing off the frame to catch a runaway spool of trip-wire, handing it over he received a smile in return. "A little over a week, it's just a simple escort mission." Nodding, Sasuke ventured to see how much more information he could get. "It's not a high ranked mission is it?" Stuffing the last of his gear into his pack Naruto stalled for a moment, he just hated it when Sasuke tried to get information out of him. "Well it isn't an A rank mission . . . but it's not a D either. . . . " He trailed off biting his lip. Sighing, Sasuke let the blonde off the hook. "Just so long as I know you're not going to be in a lot of danger." Brightening up, Naruto gave him a sly grin, batting his eyelashes he answered in a shrill voice. "Oh Sasuke-kun I didn't know you cared." Putting his hand on Naruto's face Sasuke gave him a shove as he walked away. "Dobe."

Walking towards the entryway Sasuke caught himself before he fell, their son Nobuyuki was now wrapped around both his legs. Naruto shook his head at their son while pulling him off. Turning the boy so he was facing him, Naruto held him up so they could look eye to eye. "You've got to quit doing that Nobuy, you're almost five now." Naruto reminded the boy as he placed him on the floor. Pouting Nobuyuki crossed his arms over his chest. "Don't call me Nobuy, Dobe." The little boy replied. Growling Naruto pointed his finger at Sasuke. "Look what a bad influence you've been on my son." Rolling his eyes Sasuke looked away. "Like it's my fault the boy has no manners. He was like this before my return."

"Are you saying I'm a bad father?" Naruto demanded, leaning toward the dark-haired shinobi shaking his fist. "I should kick your ass for that." Huffing Sasuke reached over, placing his hand on top of Naruto's fist. "You got a mission, remember?" Blinking Naruto lowered his fist. "Oh, yeah. The mission, right." Squatting down by his son he wrapped his arms around the boy. "Be good for Sasuke. Daddy will be back just as soon as he can." Returning his father's hug Nobuyuki nodded his head against his blonde father's chest. "Be safe daddy."

Just as he stood from hugging his son Naruto felt Sasuke's hands on his shoulders, looking up at the other man he blushed as Sasuke pulled him into a light hug. "Be safe Naruto." Smiling Naruto returned the hug, quickly pulling away.

Sasuke had been living with him and Nobuy for about two years now. In the last year they began what Shikamaru referred to as a prudent semi-platonic relationship, whatever in the hell that was suppose to mean. They did touch one another more freely than when Sasuke first moved in, but they hadn't done anything that could be considered sexual; the most risque` thing he had allowed was a few timid kisses and some cautious caresses but only hugs in front of Nobuy. Sasuke was the only one he'd had any kind of relations with so it wasn't like he was knowledgeable about such things. During the three years Sasuke was gone, getting into a relationship was the last thing on his mind. And now that he was back Sasuke was doing everything he could to make up for those years and the embarrassing way their son was conceived. Not once did Sasuke push him though, for that Naruto was grateful. He was well aware of the feelings he had for the dark-haired shinobi but he just couldn't go any farther until he could get over his fears of abandonment and sex.

"Take care of Nobuy and don't forget to help him with his studies, he's still having trouble with a few characters . . . "

Placing his hand over Naruto's mouth Sasuke smirked at Naruto; who was glaring. "Don't worry so much, I've got everything under control. Keep your mind on your mission." Releasing his hand Sasuke opened the door, putting a hand on Nobuyuki's shoulder. "You're going to be late if you keep this up. We'll be fine." Looking up at his dark-haired father Nobuyuki smiled reassuringly at his daddy. "That's right daddy don't worry, me and the old man will be fine." Sasuke glared at his son then turned his gaze to Naruto when he started giggling. "You were saying I was a bad influence on Nobuy?"

"Hey don't call me that bastard." Taken aback by his son's reprimand Sasuke could only blink at the boy until the sound of Naruto snickering returned him to his senses, turning to the blonde shinobi he glared at the other man.

Knowing the look he was being given held no good for him Naruto rubbed the back of his head. "Nyhee, hee . . . would you look at the time. Well, I've got to be going now, don't want to be late for that mission. Don't tear the house down while I'm gone. Bye."

Grinding his teeth Sasuke watched the younger man run from their home, he knew he couldn't hold Nobuy's way of talking against Naruto. The boy did hear them speak to one another in that manner everyday after all. Besides Naruto had done a fine job raising their son. Looking out at the busy street in front of their home Sasuke knew that Naruto had given Nobuy the one thing neither of them had growing up; lot's of people who accepted and loved the boy for who he was not his name. What had once been a deserted district was now bustling with life, only these people were all accepting and friendly to their family providing Nobuy with an extend family of sorts. He was brought out of his thoughts by Nobuy pulling on his shirt, Looking down at his son he raised one eyebrow to question what the boy wanted.

Pressing his lips in a thin line Nobuyuki snorted, he hated it when his father would talk without speaking. "Old man, you promised we'd go get some melon today." He reminded him. "Hn." Growling Nobuyuki glared at his father for his grunted answer. "Daddy says that's not even a real word."

Pulling away from his son Sasuke began putting on his sandals. "Hn." Letting his arms hang loose beside his body for a moment he watched his father put on his shoes, sighing the boy reached for his own. "Don't forget the list of chores daddy left on the table." Nobuyuki reminded, running out the front door. Reaching back into the house for the list Sasuke sighed as he looked at the things he needed to do. "Did you get it?" Nobuyuki yelled from the road.

Locking the door behind him Sasuke joined his son on the road, falling into step with the boy. When the boy continued to stare at him Sasuke acknowledged he had the list. "Hn." Rolling his eyes at his father's skill at talking without making any real words, Nobuyuki tried again. "Where to first? Can I go talk to Uncle Lee over there?" Looking to where his son was pointing Sasuke noticed Rock Lee at one of the vendors; it was close to the seamstress shop he needed to go to. "I've got to pick up a few things at the seamstress shop, there." He pointed out for his son. "You may go speak with Lee-san but if he leaves before I get there you come to the shop I'm at alright?" Excited that his father had said a whole two sentences and he was being allowed to go talk to Uncle Lee, Nobuyuki nodded. "Thanks old man." He replied as he ran from his father's side to latch onto Lee's leg. Sasuke snarled when Lee didn't even flinch when the boy hit him full speed. He really needed to workout more. Returning the other shinobi's wave when Nobuy pointed to him, Sasuke made his way to the seamstress's shop.

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"Did you hear Shin-san is going to open a second store in the empty building on the corner?" Kimi asked, rechecking the length of the kimono she was working to put a hem in. "No . . . I hadn't heard that." Leiko replied, working on threading a needle. "Hmm, yes it seems Naruto-kun talked him into expanding his business." The younger seamstress explained to her partner. Leiko nodded, "it'll be nice to have a convenience type food store here."

"I'm sure Shin-san will make sure to carry plenty of instant ramen." Kimi laughed.

"I saw young Naruto leaving this morning with his pack." Leiko reported, changing the subject on her young friend. Blinking at the sudden change of topic Kimi sobered up. "Is that so?" Leiko answered with one jerk of her head. "I guess that means Nobuyuki was left in the care of his other father then." Kimi ventured, moving the fabric.

"I know Nobuyuki is the son of that Uchiha but I think it's very foolish that Naruto moved him in so quickly, and to trust Nobuyuki's well being to that man . . . ." Leiko trailed off shaking her head. "Well he has proven himself loyal at least." Kimi asserted. "He did stop those horrible missing-nin's from entering the village a few months ago. I heard they were out to cause harm to Naruto." Kimi reminded her business partner, she wasn't terribly fond of the Uchiha boy either but she was willing to give him a chance since he was trying to prove himself. He was still a ninja of Konoha even if he never left the village and only once a month got to do late night sentry duty.

"That is true . . . still I think Naruto has a bigger heart than brain." Leiko accused. Lying her hand over Leiko's, Kimi chastised her, "that was mean." Though a second later both broke out laughing.

Shaking her head Leiko continued. "Still, if I were in that Uzumaki boy's place I don't believe I would be able to forgive enough to allow the man to live with me."

"I'm not from a shinobi family so I can't speak with first hand knowledge mind you, but Yamanaka-san told me that those Uchihas were a strange clan. Too proud for their own good is what she said." Leiko explained. "Yes, I heard that as well. Growing up with a family like that and then to loss them all by the hand of his own brother . . . " Kimi trailed off. "Its a wonder that poor boy didn't go insane."

Biting off the extra string from the needle she had threaded Leiko sighed. "Hmm, actually I'm very surprised young Nobuyuki doesn't have a sibling by now, you know it was some forbidden ninja technique that Uchiha used that allowed Naruto to carry a child after all. I wouldn't be surprised to find out he was using that boy to fulfill his depraved sexual fantasies again. I mean really, who willingly has sex in front of the Hokage."

At the sound of someone smacking the doorjamb both ladies turned to find Sasuke Uchiha pulling Nobuyuki off his leg. They knew they were in trouble when the boy began firing off questions.

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Nobuyuki waved bye to his Uncle Lee, who was on his way to meet up with his Genin team. Finding his father standing off to the side of the seamstress shop engrossed in the two older ladies conversation the young boy stopped to listen as well. From the sound of it they were talking about his fathers and how Nobuyuki had come to be born. He might not be all grown up yet but he wasn't stupid, he had overheard such things his whole life. He knew he was something special, understanding that most kids had a mommy and a daddy, not two daddies, well Kado had two daddies but his real mommy and daddy died and his new daddies had taken him in. He didn't care what had happened to allow him to be with his daddy and old man but if it were possible a baby bother would be really nice.

Feeling the waves of anger coming from his father Nobuyuki wondered how it was civilians couldn't feel such things. Deciding it was time to let his father know he was there Nobuyuki attacked, knocking his father off balance not only by hitting him in the back of the knees so he fell into the doorjamb but also unbalancing him with his questions. "Old man, what do they mean by you made daddy have a child? Is that how Nobuyuki got here? Can you do it again? Can Nobuyuki have a little brother?" Nobuy shook his head adding. "I don't really want a sister . . . girls have cooties you know."

The seamstresses looked properly distressed that they had been overheard as they handed over the clothes Naruto had left to be altered. Not speaking to the two old hens Sasuke lead Nobuy out of the shop and on to the next place on the list. Looking back Nobuyuki waved to the two ladies. Chancing a look at his father he decided to keep his mouth shut for awhile at least.

Sasuke was seething, he knew Naruto would not be happy about Nobuyuki overhearing what the women had been discussing; their son's conception was a taboo subject. On top of that they hit his taboo list as well; speaking about his clan in a negative manner, talking about him with pity, plus questioning his and Naruto's relationship. One thing was certain, after he calmed down he was going to Sakura and demand she teach him how to sew.

The two old hags did have a point though. Truth be told he would love to have more children, not that Nobuy wasn't a wonderful child but since he could have children with Naruto a part of him wanted a large family. The idea of lots of children that looked like him and Naruto sent a rush of excitement right to his groin. Making sure no one was watching he discreetly adjusted himself. 'Looks like I'll be getting friendly with my hand tonight.' He sighed to himself. 'Oh well, it's not like after five years the two don't know each other quite well.' Sometimes it was hard to imagine it had been five years since he'd last had sex, it was a depressing thought. During those years he had tracked Itachi he had been given plenty of offers but it never seemed right, not when Naruto was in Konoha with their child. And now that they were working towards a real relationship there was no way he was going to jeopardize it with some fling just to release some tension.

He wished he could persuade Naruto to talk to him about what had happened five years ago, then maybe he could help his dobe get over his fears about intimacy. But every time he tried, he sent the blonde running. Just in the last year he had been able to coax Naruto into more of a relationship than they had at first. If Naruto wasn't ready he'd wait. What else could he do?

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Taking a deep breath to steady himself Naruto continued to hold Akeno's hand. The younger Chuunin's head was resting in his lap while Ino was working to heal the boy. In the background Seiji-san was pacing, trying hard not to look towards his ninja escorts. Releasing a shaky breath Naruto wondered how a simple escort mission could have gone so wrong so quickly. It seemed Seiji-san had made some enemies that had enough money to pay for an assassination mission. They had been ambushed by some Cloud ninja's, their team had managed to defeat the men but Akeno had been run through by a sword. "Naruto-kun . . . tell Rin I'm . . . I'm sorry I never told her I loved her." Squeezing the younger man's hand Naruto shook his head, smiling at his comrade. "Don't be stupid. You'll tell her yourself when we get home."

Akeno's eyes took on a glazed over look; they looked to have lost some of the brightness they normally held, when his breathing took on a gurgling sound Naruto jerked his eyes back to Ino who had leaned back from the younger Chuunin. "Ino?" Naruto questioned only for the medic-nin to shake her head and look away. Naruto held onto Akeno until the boy grip went lax and his last gurgled breath was expelled. Standing Naruto got a blanket out of Akeno's pack and prepared to carry the body with them, he'd be damned if he left him behind.

Naruto took first watch that evening, sleep was the last thing on his mind right now. By late morning they would drop Seiji-san off at his destination then it was home to Konoha. Looking back down at Akeno's body tightly wrapped within his blanket Naruto sighed. The boy had been seeing a civilian named Rin and now it seemed it would be up to him to deliver his last message to her. It was sad and maybe a little cruel in his opinion to tell the young girl that Akeno loved her now he was dead and nothing could come of it. But it wasn't his place to question a man's dying wish, he figured Akeno probably just didn't want to die with that regret hanging on him.

Tearing his eyes from Akeno, Naruto went back to keeping watch. Thoughts of what if it had been him wouldn't leave him. To die having regret on your heart was not a thing anyone would want. It was a fact that shinobi's faced death everyday; it was a truth no one could escape and Naruto wondered if there was anything he'd regret if it had been him instead of Akeno.

The first thing that popped into his mind was an image of Nobuy standing by Sasuke. He'd hate to leave them alone but at least they did have one another. Plus he was proud that he'd given his son the things he'd not had growing up; Nobuy was surrounded by those who loved and accepted him. The boy had grown up knowing him; Sasuke did return and was in his life everyday. The only thing he had wished he could have given Nobuy that he couldn't was a sibling; another thing he'd not had as a child, well he could but that would mean . . . .

An image of him and Sasuke popped into his head; blushing Naruto reached up and rubbed his nose. Truth be told if he died he'd regret that he'd only had sex once in his entire lifetime. He wasn't a pervert like a lot of ninja's he knew but still that was almost as bad as having never experienced it. Having sex with Sasuke hadn't been some terrible thing, actually Sasuke had made him feel really good. No, what kept him from furthering their relations was his fear that Sasuke would leave him. Gazing up at the star-filled sky Naruto wished he could just leave his insecurities behind him, looking back at Akeno's body he knew it could just as easily have been him there instead.

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Naruto pushed Ino to her limits so they could rush back to Konoha. Going directly to the Hokage Tower Naruto delivered Akeno's body to Tsunade and explained what happened. Walking Ino home, Naruto said good-bye then headed straight home.

It was late, all the lights were off so when the door opened before he could step up on the porch he was shocked. Sasuke leaned against the doorway, wearing only a pair of sleeping pants. "It's not like you to have your chakra all over the place." Blinking, Naruto realized he was right, so lost in his own thoughts that he hadn't realized his chakra was flaring up. "Are you alright?" Sasuke's question grabbed his attention again. "Yeah." Sasuke reached out and took hold of his wrist, leading him into the house. "Hungry?" Shaking his head Naruto headed towards the bathroom. "I'm taking a shower . . . you can come in and talk if you want." Shocked Naruto would offer to let him see him naked, Sasuke cleared all the emotions he was feeling from his face, he knew something was wrong but that didn't mean he was going to miss a chance like this.

Rubbing some soap into his hair Naruto had to admit that he was glad he'd spent the money for the stall shower and separate tub. He had discovered how handy these showers were during one of his missions to Suna; in Suna they used showers instead of tubs to save on water. After Sasuke had left the whole Uchiha district and inheritance to him this stall shower was the first improvement he made to Sasuke's childhood home before he moved in with Nobuy.

"Did you just want my presence while you showered or are you going to talk?" Sasuke asked, sitting on the sink while playing with a bottle of lavender oil they used for nighttime bathes. Sighing Naruto leaned into the spray of water as he began to explain what had happened.

Turning off the water Naruto stuck his hand out of the curtain, reaching for his towel. Sasuke snagged the bath towel, handed it over he waited patiently until Naruto opened the curtain, towel now wrapped around his waist.

Leading Sasuke into his bedroom Naruto sat on the bed and gestured for Sasuke to sit as well. Setting the bottle of oil he had been playing with on Naruto's bedside table Sasuke took a seat on the bed, cautiously he placed his arm around the younger shinobi's shoulder. "I'm sorry you lost a comrade." Lying his head against Sasuke's shoulder Naruto sighed. "Tomorrow I have to go speak to a girl I've only met once to tell her the guy she was dating is dead and that he loved her." Sasuke gave him a little squeeze. "When did you meet her?" Naruto drew in a breath. "Once at Ichiraku's, they were there on a date. Turns out her family lives in a little house just before the Uchiha district begins."

Taking hold of Sasuke's hand Naruto admitted. "All this got me thinking . . . about what I would regret if it had been me." Pressing a kiss to Naruto's temple Sasuke asked. "Is there anything you would regret if it had been you?" Pulling his hand away from Sasuke's, Naruto wrapped his arm around Sasuke's waist twisting so he could face him. "Yeah . . . I would have regretted letting my fears stop me from having the type of relationship I really wanted with you." Blinking Sasuke drew back a bit. "N . . ..Nar . . . Naruto?" Sighing Naruto looked away from Sasuke's dark questioning eyes. "I've been afraid to let things go farther Sasuke. I've been worried that if we have sex, you'll leave."

Grabbing hold of Naruto's shoulders Sasuke bent down to look the blonde in the eyes. Biting his lip Naruto jerked his head up so he could face Sasuke. "But when Akeno was lying on me using his last breath to beg me to tell Rin that he really loved her and he was sorry he didn't have the balls to tell her." Reaching up Naruto rubbed his nose as he sniffed. "I realized I don't want to die regretting I didn't let you in." With sad smile Naruto admitted. "I guess I forgot that I'm the one leaving the village doing missions and if anyone might leave it's me." Cupping Naruto's cheek in the palm of his hand Sasuke slowly leaned in until their lips met. "Don't ever say that. I don't know if I could survive loosing you." Sasuke admitted against his lips, then he began to kiss Naruto.

Their kisses began chaste and slow until their passion for one another grew, and with their passion their kisses turned eager. Slowly Sasuke opened his mouth, trying to coax Naruto's open as well. Lightly sucking Naruto's lower lip before tracing the seam with his tongue. Shyly Naruto opened his mouth just enough to allow the tip of Sasuke's tongue to enter and lick the tip of his tongue. Breaking the kiss Sasuke moved to pull them higher on bed so they could lie beside one another. Running his fingers through Naruto's slightly damp hair Sasuke was determined that this time he would take his time with Naruto and work to help him with his fears.

"Not a moment went by during those years I was gone that I didn't wish there had been another way. But I knew if I returned I'd never be allowed to leave after all the stupid things I did." Running his thumb across Naruto's marks on his cheek Sasuke leaned in to kiss him again but stopped just short of touching their lips. "I know it's difficult to understand but Itachi had to die. He would have come here to kill you and Nobuy if I wasn't pursuing him all those years. After my clan's death . . . I couldn't allow him to live knowing there was a chance he'd come here and kill those I cared about." Swallowing he searched Naruto's eyes in hopes of a sign that his love understood. "I didn't leave you Naruto. I was protecting you and Nobuy. Forgive me, say you understand." Sasuke demanded trailing his fingertips across Naruto's chest.

Sucking in as much air as he could Naruto could feel his nipple growing hard and Goosebumps erupted all over his body from Sasuke's teasing touch. He still didn't like the choices Sasuke had made, but if he thought someone was going to hurt those he held precious nothing would have stopped him either. "I don't like it . . . but I get it." Chuckling Sasuke leaned down taking one of the pink nubs into his mouth making Naruto cry out. "I'm not asking you to like my reasons just accept them dobe." Sasuke replied, lavishing the hard nipple with saliva by running his wet tongue all over it. While his lover had his eyes closed Sasuke reached over and nabbed the bath oil from the side table, putting it between his knees to hold onto it for later use.

Working his way down Naruto's body with his lips, Sasuke didn't stop till he was between Naruto's legs but instead of touching his member Sasuke bypassed it, going lower. Taking hold of the blonde's legs Sasuke raised them till they were laying on his back over his shoulders. Pushing his hands under Naruto's butt Sasuke raised him up a little using his hands to open Naruto up to his view. There, hidden between the two fleshy globes laid the puckered opening that had been the center of many of his fantasies for the last five years. "Sasuke, what are you doing?" Jerking his head up Sasuke locked eyes with Naruto's glazed ones. "Lay down, I was looking that's all."

Sighing Naruto lowered himself mumbling "pervert". When he realized Sasuke had stopped touching him, he pushed up on his elbows to find out what Sasuke was doing. Taking a deep breath Naruto tried to will his blush away, but knowing that Sasuke was looking at that part of him made it impossible.

Sasuke chuckled at Naruto's charge, it was true when it came to Naruto he was a bit of a pervert. Leaning forward Sasuke pressed on, his agenda to taste every inch of Naruto's body.

Just as his blush was starting to fade Naruto cried out, jerking his body away from Sasuke; one moment Sasuke was looking and the next he was licking him. "Bastard." Breathlessly he said. "Don't do that." Chuckling once again Sasuke peered over Naruto's lower body. "Do what? This?" He asked leaning in to once again run is tongue around Naruto's entrance. Quickly he brought his arms around Naruto's hips to hold him in place as the blonde's body jerked again. Raising back up on his elbows Naruto glared down at his dark-haired lover. "That's unsanitary." Meeting Naruto's eyes Sasuke smirked. "You're clean." Sasuke reminded him pulling his hips till he fell back down on the bed. "Shut up and enjoy."

With that Sasuke began working the wet muscle into Naruto's tight passage, as soon as it was in Sasuke closed his eyes imagining his tongue was another part of his body as he thrust it into him over and over. For a few moments Naruto thrashed about, getting used to the sensation he settled down allowing Sasuke time to sneaked one hand back, reaching up he began to massage Naruto behind his soft sac. His lover seemed to loose all fight after that.

Naruto could do nothing but lay there and pant, the things Sasuke was doing to his body was too much for him. He'd allowed no one to touch him in this manner, after Sasuke had taken his virginity and promised to return he couldn't stomach the idea of anyone else. Sure he had relieved himself many times over the last five years, especially after this last year Sasuke and he had begun touching but they had never done anything sexual. The feeling of something in him tightening was a signal he knew all to well. 'Damn, I'm going to come without him even touching my dick.' Flowed through his mind as he gasped.

Feeling Naruto's body tense, Sasuke stopped stimulating him, moving quickly he allowed Naruto's legs to slip off his back as he gasped the base of Naruto's penis tightly, now kneeling between the blonde's legs. It wouldn't do for him to be done before they even really started. Sasuke smirked; he had plans for his lover. The first time he'd touched him had been about creating their son's life; this time was about renewing their bond.

"Nghah . . . Sasuke, you bastard. Let go." Naruto cried, he felt like something in him was going to snap. Sasuke had successfully stopped him from going over but his body was crying out for relief.

Having worked open the vial of oil Sasuke held it between his knees he dipped his fingers in, while Naruto's attention was else where Sasuke coated Naruto's entrance with the oil before dipping his fingers again and slowly pushing one finger into Naruto. Pumping his finger, Sasuke searched for only a moment before he found the spot he was looking for. Gently running the pad of his finger over that spot Sasuke watched as Naruto shivered. "Calm down, we don't want this to end too soon do we?" Biting down on his lip Naruto shook his head. "Take some deep breaths Naruto." Sasuke instructed him.

He was really trying but for a few moments he just couldn't control his body, it was still wound too tightly. Rocking back, his body pushed against the finger that was in him making it go farther in. He grunted and was able to stop the rocking when the one digit became two, the stretching feeling at least let him gain control of himself again. He listened this time when Sasuke told him to take a deep breath and took several to clear his mind. In doing so he found whatever had been wound up inside of him was no longer ready to spring.

Sasuke watched as Naruto's scrotum twitched a few more times before finally relaxing once again. Now that his lover wasn't ready blow they could continue. Oh he had ever intention of making Naruto come unglued but he wanted it to be like their first time, he wanted Naruto's orgasm to milk his own from him. Releasing the grip he had on Naruto's member he went back to preparing Naruto's body to welcome him inside. Once he deemed Naruto's muscles were as softened as they were going to get he oiled himself then moved to lie between Naruto's legs.

"Are you sure?" He asked searching Naruto's face for any signs that he might be having second thoughts. Unable to resist he did bump the head of his penis against Naruto's entrance, just so he could remember how it felt in case Naruto did change his mind. Taking a deep breath Naruto nodded, determination shown in his eyes. Smiling Sasuke leaned forward given him a light kiss. "Don't be so serious dobe, relax already."

Kissing back Naruto forced the tension to leave his body, as soon as he did he could feel Sasuke pushing against his opening, the head slowly breaching it. Pressing his lips together he fought to hold in the moan that was welling up inside of him, he didn't open his mouth but the sound still escaped him. He couldn't help it; the feel of Sasuke entering him had to be the most erotic experience he had ever had.

Sasuke pressed his face against Naruto's neck, when he heard his moan he attacked that neck with open mouth kisses, slightly sucking on the skin there. Ever so slowly he continue to rock his body against Naruto's, inching his flesh into Naruto's body. When the blonde would cry out and pant, Sasuke would stop giving him time to adjust. As soon as the tension would lessen and Naruto's body would stop spasming around his flesh he continued until his balls were pressed against Naruto's flesh. Reaching up Sasuke stroked Naruto's lips with his thumb. "Okay?" Naruto nodded, he was as breathless as Sasuke was and wasn't going to waste his energy on talking for once. Pressing his butt against Sasuke's groin he smirked when Sasuke groaned.

Laying his cheek against Naruto's shoulder Sasuke slowly rock his body against the blonde's, loosing himself in the heat and grip Naruto's body had on him. Naruto felt just like he had five years ago, still as tight as the day he took his virginity. Remembering his training he arched his back searching for that little gland when Naruto gasped clutching onto him Sasuke smirked, knowing he had found his target. From that moment on he aimed for that area, his blonde lover's vocalizing making him swell even more. Pressing his hips against Naruto's, Sasuke trapped the blonde's penis between their bodies. Naruto's precum and their sweat coating their abdomens, making it easier to slide against one another working Naruto's penis with their combined friction.

Naruto was helpless against what Sasuke was reawakening within him; he had denied himself this for so long. The feelings he was experiencing from the movement of Sasuke's hard flesh pushing deep within his body pressing on that area that made flashes of pleasure run up his spin then slowly pull away rubbing against the sensitive flesh of his inner chamber. He wasn't going to last long but it was all right, he wasn't about to wait five more years before they did this again. That tight feeling in his gut was back, even if Sasuke squeezed his penis Naruto didn't think it would stop this time. Against his will he could feel his body tightening around Sasuke making it hard for the dark-haired man to move, each stroke slightly stung but he could care less because they made his body feel like it was on fire. Unable to take it anymore Naruto arched, his body grabbing hold of Sasuke's penis and squeezed it hard causing Sasuke to scream his name. The sound of his name spoken with such passion and love made that spring give way inside of him; he found himself orgasming, his seed flowing between the two of them. He could feel Sasuke's filling his body full and he decided he liked the feeling, knowing part of Sasuke was still in him even as his lover was pulling out of his body.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~* ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Leaving the house that next morning Nobuy took his place between his two daddies, taking hold of both of their hands he raised his feet making the two men swing him as they walked. He had been so happy that morning when he came into the kitchen for breakfast to find his daddy home from his mission. Nobuyuki wasn't sure but something seemed different between the two men that morning. The old man kept giving his daddy a very strange look plus Nobuyuki had noticed the dark-haired man kept touching him and his daddy just kept blushing and smiling. Something was up and sooner or later he'd figure it out.

Stopping in front of a small house just outside of the old clan district Naruto let go of his son's hand. He eyed the house warily hating what he had to go do. Looking back at Sasuke, his lover gave his a smile letting him know he had his support, smiling back Naruto nodded then walked to the door giving it a quick knock.

A red-eyed Rin answered the door; it seemed Tsunade baa-chan had already sent word about Akeno. Biting his lip Naruto hated to make the girl cry anymore but it had been Akeno's wish, for a moment he cursed the young man for making him do this. "I'm sorry to bother you. I was with Akeno when he . . . you know." Naruto explained gesturing with his hand. Nodding Rin snuffed and wiped her eye. "He asked me to tell you . . . before he . . . anyway he wanted you to know . . . damn it."

Naruto huffed; wondering why finding the words had to be so hard. He was brought out of his thoughts by Rin squeezing his hand. Finding the courage Naruto blurted it out. "Akeno wanted you to know he was sorry he didn't tell you he loved you." Searching her eyes for a sign he hadn't hurt the girl he was surprised when she smiled at him. "It's alright Naruto-kun. I didn't need Akeno to tell me he loved me to know it was true. He showed me how much I meant to him everyday, even when he was in the wrong it was still done with love. He might be gone but I have the memory of that love to hold onto at least."

Confused but glad he hadn't made her feel worse Naruto nodded, said his good-byes, and headed back to his family. Looking at Sasuke and his son he realized that maybe Rin was right. Words were not as important as actions. Sasuke had made a lot a stupid mistakes and wasn't very vocal but in the end the things he did were done with love and if he ever left; Naruto knew he had Nobuy and the memories to hold onto, that was what really mattered after all.

With new determination to make everyday count he grabbed his son's hand leading them into the village. "Let's go to Ichiraku's, Sasuke-bastard you can treat since I returned safely from my mission." Dropping his fathers' hands Nobuyuki took off heading to the ramen shop. "Yes . . . ramen! I bet I can eat more than you old man." Nobuy yelled as he raced to one of his favorite shops.

Sighing as his son bumped into people as he ran to the restaurant Sasuke jerked when someone took his hand. Looking down he found Naruto's hand holding his, gazing back up to the blonde's face Sasuke's heart melted at the happy smile he found there. Looking up at the sky Sasuke gave his lover's hand a squeeze. For the first time in his life he felt like he was free; he had survived the trials of life making his mistakes along the way, accepted the judgment of others to pay for his crimes, and now he was free to live the life that had been waiting for him all this time.