Naruto 1. Chapter 1: Lord Uchiha

Uchiha Sasuke sat up a little straighter, looking over his domain with a dark, omniscient eye. Since conquering Konoha and regaining the village in the name of his clan, he had been just as ruthless and untrusting of everyone as he had been just prior to leaving the village four years ago.

After once again using and defeating Orochimaru, he had killed the legendary sannin along with his lackey Kabuto once and for all, and had thereafter set his sights on Naruto, the new village Hokage.

Naruto's power had been great, especially since he had defeated the all-powerful Uchiha Madara in the allied Shinobi war, and had made official his engagement to the heir of the Hyuuga clan, the once shy and reserved Hinata; but next to the power of the last remaining Uchiha, he had lost his ability to cast a fatal blow, and that had ultimately been his downfall. It had been the worst fight Sasuke had ever been involved in, but once he had defeated Naruto, he had him locked away to await trial and conviction along with all of the remaining male Shinobi and had decided that he would take all of the younger women as his brides.

The village of Konoha gakure would regret trying to destroy the Uchiha, and as long as he was alive, he would do whatever it took to repopulate the village with his descendants.

Prior to his victory, he would have thought that Hinata would behave the most fragile and unsettled of all of his many brides, but given her engagement to the Hokage, she seemed to take seriously the position of leadership she had attained as Naruto's fiancé, and was now a source of strength and support for many of the young women that had been chosen by Sasuke to carry his children. Sasuke smirked when he thought about her, and how her milky white eyes had glared at him so ferociously as she stood before some of the more frightened young girls, exactly the same way Naruto had used his title as Hokage to guard the Shinobi he was intent on giving his life for.

"You may do your worst, Sasuke." Hinata had spat out, calm, yet fierce in her conviction. "But Konoha will not ignore what you have done. You are putting a curse on your sons and daughters that the world will never forget."

Sasuke had laughed at her, staring at him in defiance, feigning such brave, empty words. "There's no one alive who can defeat me." Sasuke had responded coldly, his smile growing ever wider as he slowly walked over to Hinata, making some of the other women behind her shriek in terror. "Whether you like it or not, you will submit yourself to me, however, and _whenever_ I want, and you _will_ bear my children. Every, last, one of you." He had all but whispered, sliding a cold hand over Hinata's pale and attractive, warm neck. He could tell from the way her heart was pumping under his finger tips that she was frightened; as frightened as some of the younger girls he had captured that were distraught with tears, but outwardly, she was an emotionless Kunoichi, worthy of her clan name, which was why of all of his brides, Sasuke prized her as one of the most valuable. Her ocular sight was only second to his powers, and he knew that somewhere in the gene pool, the Hyuuga clan had been closely linked to the Uchiha.

As for his other brides, Ino and Sakura had been two of his picks, while some new younger Kunoichi had been selected to give his children plenty of diversity and talent. Given that his genes were the strongest of all, he expected each of his children to have his sharingan, and any that showed weaker traits would be destroyed before they could walk. He wanted only the strongest to carry the name of Uchiha.

As Lord over the entire village, the non-Shinobi villagers could only try to pretend that it was business as usual, and avoid angering him if they wanted to survive. Any that had tried to flee to other countries had been murdered before they could reach the border and were swiftly disposed of. He had managed to find a way to contain Amaterasu which he had encircling the village like a wall, allowing nothing in, and no one out aside from himself, as he was the only one who could stop the flames and allow himself safe passage outside his border if he wanted it.

During his brief reign, he had already succeeded in getting a few of his brides pregnant, but he was impatient to make sure every one of them eventually had a child for him, but he had to be somewhat careful, lest he lost some of his mothers. He had decided that the older women would serve as nurses to raise the children he chose to be born, so that the younger ones could continue to give him babies without interruption. It was going to be an efficient machine that would maximize the amount of Uchiha on the planet, and once his children began to grow, he would train each of them himself, and tell them the stories that had made him into the man he was today, hardened, cold, yet alive and exacting revenge on everyone that had hurt him. They would be sorry, and no one would ever destroy the Uchiha ever again. He would see to that.

Sasuke stood up from his seat on the roof of the Hokage palace (he intended to rename it, but he hadn't had the chance just yet.) and glanced to the ruins of the old outlying Uchiha properties. He wanted that to be where his harem wives lived and gave birth to their children which would then be brought to the palace to be looked after by the older women and kept under his own watchful eye. His wives would be separated and contained, and he intended to see that his laws were up kept, with the punishment for breaking them being death. He could see that the villagers he had enlisted to clean the property were hard at work, and soon it would be fit to transport and move his wives in, especially those who were already pregnant. He wanted to watch over them most of all.

He had most of the women locked away together in a room until the renovations were complete, and had had to be extremely diligent when it came to Hinata and Sakura especially, as they were two of the stronger Kunoichi.

Jumping off the roof-top, Sasuke descended to the ground with cat-like grace and strolled down the streets glaring at passers-by who seemed to leave him plenty of space to himself. A few of the girls he passed vanished from sight when he came by, and a few worried mothers tugged their pre-teen daughters behind closed doors, afraid the Uchiha might be tempted to take more brides than he already had.

Sasuke didn't intend to stop looking for brides any time soon. Any time one of his brides wore out throughout the years, he intended to swiftly replace her, but it was now his duty to spread his seed far and wide, perhaps even to other countries if he had to, but Konoha was his main concern, and he wanted his children to come from Konoha most of all, and they would. That was why mothers feared for their daughters and why fathers tried to remain docile and unassuming so that they could remain free to protect their girls. The entire situation was amusing to Sasuke. He had all the power and he knew it, and it was funny to him how everyone shrank away from his sight as if he was completely unstable. Well, they'd see how unstable he was if they pushed him. He could destroy this entire town if he wanted and no one would stop him.

Arriving at his destination, he went inside. His women were kept at the old Uchiha Temple where his clan had previously held clandestine meetings to over throw the village. Now however, his prizes were kept like cattle, just waiting to be selected by him for motherhood to an Uchiha heir.

Unlocking the door with his Sharingan, he went inside. Many of the girls looked worse for wear, their clothes and hair ragged and unkempt. As he entered, an audible hush rent through the premises, and he could see the fear in each girl's eye as he cast his gaze over his property. His eyes landed on Sakura who seemed to be tending to one of his pregnant wives, a young girl with dark eyes and hair; he didn't even know her name, but she had had a feisty, yet sweet spirit that had attracted him to her, and her cries as he impregnated her had been memorable to him.

Now however, she was hunched over a basin, trying not to wretch into the audible silence as her sickness pains wracked through her. Sasuke approached nearer to the girl, a proud look coming over his features as he eyed the barely visible bump that was emerging in her womb. The girl's mouth was opened slightly as sweat perspired on her brow as she averted her gaze, too fearful to look into his eyes. Sasuke didn't care about the girl though; his interest was in the child. Kneeling down, he gently touched her stomach where his child was nestled and felt her twitch in fear as he caressed her stomach lovingly, as if he was fondling a favorite pet. One of his first born children was beneath his fingertips, and as a father, he was over joyed at the sensations he felt for it.

Sakura held her breath as she watched Sasuke touch the place where the baby he had created lay. She was beyond disturbed at his behavior, especially as she had heard from Mayumi just how forcefully he had raped her, and how frightened she was at 16 to have a child. Her pregnancy wasn't easy on her either; she had been suffering daily vomiting and claimed she could eat very little.

Sakura knew however that Mayumi needed to eat in order to sustain the health of herself and her child and had done her best with her medic training to try and ease the girl's early term problems. Mayumi appeared petrified at Sasuke's appearance, and his even more bizarre behavior, as she sat, her eyes clearly showing the strain and fear she was under, particularly in her weakened condition. Sakura could also tell that Mayumi was beginning to flush and sweat again, signifying that her body was ready to expel more vomit soon.

Just as Sakura was thinking this, Mayumi threw up, getting most of her expulsion in the bucket Sakura had provided her with, and some of it on Sasuke's hand that had been touching her and the baby. Mayumi began to tremble slightly, fearful of a reprieve, but Sasuke merely stood up and wiped his hand off, as if he was pleased to see all the pain Mayumi's pregnancy was giving her.

"It's said that Uchiha children cause their mothers the most pain of any clan because they are so strong and take all of her strength to bear them." Sasuke said quietly, as if he was unaware he had spoken to anyone but himself.

Sakura's eyebrows contracted in disgust. So he was pleased then. This sickness that Mayumi was experiencing signified that her pregnancy was healthy to him. Sakura didn't know exactly what to say or do in this situation as poor Mayumi lurched again, unable to control her body's urges.

Looking up again, Sakura saw a peculiar glint in Sasuke's eye that worried her. He looked as if he was lustful and intended to take advantage of a few more of his brides before leaving, and she wasn't sure just what she would do if he chose to get her pregnant along with several of the other girls in addition to what she was already dealing with. Sasuke showed no interest in her however and quietly approached Ten-Ten, probably the weakest of the Kunoichi, as her main ability consisted of summoning weapons; without that, she was fairly vulnerable.

"Come with me." Sasuke ordered the older girl. Ten-Ten's brown eyes widened slightly as she realized what he was saying to her. "Sasuke…I-" She stuttered fearfully. Sasuke's eyes flashed dangerously, causing every woman present to shudder. "Come with me _now_, Ten-Ten." Sasuke rasped dangerously.

Ten-Ten knew she was about to be raped, and the idea terrified her more than any battle she had ever been in. Since losing Neji in the war, her entire confidence had been shaken and she was afraid of just how weak she was in comparison to the other Kunoichi. Not that it mattered, each and every one of them was at the deranged Uchiha's mercy, and even the stronger girls were no match for him physically. Ten-Ten risked a glance at Sakura whose sympathetic gaze stared back at her. She seemed to know what the medic-nin was thinking; I'm sorry Ten-Ten, but I'll be there for you when it's over. Looking up into Sasuke's cold, lust-filled eyes, Ten-Ten felt her breath catching in her throat. She was truly frightened, but she had no choice. She would have to go with him.

Sasuke turned away from Ten-Ten and walked towards the exit, waiting for her to follow. Slowly, the petite brunette wobbled after him, looking shaky and weak. Sasuke's eyes narrowed in disgust. He knew she was a lot stronger than she was pretending. Despite her small stature, she had made it onto Maito Gai's team, so she wasn't exactly a push over. Sasuke also liked her petite frame and her dark eyes and brunette hair. In a way, she reminded him a bit of his mother, and retaining the Uchiha features was one of the more important things for him. It was also true that he had taken Sakura as one of his wives along with Ino, but their coloring turned him off. He was much more attracted to girls like the Hyuuga sisters and the one he already made a child with; Ten-Ten was to be his next child's mother.

Ten-Ten froze as Sasuke approached a room that was to be the place he impregnated her. She didn't want to go inside, and could feel tears beginning to sting the corners of her eyes. The room was laid out with tatami mats and was otherwise bare, with nothing but an Uchiha clan sign adorning the wall. "Get inside." Sasuke's cold voice cut through the quiet. Ten-Ten swallowed heavily forcing herself to remain composed as she trembled past him, jumping when she heard him slide the door shut. Unable to move, Ten-Ten stood rooted to the floor as Sasuke approached her from behind, his shadow casting a menacing looking aura next to her small vulnerable one. She felt him place his lips on her neck, and gently kiss her as he slowly snaked his hands around her waist and tugged her towards him, making her heart leap into her throat. "Relax" Sasuke breathed in her ear as his hand spread over her stomach, in exactly the place the child would be. "S-Sasuke…I don't understand…" She whimpered, bewildered. Why was he being so gentle with her? Mayumi had been in pieces when Sasuke had finished with her, and had been one of the first of his spoils after gaining the village. His anger had been palpable then, and his demeanor still frightened the young women, but he seemed to be deliberately less violent with Ten-Ten than how Mayumi had described him. He was still going to have his way with her, no doubt about it, but his manner was surprising to her.

"You're not fighting me." Sasuke whispered kissing her on the other side of her neck. "_She_ did."

Ten-Ten felt her breath constricting as Sasuke slid his hand up the front of her shirt, his fingers roaming over her small chest as he explored her breasts. Her nipples tingled with each pass of his fingers over the pert tips, and she felt herself almost wanting to give in to him, despite the way she still felt a fear in her breast at the way he was stimulating her.

"Take it off." Sasuke ordered, bringing her back to her senses. She blinked nervously as her shaking fingers fumbled over the buttons, reluctant to relinquish what little protection her clothing gave her. As she dropped her shirt to the floor, she felt Sasuke slide up closer behind her, and his arousal could be felt as well. Ten-Ten flushed at the sensation, her heart pounding furiously in her chest, her eyebrows knitted together in anxiety at what was to come next. Sasuke slowly slid his hands up the side of her body, causing her to flush more, her stomach contracting with sexual tension as he cupped her breasts with both hands. Fondling the soft tissue, he breathed into her neck, planting kisses along her shoulder as he slowly turned her around to face him.

Ten-Ten watched breathlessly as he slid his mouth onto her left breast and gently sucked on the nipple causing her to squeak in her throat as she felt his teeth nip at her ever so slightly. His eyes closed, he moved to her other breast, sucking and nipping there too until she felt like she was too weak to stand any more. Sensing her weakness Sasuke eased her to the floor, following with her as his face covered hers and enveloped her in a heated kiss.

Ten-Ten submitted unable to resist his force as he lay over top of her and kissed her until she thought she would pass out from lack of oxygen. Heaving along with him, she watched as he slid his shirt off his shoulders, heat emanating off his body as he lay over her again, assaulting her with his lips and tongue until she thought she would choke on it. Sasuke's arousal was steadily growing as he allowed himself full liberty over Ten-Ten's mouth and neck, his hand roaming down to her pants as he went to undo the buttons on both his and her garments.

Ten-Ten was positively trembling now, but she no longer felt as fearful of him as she had. His kisses were a bit rougher than she enjoyed, but she was too afraid to complain, especially since he was seemingly trying to take things slow and not frighten her. However, the moment his hand crept towards her pants, her common sense snapped back into place.

She was still afraid of him; he was a mass murderer and a psychopath…she shouldn't be enjoying this rapists' assault on her body, but her senses were getting foggier and foggier as he continued his administrations. Sasuke too, seemed to be getting a tad impatient as he all but ripped her pants off of her and ran his hand through her pubic hair, separating it from her waiting entrance. Just the sight of her seemed to turn him on and he quickly fumbled with his pants, shedding them as fast as he could until the two of them were completely naked.

Ten-Ten couldn't help but glance down at his member, which had swelled to a considerable size. He positioned himself at her entrance and allowed her wet arousal to encompass him fully, pressing himself inside little by little, as her body released enough to allow him full access to her. Ten-Ten was breathless as she felt his length stretching her body; the sensation was a tad unpleasant, and her face showed the discomfort, however, she was also quite aroused and unable to deny that part of her was wanting this more than she wanted to admit. Sasuke grimaced slightly as he closed his eyes, enjoying the feeling of her enveloping him in her warmth and nestled himself in her bosom as he steadied his thumping heart.

Ten-Ten couldn't take the stillness any longer and squirmed slightly beneath him. Sasuke brought himself up onto his elbows and began to hump steadily, sliding easily in and out of her as his breath quickened along with hers. Ten-Ten flushed with the sensation as she felt him caressing her inner walls with his thrusting, growing steadily more intense as he sat up a little more to accommodate the increased intensity.

Ten-Ten began to feel her body tightening around Sasuke as he continued to pound inside of her, his black eyes dark and lust-filled as he began to jerk awkwardly with each thrust signifying his growing pleasure.

"Scream, Ten-Ten." He said breathlessly, barely stopping as he spoke the words. "Say my name." Ten-Ten was too caught up in the glorious sensations filling her not to comply.

"Sas-Sasuke." She whispered. "Scream!" Sasuke roared, pounding into her fiercely. "Sasuke!" Ten-Ten cried, clamping around him as her mind began to reel. "Sasuke…ugh, oh…Sa-su-….ke!" She was to the point of ecstasy as Sasuke continued, faster, faster, her cries spurring him on. His face was wracked with concentration as he grunted at the feelings that were also coursing through him, and as Ten-Ten's cries became unrecognizable, Sasuke stilled, his body releasing all of its pent up tensions and sperm into her, milking him of everything he had left.

As he collapsed over top of her, Sasuke breathed heavily, the smells of sex coursing through his nose as the ripples of adrenaline surged and dissipated, relaxing his body. He remained inside of her, intent that none of his seed would escape her body, so that he would definitely father a child from this experience.

Ten-Ten was also breathless- satisfied, yet beginning to feel cold, the uncomfortable awareness that she was lying with a murderer once again in her thoughts. She was now likely to be pregnant with his child, and even though she had been forcefully brought here against her will, she had to admit, it hadn't been all that bad once they started.

After allowing himself to recover, Sasuke finally crawled off of her and turned to put his clothing back on, no longer touching or looking at her, his demeanor once again becoming icy. Ten-Ten also sat up and wordlessly followed suit as he opened the door and grabbed her arm, dragging her back to his other wives and tossing her inside, without another word to her as he slammed the door shut.


	2. Chapter 2: Lord Uchiha

Sakura jerked around at the sound of a few women shrieking as Ten-Ten tumbled through the doorway, her clothes askew as the door slid open and slammed shut behind her. Ten-Ten had been returned to the holding room, and while she looked a bit shaken, she didn't appear to have suffered any of the bruising and injuries that poor Mayumi had endured during her time with Sasuke. Sakura didn't think that Ten-Ten had been gone very long, perhaps twenty to thirty minutes at the most; but everyone present knew that it took very little time for Sasuke to accomplish his deed; especially when all he cared about was pregnancy.

Sakura felt pity as she watched Ten-Ten slide to the floor, her hands over her stomach, as she finally allowed herself to show some emotion. A few of the other girls rushed forward to comfort her, as she was now crying profusely. Ten-Ten was seemingly too distraught to clearly explain what had occurred while Sasuke had had his way with her, but seeing as she didn't look bad physically, it was hard to tell what she was really thinking.

"What happened? Are you okay?" Ten-Ten was blinded by her tears as the other girls tried to make her feel better about her ordeal. She couldn't explain to them that she was absolutely ashamed of herself. Instead of trying to fight for what was right and for her own dignity, she had allowed Sasuke to use her for his purposes, and the thanks she got in return was to be carelessly thrust back into this horrible, crowded room; his obvious lack of compassion for her was also clearly evident. She was nothing to him but a caged animal, his property and a ripe source for him to breed with.

She was so disgusted with herself for allowing him to take advantage of her the way he had; even to the point of making it seem almost as if he could love and care for her in his own domineering way. But his admissions were fictitious; nothing more than a sadistic act meant for one purpose: to control her in his bed while he made sure his objective was achieved and it hurt her. She was terrified of him, truly. He was a monster who was difficult to read, and he could deceive anyone with a soft touch. She had none of the bravery that Mayumi had. By comparison, she was worthless and a disgrace to the name of Kunoichi, and now she was probably pregnant, just like "Lord Uchiha" wanted her to be. Ten-Ten shed more tears as her feelings of self-loathing and disgrace coursed through her, memories of Sasuke's cruel treatment of her haunting her thoughts.

Sasuke stormed away from his den of wives, feeling angry for some reason. Ten-Ten had been more than compliant; she hadn't fought him and had obliged his every order, and for some reason it aggravated him. His emotions were so chaotic that he hardly knew what he was thinking anymore, only that he wanted to take it out on someone, and he knew exactly who.

Storming to the adjacent room, he slammed aside the locked door, startling Hyuuga Hinata and her younger sister Hanabi. He had chosen to keep the sisters separate from the others, mainly due to Hinata's influence, but also because he treasured their ocular powers above all the others. He was raging now, and he would get a reaction from these women, in particular, that bitch Hinata. Rushing forward, he snatched at Hanabi before she had time to react, causing both her and Hinata to scream.

"Shut up!" Sasuke shouted violently, clutching Hanabi by the throat and glaring pointedly at Hinata who had raised her fists to strike.

"You do anything, she's dead." Sasuke said in a low growl, squeezing the younger Hyuuga's neck a little tighter. Hinata glared at him defiantly, but at hearing her sister struggling to breathe, she lowered her hands and continued to glare at him, breathing heavily. Sasuke relaxed his hands on the girl's neck, and watched as she coughed and rubbed her throat, taking deep breaths to ease the aching in her chest.

Hinata swallowed, her resolve threatening to crumble in the face of this nightmarish appearance of the man that had defeated her beloved Naruto. What was he intent on doing here? Hinata feared for the worst, especially for Hanabi, her precious little sister. Uchiha Sasuke was nothing more than a coward, harassing and molesting women. He was disgusting to her. Not even close to a real man. He was nothing like Naruto, and she had seen that from the beginning, ever since her days in the academy. None of her wildest dreams could have predicted that the Uchiha would become the deranged terrorist that he was now though, and it was hard for her knowing that Hanabi would suffer the most of anyone because of her.

"What are you doing here, Sasuke?" Hinata asked, her voice lower and more authoritative than it had ever been during the time he had known her.

"Isn't it obvious? I'm here to take my pleasure and have children." Sasuke growled irritatedly. Hinata could tell something had set him off, but she wasn't quite sure what it was or why. All she knew however was that there was no way she was going to let Sasuke rape her little sister. If she had to submit to him, she would, but there was just no way that he was going to do something so disgusting in front of her.

Sasuke's eyes narrowed; he could tell that Hinata was up to something; her posture was wary. He was no fool. He wouldn't allow her to get the best of him. He was in charge and she would know it, and he'd show her just how powerless she could be. Without warning, he grabbed Hanabi who was still recovering and tore open her Kimono until he could have access to her body. He was going to ravish her right before that irritating bitch's eyes. Before he could take off his own pants however, he felt a series of sharp jabs pierce his back. Furious, he went to turn on Hinata, whose white eyes were strained with veins, signifying her unlocked Byakugan. However, his body wasn't functioning the way it usually would and he was unable to react quickly enough as she struck him another blow.

"You leave my sister alone!" Hinata growled. Sasuke was fed up. Kicking his leg, he knocked Hinata's feet out from under her. She sprawled flat on her back and Sasuke leaped on top of her, holding her down. "Okay then…" Sasuke huffed, hitching in pain and out of breath. "It'll have to be you then."

Hinata struggled, trying her hardest to get him off of her, but he wasn't budging. Looking into his eyes, she suddenly saw his Sharingan blaze red. It seemed he intended to put her under a genjutsu to make her comply. Feeling herself begin to lose her sense of reality, she felt her skin growing cold as the Sasuke in front of her transformed into a Hawk, his yellow eyes gleaming as his talons scratched her arms.

Looking down, she was horrified to see a thick white snake begin crawling out of her private area, it's scaly, cold skin causing her body to flinch and contort at the discomfort. The snake never seemed to end, its body continuously crawling out of her womb, and as she realized she couldn't break the genjutsu, her mouth opened up in a scream of pain.

Sasuke's hands tightened around Hinata's arms as she continued trying to flail and fight him off, her mind succumbing to the Tsukuyomei genjutsu he had put her under. She wanted to act like an animal, well he would comply with her wishes and make sure she had the worst experience of any of his wives for her defiance. Forcing his way inside her body, he flinched in pain at the lack of lubrication she provided.

Choosing to ignore his own feelings in his rage, he began sliding his penis in and out of her, feeling his member tightening and trembling with each exciting thrust. The extra work he put into holding her down served to tire him out even more, but he couldn't deny the sense of control he had was turning him on even more. Hinata was tight and difficult to maneuver around inside, but the sensation drove him on as he continued to pound his throbbing member into her, not caring about his roughness, all he thought about was maintaining his pleasure as long as he could before making sure he made her pregnant. He wanted to make sure he broke her spirit and punished her for defying his rule as Lord Uchiha.

In the corner, Hinata's sister Hanabi was huddled against the wall, covering her eyes and ears in horror. Sasuke ignored her as he grunted and continued his assault on Hinata, enjoying the adrenaline rushing through him as his body bucked and strained against hers.

"Ugh, ugh, ugh..." He growled roughly, slamming into her with all his might. Hinata stared off into space, still in the dream world, her body unresponsive; her mind was fully under his control. Savagely grabbing her full, large breasts, Sasuke squeezed them hard with each thrust, his heart pounding in his chest as he allowed her body to turn him on. "Kusou…huff, huff, ah….ha…ugh..mhn, mhn, ugh, mhn!" his stomach tightened, feeling his body reaching the brink. All at once he crashed and the rushing in his ears coursed through his body, causing the minute hairs on his face to stand on end at the sensation as his semen flowed into Hinata's body, drenching her with his seed.

Hinata howled in terror, still under the influence of his genjutsu, her body seizing up as she felt the fluid flowing through her. Exhausted from her gentle fist attack and his earlier encounter with Ten-Ten, Sasuke crawled off of Hinata, wobbling slightly from the physical abuse he was putting himself through in his desperation to have children. Stumbling to the exit, he collapsed against the wall outside the locked door, trying to catch his breath, feeling the pain Hinata had given him in his back, resurface in the quiet of his aftershocks.

Hinata gasped as she came back to reality, the blood that had been spilling out of her body completely gone, along with the white snake and the hawk that had assisted Sasuke in molesting her. She felt wet and contaminated, the smell of Sasuke still present all around her as well as inside her. She felt like throwing up, but her stomach was empty. All she could do was try to comfort her baby sister, Hanabi, who was inconsolable.

Sasuke felt exhausted as he tried to crawl out of the Temple, unsure of what he was going to do. His afternoon of sexual release had left him feeling drained and a tad disgusted with himself. How many girls were now carrying his children? He wanted as many children as he could possibly make, but at the rate he was going, he might die before any of them were born. Hinata's blows had had a delayed reaction and he now felt himself hurting and suffering for his efforts. His member pained him as well from the rough animalistic activities he'd succumbed to, and he felt tender, his organ raw and sore. Hinata hadn't been as accessible as Ten-Ten, and her lack of arousal had made his own release harder to get to. The extra effort was now taking its toll on his body, and he coughed, noticing he had a small amount of blood present in his saliva. Sasuke noticed he was shaking slightly as well; he reminded himself it would all be worth it if he got all the children he so greatly desired. His sons and daughters would become the new generation of clan Uchiha, and he wanted as many as he could possibly get, no matter the toll it took on himself as the only provider of Uchiha genes.

At recalling just how alone he was in having to do these awful things, feelings of sadness threatened to overwhelm him as Sasuke thought about his brother Itachi, and how unfair it was that he was no longer here to help perpetuate the clan. Would Itachi have approved of his actions? Sasuke knew the answer was no, but Sasuke had long ago resigned himself to the fact he was nothing like his older brother, despite his childhood wish that he could be. He was a horrible person, and he had already hurt many people, including his former best friend, Naruto. He didn't know how this would end up, but before he completely lost his courage, he would need to have as many children as he possibly could; it was all that he could allow to matter any more.


	3. Chapter 3: Lord Uchiha

### Hello! This is my first authors note to all of my readers, and I would just like to offer you my appreciation and gratitude for supporting my story and let you know how much I enjoy reading your comments and suggestions; they spur me to continue writing and to try to make this story the best that I can, even though I sometimes doubt my abilities in that area, lol. I don't know if anyone is interested in knowing any of these things about me, but I am a blood type AB, which is the same as Sasuke, Shikamaru (my beloved, he and I are so much alike), Karin, Shino, and basically just about every bad guy you can think of, lol, which I guess allows me to switch personality types fairly easily, given that I have what the Japanese would call an unpredictable one. I am a sophomore in college, studying English lit as opposed to creative writing, so it's nice to be able to have some creativity here where it can be appreciated. I'll be the same age as Kakashi (another of my absolute favs) at the start of the series by the middle of this year, which makes me wonder how I could have gotten this old so quickly, lol. I start back to college in about a week, so my updates probably won't be as frequent, but I'll do my best to try and give you something as often as I can, because it's a good break for me as well from the drudgery of studying. I'd also like to apologize to those of you who had to read my first chapter with the terrible formatting. I've been a long time member of fanfiction, but have never posted anything before, so it took me some time to figure out all the bugs, but I think at last that that is no longer a problem. I'll also try to figure out some of the answers to your questions as well, and either post them here or insert them in the story if applicable. One thing I can say is, that it's safe to assume that Tsunade is dead. I doubt she'll be making an appearance here, but if I change my mind, I'll let you know that too, lol. Also, Sasuke's wives are either very close to his age, or much younger, because he can exhibit the most fear and control over them. He doesn't want any 25 and older women to influence the younger ones, which is why he is afraid to have older Kunoichi as part of his harem. Same with Hinata. Anyone who can exhibit control over someone else, is who he avoids mixing with the women he controls. Again, thank you all for reading and I hope you continue to enjoy this story! ##

Karin shuffled over to the large windows in the room that used to be occupied by Konoha's Hokage. It was nearly sunset and Sasuke had been gone a long time. She was worried about him. He'd been so mysterious and distant lately…even more than usual, and it was extremely hard for her to watch him move along, doing his business and keeping all of his secrets to himself.

Yes, he had tried to kill her (once), yes he'd called her useless baggage (once), but after he'd conquered Konoha, freed her from prison and replaced her empty cell with Hatake Kakashi, Karin had been so over the moon that Sasuke wanted her help, that she hadn't hesitated to take on anything he asked her too, and was in charge of making sure everything Sasuke desired came to fruition. She was his most trusted confidant and the only one he really had to assist him in his endeavors, and because she so wanted his favor, she never thought twice about refusing to do anything for him.

The fact that he trusted her to complete his wishes so fully had to count for something, but she wanted so much more. He spent a lot of his time these days wandering the village or spending time with his concubines, the latter of which positively sickened her. Not because he was sleeping with other women, but because he seemed to completely forget that she was a woman too and more than willing to give herself to him. The thought that he was finding comfort elsewhere stirred up the jealousy within her, but she also worried for him and didn't want to see him get hurt. She knew deep down that Sasuke was sensitive and loving; he had lost everyone he's ever cared about and was just trying to get all of that back. He was her soul mate. She would never stop trying to get him to love her, because she wanted to possess him more than anyone; her every fantasy involved him spilling his thoughts and emotions to her in their bedroom after a long night of love making. In reality, he was so distant though. What was he thinking?

Just as Karin was beginning to think of using her sensory ability to search for Sasuke, she heard the doors open. Turning, Karin was a little shocked at what she saw. Her handsome Sasuke looked terrible. His eyes were shadowed and his clothing looked disheveled and unkempt. Karin gasped as Sasuke wearily stumbled over to the seat behind the Hokage's desk and collapsed into it, his breathing sounding a bit ragged and strained. Karin wanted so badly to rush into his arms and offer him comfort, but past experience had told her that trying to force her attentions on him would only scare him away. But still, he looked so exhausted and pained Karin couldn't help herself.

"Sasuke?" She began, hesitantly. "Are you all right? You don't look so good." Sasuke didn't look at her or react to her concern. _He's trying so hard to show me he's strong,_ Karin swooned.

"How much longer until the renovations are complete?" Sasuke asked her abruptly; she noticed his voice sounded a bit weak. Karin blinked a little, adjusting her glasses. She knew he was asking when the Uchiha quarters would be fit to move his wives into…_his wives_…Karin felt a surge of jealousy envelop her at the thought of all those women taking advantage of her Sasuke. Is that what was wrong with him? What had those horrible sluts done to him?

"Karin," Sasuke said sharply, his eyes snapping up to hers. "I asked you a question."

Karin jumped, not having realized her thoughts had left him waiting so long. "Um…yes, I just talked to the builder today; he assured me that everything will be completed in maybe two or three days…but _I_ told him that you wouldn't be pleased unless he could make sure everything was completed by tomorrow. He told me he'd try his best and _I_ told him that if it wasn't finished on time, you'd kill him." Karin smiled mischievously. "I also arranged for the Hokage mountain to be demolished—"

"You what?!" Sasuke flared unexpectedly, sitting up straighter. "I never said to do anything to Hokage Mountain! I want it to remain as it is!" Sasuke looked to Karin as if he was trying to keep a lid on his anger; that, or something was preventing him from exerting too much energy. "It's proof that I've taken control." He explained tersely. "It's the one thing I want to remain so that everyone can remember that this place used to be Konoha, and that I, Uchiha Sasuke, was able to conquer it in the name of my clan."

Karin swallowed nervously, adjusting her glasses as she looked into Sasuke's big, beautiful, dark eyes. "Nothing is set in stone yet, I'll make sure I cancel it for you immediately." She said meekly, doing her best impersonation of a compliant spouse. The last thing she wanted to do was hurt her Sasuke. However, she also knew that if she angered him and he was out of his mind with rage, he could quickly become very dangerous. She loved him unconditionally, but there were times when he scared her. "Are you happy about the renovations, Sasuke?" She asked sweetly, attempting to calm his mood with the change in subject. It didn't appear to be necessary though. Sasuke seemed to lack any willpower to fight.

"Yes, I'm pleased, Karin." He replied quietly, rubbing his temple and eyes tiredly. "How are the nursery rooms coming?"

Karin's mouth twitched slightly. "Fine. I can show them to you if you like."

"Maybe later, Karin. I'm tired."

There were a few moments of awkward silence between them before Karin spoke again. "Is there anything I can do to help?" She purred, sliding up behind him and running her hands over his shoulders.

Sasuke stiffened. "Stop that, Karin." He commanded harshly. Karin stopped, but her hands remained on his shoulders. "You're so tense, Sasuke. Please, tell me what's wrong?" She cooed.

"There's _nothing_ wrong." Sasuke huffed, starting to his feet and heading towards the door. Before he could get there, he started to cough and fell against the door frame.

"Sasuke!" Karin exclaimed, her eyes glittering in alarm. Running over to him, she saw he looked pale, and that in his hand he had coughed up some blood. "Oh my…what happened to you? Are you hurt?"

Sasuke's forehead looked a little sweaty, and he seemed to be having difficulty breathing. "Karin…I need you." He rasped, the look on his face one of urgency.

Karin felt as if she was about to explode with happiness. "You need me?" She repeated, breathlessly. This was it! How long had she been waiting to hear those words from him! He wanted her as much as she had always wanted him! He was so beautiful to her, and it was clear to her now that his pained expression held all of the torment he'd assumed just trying to ignore his desire for her-

"Yes. Give it to me." Karin's smile faltered a little. Sasuke's expression turned to a glare, and he stuck out his hand impatiently.

Of course, it wasn't love he wanted, he wanted her to heal him. Karin offered him her arm, a disappointed look on her face. "Sasuke, how did you get hurt?" She tried to ask. Sasuke merely took her arm and sunk his teeth into it. Karin closed her eyes at the sudden feeling as her chakra surged through her body like the sweet release of love. In her head, she had always imagined this feeling was what it would feel like to lose her virginity to him; pain and ecstasy intertwined in a glorious tug of war. Too soon, he stopped sucking on her life source and Karin opened her eyes to see his features returning to their usual placid and unreadable expression.

"One of my wives tried to retaliate against me." Sasuke answered coldly.

Karin bristled, despite feeling fatigued from the healing. "Why do you want a woman like that to be your wife?" She demanded. "I…I wouldn't ever treat you that way, Sasuke! I would always make sure you were happy! You would be my first priority, always! What is wrong with her, treating you with such ingratitude? I ought to—"

"Karin." Sasuke grabbed her sharply, all but making her melt in his arms. "You'll do no such thing."

"But I…" She wanted so badly to tell him her feelings. Why couldn't he see how much she loved him?

Sasuke breathed normally now, his eyes looking deeply into hers. "Thank you for standing by me and helping me, Karin. I owe a lot to you." Karin sighed, loving his words and the feel of his strong hands holding her upper arms. "I am tired, though, Karin. Take care of things for me while I'm gone." Karin nodded weakly, missing him already as she watched him leave.

Sasuke turned away from Karin, feeling better since getting healed by her, but still lacking in energy. He wasn't even sure how he managed to get back to the palace without collapsing, but his sheer will had ensured he made it due to his desire to know how things were coming with the renovations.

His kind words to Karin hadn't been entirely manipulative. He _was_ glad to have her assistance with managing his affairs so that his primary concern could be his children. But there was no way he was ever going to satisfy her delusions for him; he had to at least keep giving her hope, otherwise he would probably be forced to kill her. Besides, most women were stupid and easy to control. Only Uchiha women truly deserved any respect.

Sasuke sighed, making his way through the long, endless hallways of the palace. Even walking was beginning to tire him out, now. At any rate, he could begin moving his pregnant wives tomorrow and would be able to better organize the women he hadn't yet made pregnant, which would make everything easier for him, especially when it came to conception.

Stopping outside one of the larger rooms in the palace, Sasuke glanced inside. Rows upon rows of baby basinets had been set up awaiting his children, and he could see that an old woman he had found to help monitor the babies and the child caretakers was bustling around inspecting each basinet and offering suggestions to a man about how she wanted things improved. Sasuke smirked, pleased with the sight. He couldn't wait to come here and visit his babies. The thought of it made him almost think about visiting the women again tonight, but after his experience with Hinata, he thought perhaps that he deserved a break from child making. Not too long though, definitely not too long.

Sasuke was beginning to feel exhausted again as he slowly headed back to his solitary chambers. He still had so many things to do and organize. It was difficult running an entire village almost single handedly. Itachi was supposed to have been the one to take over the clan after their father. Itachi had always been more responsible and talented than him, and more than that, a caring older brother. Sasuke missed him most of any of his family. Itachi had been someone who had truly loved him. Sasuke hoped at least that he could be loved by his children in the same way he had loved his older brother. It would be nice to have a clan again, nice not to feel so alone.

Sasuke collapsed onto his bed without bothering to undress and soon drifted off to sleep, dreaming of many things, but most of all, a family.


	4. Chapter 4: Lord Uchiha

Sasuke opened his eyes and pulled aside the curtains lining his bed, squinting as sunlight flooded through his open window. He felt anger beginning to well up at the sight. "Suigetsu!" he bellowed, his hands squeezing the rumpled up covers of his bed. Suigetsu strolled in lazily from his position as guard outside the door, smiling widely with his odd looking sharp teeth.

"Morning, sunshine!" he quipped, sticking the tip of his large, flat sword to the ground and leaning around the handle to leer at him.

"What's the meaning of leaving the window open?" Sasuke demanded. "Are you hoping I'll get assassinated?"

Suigetsu smirked, his eyebrows giving him a quizzical look. "You've gotten pretty paranoid, _Lord Uchiha_. I simply opened the window because I thought you could use it. It's stuffy in here and well, you could really use a bath yourself."

Sasuke scowled, not sure if Suigetsu was being serious, or making fun of him. "I don't want this window opened again. Is that clear?" He reiterated, quickly getting up and closing it.

"Fine, fine." Suigetsu sighed, waving a hand in dismissal. "I don't know who you expect to come and kill you though. You've pretty much destroyed all of your enemies, and any that are still around aren't able to get to you, so you know…you can relax a little. I'm not going to let anyone get past me, and Karin is around to notice the comings and goings of everyone too. It's all good, you know?"

Sasuke was still scowling, but he nodded at last, deciding it wasn't worth continuing to get worked up about. Sasuke only needed Suigetsu to keep watch when he went to sleep. He didn't otherwise care what the former mist Shinobi did with his days, or the rest of his free time, and didn't ask. Just so long as he had someone there he could trust.

"I think I'm going to go to the prison today." Sasuke said calmly, moving over to a water basin and a small mirror so that he could wash up and shave.

"Oh yeah?" Suigetsu said, only half interested. "What for?"

"I've been thinking about extending an olive branch to some of my former comrades. The ones that can benefit me."

Suigetsu's eyes narrowed skeptically. "And just who might that be?"

"No one you know." Sasuke replied haughtily, rinsing his razor in the basin. "After that, I'm going to see about moving some of my wives into their new quarters. I don't expect to be back until late."

"Sounds good to me." Suigetsu smirked, heading outside the room with Sasuke. "Have a nice day!" He said brightly, waving as he went his separate way.

Sasuke exited the palace considering everything he'd been thinking about for the future of his village. His primary concern was his children, and making sure that the environment he created for them would nurture their talents. He knew of someone who could assist him with that, but it would all depend on his attitude.

Heading down the stairs that harbored the Konoha prisoners, Sasuke made his way to one of the less stringently monitored cell blocks, home to the prisoners that had offered little to no resistance upon their capture. Approaching the bars of the cell, the single Shinobi inside glanced up, looking slightly alarmed to see who his visitor was. "Hello, _Sensei_." Sasuke greeted, mockingly.

Iruka frowned worriedly, wondering just what Uchiha Sasuke wanted with him. Thinking back to the day Sasuke had conquered Konoha and defeated Naruto, Iruka had been all but beside himself for being such a pathetic excuse for a Shinobi. He had tried to run to the fallen Naruto, to give his life if that was what it took to protect him, but one agonized look from his former student had stopped him in his tracks. Naruto had given his all in his fight against Sasuke, but his resolve had crumbled and he just couldn't kill him. Iruka understood. Naruto was such a good person. He always defeated his enemies, but never gave the final blow. More hardened ninjas like Hatake Kakashi were the ones to really finish the deed. This time however, Sasuke had just been too strong. If Naruto was unable to defeat Sasuke, it was clear that no one could, and least of all, Iruka. Following Konoha's surrender, everyone left was taken and incarcerated. Iruka had been stripped of his headband and his uniform and had existed in this tiny cell for what seemed an eternity, but what couldn't have been more than a couple of months. He could hardly eat any of the "food" he was given and had lost a lot of weight. The rags he wore for clothes were thin and offered little protection, and he often found himself shivering at night. The way he heard it though, he had it the best of any of the prisoners that hadn't given up their freedom willingly. He was so ashamed of himself and so worried about Naruto, he hardly thought of anything else, besides his constant misery.

Swallowing nervously, he glanced up at Sasuke, the boy who little resembled the gifted prodigy he had once trained during his days as a teacher at the academy. "Hello…" He said cautiously, his voice hoarse. It had been so long since he'd talked to anyone besides the jailors; usually powerless villagers who didn't want to incur Sasuke's wrath, and had chosen the route of self-preservation as opposed to death.

He watched as Sasuke slid a low stool over to the outside of his cage and sat down gingerly, still managing somehow to look refined, even though he was in this dark, dingy prison. "I suppose you're wondering why I'm here." Sasuke smirked. Iruka blinked nervously, feeling his heart pounding in his chest. "Don't worry, I'm not here to kill you. I have a proposition for you."

Iruka frowned, confusedly. "A proposition?" He echoed meekly.

"Yes." Sasuke responded. "I need someone to teach academy basics to children; _Uchiha_ children." He clarified, stopping Iruka from interrupting him with worthless questions. "You're very good with children, Sensei, and if you were to do this for me, you would no longer have to live in this cell. You could come back to the palace and even stay there if you want to."

Iruka stared at Sasuke, not sure what he was hearing. It sounded almost too good to be true. "What if I refuse?" He asked, feeling his pride beginning to compete with his low self-esteem.

"If you refuse, I'll assume you want to die, and that's exactly what will happen, Sensei. I can't have people in this village who aren't willing to work with me. They're a liability, and I don't believe in keeping prisoners. If they aren't useful to me, they might as well be dead."

Sasuke certainly was blunt, that was one thing that hadn't changed about him. Iruka looked down at his hands that seemed to look a lot bigger than they used to; that, or his wrists had gotten a lot smaller. What was he to do? He wanted out of this miserable cell more than anything, but he would have to betray his comrades and his values to do so, which was further complicated by the fact he seemingly had no choice other than to accept or die whatever merciless death Sasuke had prepared for him. It was so much to take in, and he was so weakened, both emotionally and physically, that Iruka felt despondent as he buried his face in his trembling hands.

"Perhaps you need some time to think about it." Sasuke suggested coldly, his tone both impatient and unsympathetic as he glared down at the quivering prisoner. He didn't have time to waste on being wishy-washy. "Although, I wouldn't advise you to take too long in deciding. Also, if you even think you can find a way to deceive me once you agree to my more than generous terms, you'll regret it. As far as ninja go, there are Kunoichi who are stronger and more worthy of respect than you."

Sasuke slid the low stool he had been sitting on back against the wall with a scrape, spying a bucket full of dirty water that he assumed the prisoners were allowed to drink from. Feeling angry, he thrust the bucket against the bars of Iruka's cell, drenching the man in the filthy water before he stormed away, seething with rage that his reasonable offer even had to be considered by the likes of such a lowly, ungrateful piece of trash like Umino Iruka. Just as he was about to leave the cell block, he suddenly heard a mournful voice shout out, "I accept!" Sasuke stopped, a sadistic smile returning to his face. The wretched man's voice echoed through the cavernous prison again. "I said I accept!"

"Hmph." Sasuke was amused now. Let Iruka stew and think that he hadn't heard him. It would give him that much more control over the weakling when he turned up again, and would leave his former Sensei wondering if he was going to be led to his death every time a prison guard came by. It was fitting punishment for that little worm for assuming his generosity was given so freely.

Sasuke exited the prison, his successful manipulations filling him with pride and superiority over all the peons he had control over. If most women were stupid, weak men like Iruka were even more stupid. Laughing to himself, Sasuke began making his way to the newly renovated Uchiha district, his mind working over all the other things he was planning.

"I said I accept!" Iruka wailed desperately against the bars of his cell, fearful that Sasuke's ruthless reaction meant he was retracting his offer and that he'd decide to kill him on the spot.

Squeezing his shaking hands around the iron rods encasing his prison, Iruka slid to the floor, feeling suddenly weak from hunger, his body cold and wet from the water dripping off his frail frame. There was no reply; nothing but his own voice echoing through the mostly empty cells. He knew they were empty because everyone who deserved to be called a Konoha Shinobi was being kept in a much more secure area, lower underground, away from any easy chance of freedom. Iruka was so insignificant he didn't even have a guard much of the time, and yet he was still unable to escape. He really was worthless.

Overcome with misery, Iruka began to weep, hating himself for his cowardice, for his weakness, for everything that governed his pathetic existence. "I'm so sorry, Naruto…" He heaved miserably. "I could never protect you. I can't even protect myself. I never deserved to be your hero." A small, yet resolute voice spoke in his head suggesting that maybe it was better this way. He'd played his part in training a monster, and this was his eternal punishment for unleashing a ruthless killer into the world.

Shivering, Iruka crawled into the darkest corner of his cell, hugging himself as he cried, his tears mixing with the dirty water that Sasuke had so cruelly thrown on him. It would be hours before his hair and clothes dried. His only solace was that at least Naruto, his precious Naruto, would never see how truly wretched he was.


	5. Chapter 5: Lord Uchiha

Sasuke made his way through the Uchiha district, analyzing all of the changes the workmen had made during the two months of labor since his capture of the village. So far, he liked what he saw. On one side of the street, the houses had been made into single occupant dormitories where each woman would live and await his visits. On the other side of the street were the houses that would hold the expectant mothers. These were more community based with four women to an abode and would be organized based on due dates. The old police academy had been converted into a hospital of sorts where the women would give birth, and was outfitted with a staff Sasuke had hand selected to deliver and care for the babies until they were old enough to be transported to the palace. Sasuke was very pleased by all of the renovations he saw, and was eager to begin moving his wives and categorizing them as soon as possible.

He would start by transporting the women who had no combat training and locking them inside their rooms, leaving the Kunoichi for last. He still needed to figure out how to make chakra seals for these women, because otherwise they would be able to use their abilities to escape. He could have none of that; he was trying to avoid any further anarchy.

Making his way back to the Temple where his women were being held, Sasuke went inside. He could hear the low buzz of the women's voices through the walls, and the predictable starts of surprise when he used his Sharingan to open the door that sealed them inside. Sasuke watched placidly as the girls closest to the door retreated as far from him as possible, tripping over one another in their haste to distance themselves from him.

"Most of the renovations are completed, and I'm going to be moving some of you to your new quarters this afternoon." Sasuke announced, scanning over the groups of huddled girls. He noticed a variety of reactions to his announcement; some girls appeared relieved, having likely grown weary of being holed up in this crowded room, while others showed fear, not wanting to be separated from their source of support. He could hear whimpering from the younger girls especially and saw some clutching onto each other. "I think many of you will be pleased with your rooms. They're much better than this." Sasuke said nonchalantly. "I'd also like to remind you not to cause me any trouble. I'm not in the best of moods today, and I don't want to end up doing anything I'll regret later."

No one said anything, only stared back at him with wide, alert eyes. "You four. Come with me now." Sasuke summoned the girls closest to him. A very young girl, who was around fourteen years old, looked like she was ready to cry as she hugged some of the girls next to her, listening to their whispered words of encouragement.

Growing impatient, Sasuke snatched at her arm, pulling her to her feet with a squeak, and shoved her in line with the other girls he was transporting. Sasuke thought he could probably take many more than this at a time, but he wanted to experiment and see how these girls behaved. Sasuke slid open the door, watching as the four women walked past him, the youngest girl sniffling slightly.

As Sasuke secured the other women inside with his sharingan, he walked towards the exit of the palace, saying nothing to his brides and expecting them to follow.

Fourteen year old Yumei tried to be strong as she felt tears threatening to fall from her eyes. She missed her friends already. They had helped her through so much, especially with coping with the loss of her dad to Lord Uchiha. When she thought about how brave her father had been, standing up to Lord Uchiha when he threatened to take her, and how she had been horrified to see him stricken dead with lightening that had appeared out of nowhere, she felt saddened and proud to be his daughter. He had raised her singlehandedly since the death of her mother, and had spent his final moments trying to rescue her from being used as a pregnancy slave.

Lord Uchiha loomed in front of her as she meekly followed after him with the three other girls he had selected. She hadn't been outside for close to two months. She'd forgotten how bright the sun could be.

There were few people in the streets, and those she saw were workmen of some kind who were finishing up their labors. Lord Uchiha didn't lead them far, stopping only a few yards down to a long row of small little rooms lining the streets. Yumei felt herself trembling at the sight of them. She would be all alone now, locked away in a tiny cell, powerless. She had half a mind to try and make a break for it, but if her memory served her correctly, this entire area was enclosed by a large wall and impenetrable gate. She also knew that even if she did manage to run, Lord Uchiha could reach her with his Shinobi powers and strike her dead wherever she stood, just like her poor father. Yumei shivered in fear and hugged herself tightly.

Lord Uchiha stopped to open three of the rooms and told the other three women to get inside, which they quickly did, not wishing to anger him. After he unceremoniously locked them away, Yumei became consciously aware that she was alone with Lord Uchiha, and had never felt so small and vulnerable.

"This way." He said simply, turning away from her and continuing down the street. Yumei shed some silent tears, wondering what he was going to do with her. Would he try to rape her next? She wasn't really even sure what the word entailed. All she knew was that 'rape' meant something terrible, she didn't know what. When he stopped outside another room, Yumei froze, feeling her legs shaking with nervousness. "It's Yumei, isn't it?" He asked her suddenly, turning to glance at her with his dark, soulless eyes.

"Yes, L-Lord…Uchiha." She stuttered, somewhat surprised that he remembered her name. Her father had screamed for her to run right before he'd been struck down, so maybe that was how he knew it. Her eyes were glancing every which way, signifying her secret wish that she could flee.

"I see." Sasuke smiled wanly, his look unreadable. "Inside, please."

Yumei swallowed her fears, willing herself not to show him weakness as she stepped inside her room.

"Do you like it?" Yumei twitched as she turned at his voice, wondering why he hadn't locked her inside immediately. Glancing around at the small space, she saw it was laid out with tatami mats and there was a simple futon in the corner for her to sleep on. She also had a tiny bathroom with a shower for her use, and little else. "Y-Yes. Thank you, Lord Uchiha." She answered timidly.

"Good." He replied just as quietly. Yumei held her breath as Lord Uchiha stepped closer to her; she could feel his hot exhales on her forehead. Slowly, he lifted one of his hands and lightly caressed her hair, gently kissing her on the top of her head. "I'll see you soon."

Stepping away from her, he lightly closed the door, shutting her inside. Yumei's heart was thumping in her chest, and she really didn't know what to think, except to feel threatened. He was so unpredictable. One minute he was murderous and rough with her, the next, gentle and quiet, which made it practically impossible for her to know how to react to him. She tripped over to the little open square of a window to the right of the door, her only access to the outside world, and tried to look outside as far as she could see. Lord Uchiha was gone, but his words still rung in her mind, chilling her. _I'll see you soon._

Panic was setting in now, she wanted out of this dark, rape den. The window was very small, but she was too; perhaps she could squeeze out of it. In desperation, she tried to claw her way through it, but to no avail. These prisons were perfectly designed and had been well thought out; try as she might to escape, it was fruitless. She was trapped. The thought made her feel hollow and almost unreal. There was literally nothing she could do.

Yumei moved in a daze over to the futon that was already rolled out onto the floor. Collapsing onto it, she felt the tears stinging her eyes. She was so scared. _Maybe I should pray. _She thought to herself. It was the one thing she hadn't tried just yet. She would pray all night if she had to.

_Please, someone hear me. _She begged the gods. It would be dark soon. _Oh please, someone hear me._

"Yumei…" Sasuke pondered to himself as he began making his way back to the temple. After he had really taken a moment to look at her, he'd remembered her perfectly; in truth it was because he felt a certain affinity to her. Just as he had witnessed his brother standing over the dead bodies of his parents, so too had he reenacted that moment with Yumei, when he had done just as Itachi had, and killed her father in the name of the Uchiha clan…in order to regain it. She was now like him, alone in the world, but she also had been given a purpose through him, something to live for. She had been spared so that she might bear his children. He was also resolved to keep his promise to her. She would be his tonight.

Sasuke visited the temple several more times, moving out all of the girls he was able to, depositing them in their rooms. There were mostly Kunoichi left in the temple now. About three of the houses for pregnant women were filled up now, totaling his babies to twelve. That was not nearly enough for him. Apparently some of the women he'd slept with either hadn't conceived, or it was still too early to know if they had or not, and it was bothersome to him. He was working so hard to have children. If these wives weren't fertile, then perhaps he needed to find some that were.

These worries about the future of his clan were a lot on him, and he felt he needed to cool off, especially as night was closing in, revealing a few early stars in the evening sky. His thoughts returned to Yumei; sensing a longing in his breast. He couldn't stand avoiding it any longer. He needed her now.

Sasuke traveled down the empty street to Yumei's quarters, unlocking the door to allow himself entrance. Quietly, he shut the door behind him, noticing how dark it was. Had she not realized there were lamps available to her? Sasuke lit one, illuminating the rectangular room with gentle, glowing light. He saw Yumei sitting on her knees on her futon. She appeared to be in some deep meditational prayer of some kind, and didn't immediately acknowledge him. Sasuke entered slowly, moving quietly so that he might sit beside her. Yumei's brown eyes opened wide as she started and looked into his enquiringly.

Sasuke smirked and moved closer to her, kissing her lightly on the cheek as she stiffened and looked shyly at her hands. Sasuke followed her gaze and clasped them in his own, tugging her gently to her feet and leading her towards the shower. Stopping her with a hand on her shoulder, Sasuke turned the water on, the hiss of the initial splash of pressure giving way to a steady flow of steam and warmth. Sasuke slid the zipper of his high necked shirt all the way down, easing it off of his shoulders and discarding it to the floor. Yumei was watching him wordlessly, but as he went to remove the purple rope around his waist allowing his pants to fall, Yumei turned her back to him, not wanting to look. Sasuke smiled at her modesty as he undid the armor on his wrists and slid off his shoes.

The steam from the shower had mostly filled the room by now as Sasuke approached Yumei's back and tugged lightly at the strings of her dress, revealing her bare back to him. "Oh, no!" Yumei squeaked in surprise, trying to clutch her dress to her before it fell off.

"It's okay." Sasuke whispered, petting her trembling arms softly. "You can let it go."

Yumei didn't move. Sasuke kissed her hair again, gently prying her reluctant hands away from the fabric which slipped right off of her, and stepped into the shower, leading her inside behind him. Sasuke turned to look at her, and saw her free hand trying to cover her body as best she could, while her eyes stared back at her dress, completely trying to avoid him. The warm water flowed over them both as he poured some shampoo into the palm of his hand and began soaping her hair, then hugged her close to him so he could sponge her back. Yumei's cheek pressed against his shoulder as he gently washed her, using his hands to try and massage some of the tension from her body.

"Will you wash me too?" He asked her quietly, tilting her chin up so that her eyes would be forced to meet his. She still said nothing, only looked at him anxiously, her pretty little lips parted slightly. Sasuke placed the sponge in her hand, and guided it over his chest with his own for a minute until she got the hang of it. Sasuke began to shampoo his own hair, and quickly rinsed it as Yumei timidly continued soaping his chest for him. "Thank you." He said, taking the sponge from her again. "Turn around so we can finish you up." Yumei revolved around slowly and Sasuke used his hands to help her rinse her hair. He then soaped up the sponge again and began cleaning her arms, then slid his hands around her small waist to start massaging her stomach in light, soapy circles. Sasuke breathed a huge sigh as he closed his eyes and kissed her right ear, enjoying being near her. She was so soft, and shy, and sweet.

Cautiously, he moved one hand up to her chest, and the other one lower down. She gasped in alarm as he touched her private spot, her body reacting with a jerk. "Hhn, hhn. Hhn." Sasuke chuckled softly, kissing her lightly again. He'd evidently surprised her. It was obvious she was completely new to all of this. She'd probably never explored her own body before. His other hand felt over her soft mounds, feeling the nipples begin to get taut as he touched them. He could also feel the pounding of her heart, as his hand moved even lower down now, lightly fingering the delicate flower between her legs. Her breath hitched as he tested her entrance with his finger, trying to see if she was relaxed enough for him to insert it. Virgins were always sensitive to everything their first time, and Yumei was no exception. "Ah!" She yipped, her hands gripping on to his arm to prevent his further intrusion. "Does it hurt?" He asked her, stopping.

"Y-yes." She answered, her breathing shallow. Sasuke began stroking her breasts again, making her fingers clench and unclench around his arm. As she started to relax, Sasuke gingerly tried inserting another finger, making her gasp again. "Ow!" She whimpered, clawing at his hand again. "Please stop…"

"I have to do this, Yumei. It's so I won't hurt you when I bed you." Sasuke carefully wiggled his fingers inside her, causing her more discomfort as he stretched the tight ring of flesh that was her virginity. "You'll relax into it in a moment, and then I promise this will feel good."

Yumei's breathing was tight and rigid, as her hands tightened around his arm, her legs trembling.

Sasuke finally removed his hands from her body and switched off the water, which was beginning to run cold. He fetched the single towel and rubbed her hair with it, soaking up the moisture. Drying her body, he quickly moved onto his own, wasting no time in hanging up the towel and taking Yumei by the hand again, leading her back to the futon that was laid out on the floor.

"You smell so good." He whispered to her, pushing her down on her back and nuzzling her neck with his nose and lips. Yumei's pulse was quick; he could feel it as he moved to her mouth, enclosing it with his own. Her lack of experience was clear in this area, as she sat still, not responding as he licked her lips and teeth, trying to force her mouth open with his tongue. Sasuke slid a hand up to her chin, pushing it down enough with his fingers so that he could quickly envelop her in a real kiss, his tongue mixing with hers. "Mmm!" She exclaimed, placing her hands on his shoulders as she tried to push him off. Sasuke pulled her hands down, holding them above her head as he continued to force his kiss on her. He could feel her sharp breaths coming out of her nose as he slid his tongue inside her mouth again, drawing it out at last as he went to look into her eyes with his own.

He could see tears shining in her eyes, her lack of maturity showing in her young features. He released one of her hands and gently wiped the tears away with his thumb, gripping her head through her damp hair with his fingers. "Shhh" he comforted, moving down to her chest and begging to kiss a trail down her stomach to her private place. He could feel her tensing up again as he dipped a finger into her opening again, this time noticing the sticky substance was more prevalent. Sliding some of it up her slit, he began massaging her spot with the moisture, making her moan unexpectedly. He smiled, continuing to tease her with his touches, feeling her body begin to grow warm. It was time. Sasuke stopped before she could orgasm and positioned his erection at her opening, easing himself into her, despite her loud protests.

The tears were back in her eyes as she whimpered at the feeling of him filling her wall to wall. "It's okay, Yumei." He whispered, kissing her stomach again, hoping to make her relax into him. "You're doing just fine." Her eyes were shining as he began to move, barely coming out of her as his length remained encapsulated inside, his movements minute. He found her tightness was so perfectly matched to him, that he didn't need to produce the amount of friction normally required to stimulate him. As he continued to lightly hump her, he stretched his body back across hers so that he could be close to her face. He wanted to see her enjoying this; he was connected to her through their shared emotional pain at the loss of their families. He wanted to see the lust in her eyes as he gave himself to her, comforted her, made his child with her. She was still looking pained, but he doubted it was because he was hurting her as much any longer. He was being gentle, very gentle. She felt so warm and hot encasing his member, her muscles lightly contracting around him as he grew a little bolder in his strokes.

She gasped, her fingernails sinking into his shoulder as he moved in a way that caused her discomfort. He stopped briefly, enjoying the feelings of happiness that were stirring in his gut. She was still crying, although quietly, her sniffles causing him to kiss her again. He then drew himself out partway, slowly, before forcing himself back in with a sharp thrust. She gasped, tightly closing her eyes at the feeling, her hands clenching his forearms. Slowly, he drew himself out and plunged in quickly again, his ball sacks hitting her, stopping him from proceeding any further. She whimpered, sounding almost like a puppy. He kissed her shoulders once more, sucking lightly on her neck.

"I can't keep going so slow, Yumei." He said, looking deeply into her eyes as he pet her wavy, damp hair. "Your body is so sweet. You please me well, Yumei."

Yumei's brown eyes leaked out a few more tears. "Pl-Please…Lord Uchiha…" She whimpered tearfully. "Please stop. I don't want this."

"You don't _want_ this?" Sasuke repeated, feeling somewhat perplexed. Shaking off his confusion, Sasuke smiled in the dim light again. "You will. I promise."

Before she could protest, Sasuke grunted as he began thrusting again, a little faster than he had been going previously. He found a good rhythm that was satisfying to him and allowed himself to close his eyes and indulge in the swirling sensations that were coursing through him, starting in his core and radiating out to his limbs. His arms were rigid as he clasped his hands on Yumei's hips, holding her still so that she couldn't jerk away from him. She kept trying to push her knees into his chest which was inhibiting his movement. She was so new to sex; Sasuke figured she was just out of her mind with pleasure. He forced her legs open, urging her to wrap her legs around him as he pulled her into a sitting position. He could literally do whatever he wanted with her, she was so yielding to his will. He continued to thrust up inside of her, breathing heavily with the effort as she whined and whimpered while he bounced her on his lap. "Ah, yeah, ah yeah, ah yeah" He said with each jerk. He was deep within her, she fit him so perfectly. At times, his steady rhythm quickened against his control as his body grew impatient to come to his release. Willing himself to hold back for just a little longer, he stopped thrusting again, causing Yumei to breathe heavily as she attempted to catch her breath. She was perspiring quite heavily now, her pretty little face shining in the candlelight. "We're almost there." He smiled, looking into her weary, tear-stained eyes. He knew she had no idea what he was talking about, but he thought by now, even she must be feeling the urge to continue until completion.

Lying her down on her back again, he began thrusting even faster now, willing himself to continue on without abandon. Yumei was shrieking now, her hands gripping the futon as he slammed his organ into her, she was looking at him with an intense expression on her face as she tried to see what he was doing to her. He felt the tip of his penis land on a fleshy spot deep inside of her which made her crumple to the futon, before arching her back as he continued to pound it again, and again, and again. Her features were contorting as she panted and whined, her eyes rolling in her head as she winced and twisted her head, revealing her beautiful long neck. Sasuke knew he was pleasing her now, and the pride he felt as a man, drove him on, pounding, pounding, thrusting, grinding, faster, then slower, faster, then slower as he rocked her body on the futon.

"Huff, huff, huff" He could feel she was tightening around his member faster and more urgently now. She was close. He kept up his pace, hitting her where they both felt it the most. "Ahhh! A…HAA. AHHHH!" She screamed, contorting as she squirmed and twisted beneath him. Just a little longer. He slammed into her now with wild abandon as her warm tunnel squeezed and clenched around him, coaxing his release.

His body stilled as the rushing began in his ears, causing him to close his eyes as his member ejaculated into her body that was still gently clenching and unclenching. She gasped as she felt his hot seed enter her, the unexpected feeling causing her legs to tremble as she tried to push herself away from him. Sasuke grabbed onto her hips, still panting, hunched over her as his penis stirred inside of her, still trembling. He was tired, and sweating, and she was too. But he felt so satisfied and at peace. He hadn't rushed, and his love making had been incredibly sweet and rewarding. Yumei just looked exhausted and a little worried, her body trembling and feeling sore from her first experience in a man's bed. Sasuke felt like taking her again. It wouldn't take so long this time, though.

Sitting up again, he began thrusting his hips into hers once more, faster and less gently than he had. She was recovered from their earlier orgasms and was tensing her eyebrows again as she winced, his member pounding into her once more. Sasuke's sweaty hands slipped on her hips as he clamped onto her, giving in to his sexual energy, barreling down the path he had tread before, his feelings growing more and more intense with every thrust. Yumei was whimpering again as he slid in and out of her slick body; he noticed her teats were standing straight up on her chest as she arched and twisted with him, her hips rocking slightly. She learned quickly. Sasuke grinned as he increased his speed again. He couldn't hold out much longer, his stomach was coiling and his member was about to burst. "Ah, Yumei…ah, ah, ah, Yumei…ah, ah." Yumei was whining, her hands squeezing Sasuke's arms that were alongside her shaking body. "Oh…oh, ah! Mmm, ow..no, please, no…" She whined, squeezing, clenching, sweating, panting.

"Ah…Yumei, ah…ah. Ah!" Sasuke fell on top of her, humping as fast as he could before his movements slowed and he stilled, pouring all of his built up tension into her worn out body again. Panting heavily, he huddled over her. He didn't want her to move and upset his successful ejaculation. He wanted everything to stay within her. He wanted a child with her, badly. Still huffing, he collapsed on his side, pulling her over with him so he wouldn't lose contact with her. Wrapping her leg around his waist, he hugged her close, tears starting to fall from his own eyes. She had made him happier than he had felt in a long time. She was his, his alone.


	6. Chapter 6: Lord Uchiha

##Hello my beloved readers, followers and favoriters! Thanks so much for continuing to support my story! I have a short little update here for you, and I hope that I can continue to write and update at least once a week now that school is about to be back in session. Please keep following along and if you like, please post a review! I'd like to know your thoughts and how you feel things are going with the story! Now, without further ado, I present to you chapter six! Please enjoy. :)##

Sasuke awoke the next morning, still lying beside Yumei. Glancing at her, he gently shifted some of her hair off of her face so he could see her sleeping form. She looked very peaceful, her breathing soft and even. Sasuke smiled lightly and began to get dressed, trying his best not to wake her. She needed her rest; especially if he had managed to get her with child.

He honestly hadn't meant to spend the entire night with her; he'd told Suigetsu that he would be back late, but he hadn't returned to the palace at all. It was a little embarrassing to him; he didn't know exactly what his excuse would be. As he zipped up his shirt, he spotted Yumei's dress lying crumpled up on the floor beside the shower. He decided to fold it for her and placed it beside her futon where she would be sure to find it and quietly slipped out of Yumei's room, gently closing the door behind him.

It was another beautiful morning; the birds were singing and he thought he spotted a pair of hawks circling in the distance. He smirked slightly. Hawks always managed to catch their prey and he was no exception. He needed to move the Kunoichi into their rooms very soon. He really didn't like the thought of delaying it. He also hated to rely on others, but since he really didn't know much about seals he would need to consult something of a specialist. Sasuke massaged the left side of his neck where his old curse mark used to be. Hatake Kakashi knew how to make seals. The question was, how was Sasuke to convince him to do it? Kakashi was a difficult man to manipulate. His intelligence and iron-clad will was also something Sasuke found hard to contend with. It wasn't as if he had any worries about how to deal with Kakashi, but getting him to cooperate would be something else entirely. At any rate, Sasuke was resolved to try and convince him that being on his side would be worthwhile to him.

Hatake Kakashi shifted in his jail cell, the chains around his wrists and ankles feeling heavy and constricting. Ever since being locked in here Kakashi had been trying to break out of them, but they were wrought with suppressors which prevented him from sensing or using his chakra; although he knew it was just the spell that made it seem so, he felt weakened and like a huge part of him was missing. It was dark and damp down in this dungeon too. Men weaker than him would have probably died from neglect and despair by now, but Kakashi was highly skilled at compartmentalizing his feelings. He'd lost track of the amount of times he had been dragged outside his cell and tortured just for fun. The thugs Sasuke had hired either had some vendetta against him or were just psychopaths who enjoyed exerting control over him because he was defenseless. Without his chakra, even his taijutsu skills felt weak, but he always did his best to defend himself before he got overwhelmed by the groups of men who abused him. This violent ritual occurred every couple of days, and his body was black and blue all over. He reckoned if his blocking skills were poorer, he'd have gotten a lot more broken bones, but as it was, he thought maybe only a rib or two had received the worst, simply because he couldn't guard every part of himself at all times. As long as he remained sitting still, his body didn't pain him very much, but sometimes he couldn't avoid moving, and then the pain was excruciating. Just yesterday he had been battered and beaten so badly that the eye that housed his sharingan was swollen shut with blood; he seemed to vaguely remember being tossed back in here, and quickly passing out; when he awoke, he wasn't sure how much time had passed. He was in very bad shape physically, but Kakashi was determined not to be broken. His body could be beaten and battered all they liked, but his will of fire would never go out, no matter what they did to him.

Kakashi's ears perked up as he heard the sound of deep voices coming nearer. As he looked up, he saw two of the men who regularly took out their frustrations on him sidling up the walkway. They were large men, heavy, brutish and vile, the type who likely spent their lives drinking and nursing their ill tempers which made them the ideal kind to intimidate and physically harm others. They stopped outside Kakashi's cell, giggling in a sinister way as they stared at him, their crooked yellow teeth giving off an odor that turned Kakashi's stomach. "Hello, boys. Are you here to have some more fun with me?" Kakashi smiled haughtily at his tormentors. "You're a little later than usual. I've gotten pretty bored waiting."

"Why you little piece of scum." Sneered the biggest man, crossing his arms over his hairy chest and grinning at Kakashi like he was a toddler who had said something unexpectedly funny. "You just don't know when to quit, do you?"

"That's not true at all, gentlemen." Kakashi responded dryly. "I know when to quit; I think it's you who doesn't know when to concede the battle, actually. Just look at how little of an affect you've had on me."

It was clear Kakashi's comments were beginning to grate on the men's nerves; their smiles looked a little more fixed, and they were flexing their hands as if gearing up to attack him again. "You _trash_." The shorter man growled, leaning closer to the bars that were the only thing separating Kakashi from their fists.

Kakashi frowned defiantly. "I'd much rather be trash than whatever you consider yourselves."

The shorter man roared suddenly, his face turning beet red as he went to lurch the door open. Before he could do so however, his larger companion grabbed him by the shoulder to stop him. "Hold off, Baku. Let's just keep cool for now and we'll deal with him later." He glared at Kakashi pointedly. "Tenfold." Baku stopped struggling against his larger companion, but it was clear by his body language that he was still tensed and eager to deal out punishment.

The door was slid open with a clank as the two men marched inside Kakashi's cell, their feet sliding a little on the damp, slimy floor. Kakashi winced as the two men grabbed his arms roughly, pulling him to his feet much harder than was needed. His black eye began to water almost immediately and he was forced to bite the inside of his mouth to keep from crying out. Kakashi had no intention of giving them the satisfaction that they'd hurt him; He didn't know if he'd ever be given the chance to properly heal. If he had to be subjected to another brutal beating after whatever fate awaited him at this moment, he wasn't sure if he'd be able to make it.

As they half dragged him through the hallways he tried his best to keep up with them, but he was in so much pain he found it difficult. He started sweating and breathing heavily just with the effort of trying to walk and felt his legs tremor with every step. But he couldn't show how much weaker he had become. He had to remain tough and unaffected or else these men would get even worse. They were hoping to break him down. The minute he started to give in to despair, he would lose; but he also knew that if he didn't get out of here soon he would also die. His body couldn't withstand any more brutality. Kakashi was so stiff he could barely move as it was, a sure sign that his body was breaking.

All at once the men stopped and physically threw him down into a small room that had no windows. It had probably once been the room Konoha guards had used to take their breaks in. As Kakashi tried to steady himself on the cold, concrete floor, he spied a sandal clad foot mere inches from him. As Kakashi shifted his gaze upwards, the low light hanging from the ceiling illuminated the one person Kakashi didn't expect to see until the day of his execution: Uchiha Sasuke.

"Thank you, leave us alone please." Sasuke spoke up calmly, his expression unreadable as he looked at Kakashi who was prostrate on the floor. The door shut with a solemn thunk as the two men exited, their footsteps echoing with their departure.

Kakashi's body was shaking from all of the agony he was in, but he did his best to ignore it as he forced himself to roll towards the wall so he could sit up and glare properly at his former student.

Sasuke sat with his heel propped up on his other leg, his arms relaxed and his entire demeanor unfazed. His black eyes gazed fixedly at Kakashi, roving over his bruised and battered body with passive interest. Kakashi scowled back at him, trying to will himself to ignore his own pain and humiliation, but adrenaline was coursing through his body and he couldn't stop trembling. "What do you want, Sasuke?" He asked finally, his voice shaking a little despite his fierce desire to appear strong.

Sasuke smirked, cocking his head at his former sensei. "I believe you mean to say, "Lord Uchiha". That's what I go by now, Kakashi."

Kakashi knew that Sasuke's attitude and casual way of addressing him were meant to demean him further, but he was determined not to let him get the best of him. "You've obviously brought me out here for something specific, or else you would have killed me by now. So let's cut to the chase and get on with it, shall we?"

Sasuke's wry smile broke into a sinister giggle. "Hhn, Kakashi…I always thought you were an infinitely patient man. I guess I stand corrected." In an instant his bemused smirk had vanished and he became serious once more. "Alright then, I'll be very clear and direct about what I want. You are going to make chakra seals for me."

Kakashi blinked his lone black eye, wondering if he'd heard correctly. "What makes you think I know how to make chakra seals?"

Sasuke gazed steadily at Kakashi, his black eyes cold and unfeeling. "I know how gifted you are. Particularly with spell work that it would take most Shinobi an entire lifetime to master. You can't tell me you don't know how to make chakra seals."

Kakashi frowned suspiciously. "What do you want them for?"

"Is that any of your business?" Sasuke snapped, his eyes narrowing. "This isn't a debate. Either you agree to make these seals for me or I take you outside and watch my men beat you until you're barely alive. So which is it?"

Kakashi swallowed as best he could. His mouth felt unbearably dry and he knew he was dehydrated and had lost a lot of blood yesterday. He felt almost like he wanted to throw up. His situation was dire, and he would have to be clever if he wanted to survive. If he could somehow survive, he might find a way to escape, and if he could escape, he could possibly get help from some of the other villages and take Konoha back. Either that or he could find out where Naruto was being held prisoner and help him and the other Shinobi get free, but that would be exceedingly more difficult to pull off successfully. It was nearly impossible to contemplate, but if he was going to have any chance of helping his friends, he had to be alive to do it. At last, he spoke. "After I make these seals of yours, what happens to me then?" Kakashi asked solemnly, his voice quiet.

Sasuke slid off of his chair and crouched next to Kakashi, his face inches away from his. "That depends on you, sensei." He whispered, grasping Kakashi's bruised face with his icy fingers.

Kakashi closed his eye, hating himself for what he was about to say. "Alright, I'll do it."

Sasuke smiled slowly, his grin malicious and evil. "Good."


	7. Chapter 7: Lord Uchiha

## Thank you to everyone who reviewed last chapter, I really appreciate your insight, though I have to admit, reading some of the comments was as hard for me as it might be, or rather is, for my readers to read chapter 5, lol. Trash? :( Epic sad face. I guess given that my readers can't see everything that I have in my head, I can in some way justify why what has been written so far would seem adequately described that way, and that kind of hurts because I tried hard to analyze the situation from every perspective to the best of my ability and continue to do so, even while I'm writing ahead in my mind.

I'll also admit that I tried not to linger on Yumei's perspective too much because she IS an original character, and for me personally, I generally hate having to read about people's original characters. It's very boring to me and I can't get into it unless of course the writer is insanely talented. I did the same with Mayumi who isn't 15, she's 16. Not that it makes much difference, but the know-it-all in me always has to be right, lol. I'll also admit that until I got comments that referred to the fact that teen pregnancies are more dangerous than pregnancy for an older woman, I hadn't thought much about researching it. I watch Teen Mom quite often, and unless you have twins, most of the babies seem very healthy, so I wasn't considering it.

I guess I was thinking more about the 12 year old brides that get sold into marriages by their fathers in Yemen, of which you can see many interviews of on youtube; according to the religion, Allah's bride was just 9 while he was 46 or something, so that is REALLY gross, lol. I do not condone rape no matter the age, but at least Sasuke is 17 in this story rather than an old lecher, so I don't really consider him a pedaphile...I would if he was after seven year olds, but he's a teenager too, so I don't.

I debated on whether or not to have the rape from Yumei's perspective, but in a way, I'm very glad I didn't, especially given the reaction just to Sasuke's POV, which it should sicken you, although I sincerely apologize for that. The main goal was to show you a side of Sasuke that even he is trying to ignore; he's slightly crazy, and he's also highly impulsive. Proof of this is when he hears stories from Tobi and immediately decides he'll kill everyone in Konoha. His cruelty has become worse and worse the more he develops his Uchiha abilities as proven when he kills thousands of white zetsu clones just because he can. Poor things! lol. Even if they're dumb, it's still sad. Psychologically speaking however, Sasuke has to justify his acts to avoid feeling guilty afterwards. It's no fun getting what you want if you have a conscience afterwards. It's like killing a bug and then giving it a funeral, which please laugh, I'm telling a joke!

I've also gotten some negative reaction to Iruka. I actually really love Iruka...in fact, it's hard for me to really think of a character I truly detest. I wanted to show the men's perspective of Sasuke's take-over and poor sensitive Iruka became my victim. In the manga, Iruka NEVER fights. He hasn't done anything since getting a giant Kunai in his back from Mizuki, lol. The guy even admits he's pathetic because he didn't even think he would be able to stop Naruto from leaving the Island and even prepared a letter beforehand to give to Naruto. That's some serious low self asteem right there, or at least serious insecurity! So, it was that that I was thinking of when I put him in prison. He seems kind of delicate to me, but he's certainly not a coward, and I wasn't trying to write him as one. He's weak, especialy compared to Sasuke; he has no special jutsu, he's just a basic, well rounded Shinobi who has still somehow managed to do about 10 A rank missions, at least according to the character data book, so he gets my respect there! But he's frustrated and backed into a corner by Sasuke who tells him do this, or die now. If he died, Naruto's begging him not to defy Sasuke at the surrender would all be in vain. I tried to explain a little more about what happened when Sasuke won in this chapter, so maybe it will read better in retrospect. lol. To make up for wimpy Iruka, I tried to make Kakashi, whose situation is even worse, seem stronger and more like a man as it were.

I know not everyone is going to agree with my point of view in how I see the characters, and I respect that, and I only ask that you do the same. Everyone is welcome to have an opinion of this story, but if you really hate how I portray some of the characters I am sorry, but I can't change it too much after it's been posted, nor would I want to. I don't intend to have the characters stay miserable, but as long as Sasuke is in charge, it's not going to be easy for some of them. I also don't particularly enjoy writing the rape scenes either, so I'll probably scale back on those too, but for me, in order to have psychological issues, something terrible had to happen. I'll also address the teenage dangerous pregnancy issue, which is one thng that I really agree needs to be addressed in order to make sense. It's actually given me an idea for Sasuke's development, so I really appreciate that insight, because it lets me have the opportuity to create more drama. I really do appreciate your comments, even the negative ones, because they do hurt, but if I can think of it from your perspective, it helps me to attempt to better my writing, so I hope even if you hate my story, you stick with it so I can try and show you improvement. I can learn from you and I want to learn from you, so please don't consider this message an attack of any kind, because I am calm and not angry, but I feel a little like Shikamaru right now..."I don't get these girls, one minute they act like my friends and then they're jumping down my throat!" lol.

To those of you who love the story still, thank you very much, your opinion doesn't mean any less to me, I assure you! I needed to address some of these things though because it was important to me to let my critics know that I am trying to listen to them, even if we sometimes disagree. Thank you my dear readers, and please review! Just not too mean, okay? I'm a sensitive little rabbit, and very childish at heart, though my writing is shockingly not so, even to me. Take care everyone and please try to enjoy the next chapter! Sincerely, Shikamarulover##

Sakura gently patted Ten-Ten's forehead with a damp cloth, holding her friend's hand as she held an arm over her nauseated stomach. "How do you feel, Ten-Ten?" She asked softly. Ten-Ten squeezed her hand, still looking a little green. "I'm alright, thank you, Sakura."

Sakura smiled a weak smile; since the rape she had tried to care for Ten-Ten both physically and mentally as best she could, but she always felt like her contributions were inadequate. Ten-Ten had been complaining of nausea for a few days now, but hadn't experienced any vomiting, or any other signs of illness. Sakura knew that it was really too early for Ten-Ten to be experiencing morning sickness if she was pregnant, and she was honestly worried that all the stress she'd been under was contributing to Ten-Ten's physical decline. She'd been quiet for a few days after being assaulted by Sasuke, but slowly seemed to be returning to herself. She hadn't talked about anything that had occurred between herself and Sasuke, and upon consideration of Ten-Ten's feelings, Sakura had advised the other girls to try and avoid the subject and focus more on her welfare.

The room that Sasuke had thrown all of his brides into was mostly empty now. All that remained in what had once been a crowded room were the Kunoichi. All of the other girls had been moved several days ago, and Sasuke hadn't returned since. Sakura hadn't been resting on her laurels all this time however. For some time she'd been thinking that now that it was just the trained fighters left, perhaps they should attempt to do something about Sasuke. It was extremely dangerous given Sasuke's ability was inhumanly strong, but they wouldn't have another chance if they didn't try, and in all honesty, it was completely up to the Kunoichi now. The male Shinobi were unable to do anything; they had been stripped of their power and locked away in the prisons as soon as they'd surrendered. Sasuke's threat to kill and destroy everyone in Konoha if they continued to fight had caused Naruto to use himself as an example to his people. His surrender had come as a shock to everyone who hadn't been ready to concede, but Sakura knew Naruto better than most. He didn't want to lose any more of his friends so senselessly, and surrendering was the only way to save them.

Since his victory, Sasuke's behavior had become more and more disturbing, his "brides" were mostly young girls who were barely old enough to safely conceive children, yet Sasuke seemed oblivious to this. Not to mention his abusive temperament and illogical reasoning seemed to indicate that he was suffering mental illness. No rational person would take over an entire village and attempt to rebuild his clan using young women to repopulate the clan…some of them dangerously so. Sakura knew that if the Kunoichi didn't attempt to gain control of the situation, the future of Konoha looked very dire.

Sakura drew herself out of her reverie, returning her attention to the girl beside her. "Here, Ten-Ten. Just keep sipping on this; it will help ease your stomach." She handed the Kunoichi a small cup that had some powdered herbs in it; Sakura had tried to cultivate anything that could be used for medicinal purposes from her limited supply of resources. She saved scraps from her food and other items that could be used to settle upset stomachs in particular. Beyond that, she hadn't been able to do much for the pregnant girls except offer whatever emotional support that she could. As Ten-Ten smiled gratefully and took the small cup from her, Sakura nodded her acknowledgment and walked through the large, empty room towards her old friend and rival, Ino.

"Ino, may I speak with you?" She asked, sitting down beside her old friend.

"Of course, Billboard brow." Ino replied, using Sakura's old nickname only half-heartedly. Since being captured, she'd lost some of her spark and vivacity. Sakura knew that it was due in large part to the loss of Chouji. He had become such an outstanding Shinobi; even able to reach the highest level of the Akimichi clan technique in which his chakra formed what resembled a butterfly's wings. Chouji's confidence in his abilities had resulted in him bravely going up against Sasuke one on one during the fight for the village, and he hadn't backed down once, even when Sasuke struck the blow that killed him. Ino and Shikamaru had tried their hardest to aid him in time, but Sasuke had already done too much damage; Ino's healing ability hadn't been enough to save him, only to ease his pain. Sakura had greatly admired Ino's mental strength during that time. She had watched her old friend as she held onto Chouji, supporting him as he died in her arms, listening closely as he struggled to say something that had sounded like, "I love you". Ino had finally given the boy a good-bye kiss as he passed away, her silent tears falling on his still face. The memory of what Pein had done to the village was still heavy on everyone's heart, and losing their own brave Shinobi a second time was almost more than the people of Konoha could bear. Sakura wondered if they would have conceded so readily to Sasuke had they anticipated Sasuke's plans regarding the female victims in particular. During Sasuke's raid, he hadn't mentioned anything about taking women to be his wives, but after securing the men, his true intentions had come to light. By that time, they were so weakened and unable to retaliate that it was already too late, and Sasuke had taken out his frustrations on many girls that night.

Remembering how that night had been was horrifying to Sakura, and she had largely tried to shut down her feelings and memories of it because she simply couldn't handle the thought of what Sasuke was doing. What had happened to her old team mate? The gifted, intelligent boy who had been such a handsome and princely prodigy? He had meant the world to her, and whenever he had given her a rare smile, or shared his frustrations with her about Naruto, she had felt so happy and content. Sakura knew that of all people, Ino shared her perspective. She doubted that Ino had ever stopped loving the old Sasuke; Sakura had never been able to move on either. Ino was probably the only one who completely understood how Sakura felt, and vice versa. And like Sakura, Ino would also have to come to terms with her feelings and maybe even hurt Sasuke for the sake of the village.

"Ino, we need to do something." Sakura began awkwardly, unsure of how she could relate what she had been thinking. She hadn't even mentioned Sasuke's name, so she knew her opening statement made little sense. Somehow, she just couldn't bear to say his name out loud. It meant acknowledging that the boy she still loved was indeed the monster doing all of these awful things; the deluded sociopath that she had to kill. Ino however, surprised her by replying, "I know."

"You know?" Sakura started, her green eyes locking onto Ino's blue ones.

Ino smiled, almost like her old self. "I may not have been an Honor's student like you, Sakura, but I assure you I know when something has to be done. The question is, how?"

Sakura had always wondered if Ino could read her mind. When they had been small children, Sakura had always been too shy and lacking in confidence to share her feelings with anyone. Ino alone seemed to always know what was on her mind, and now was no exception.

"There are so few of us, and we haven't exactly been able to keep up with our training." Ino continued, pulling her long blond pony-tail over her shoulder. "Not to mention, anything we try will most likely fail, so we have to prepare for that-"

"Ino, we can't fail. We can't afford to." Sakura replied seriously. "The sake of the village lies in our hands, and if we aren't successful, Konoha will be lost forever."

Ino crossed her arms, cocking her blond head slightly. "I assume you must have a foolproof plan then?"

Sakura looked down, nervously biting her bottom lip. She wasn't sure if it was exactly foolproof. "Ino, do you think you could control him if you managed to transfer into his mind?"

Ino shifted uncomfortably. "I-I don't know."

Sakura reached out her hand and clasped Ino's in her own. "Ino, you were able to possess the Juubi. You helped us win the fourth great Shinobi war with that Jutsu."

"Sakura, it's a little different battling a beast. Sasuke is human and very strong willed. I'm not sure it would work."

Sakura remained quiet for a moment. Ino understood her limitations better than anyone; Sakura recalled their old Chunin exam fight in which she had fought against Ino's jutsu and defeated it. She could understand Ino's hesitation when she thought of it that way, but looking around her at the ten Kunoichi that remained, Sakura knew she couldn't let Ino talk her out of it.

"If we fail, we fail." She said simply, turning her attention to Ino again. "But we have to try! If we don't do something, Sasuke-kun-" Sakura swallowed, willing herself to continue. "—He's going to destroy everyone. He's already begun. He's deranged and psychotic and-"

"Sakura, please stop." Ino said, her blue eyes glistening with unshed tears. "I know. There's no choice."

Sakura's bottom lip quivered, a lump forming in her throat as her eyes began to water. Squeezing her friend's hand, she leaned over and hugged Ino tightly. "It's settled then. We've got a lot to figure out before he returns."


	8. Chapter 8: Lord Uchiha

My lovely readers, this update took a long time, and even so, I'm not completely satisfied with it, mendokusei. I feel a bit inadequate when trying to write for certain characters...cough, cough, Naruto, cough, which is strange since the series we all love is named after him. So, yeah...I kind of think this chapter sucks and feels confusing and overly dramatic in parts, but since Sasuke is confused and I'm also confused, hopefully you'll all be a bit confused, and therefore we can all feel confused together, lol. I would rather it make some sense though, but it was hard to write because I wasn't sure how to approach certain things, so I apologize in advance if this chapter seems like a well written mess, because that's kind of how I see it. I guess I mainly wanted to visit Naruto and see how he's been kept, which will tentatively be one reason for this chapter. It also kind of sets up some interesting, yet a tad bit ridiculous circumstances for Naruto to cause some trouble in future chapters, which depending on how I feel, he may or may not do...yet. Sasuke is nuts, and barely clings to sanity, and it doesn't take much to set him off. The first part which is better, I started writing last week before the awesome chapter that came out this week revealing so much about the Uchiha, and the second part I tried to edit some to make it make more sense this week, but it's very soap opera like...then again, I kind of feel like my whole story is like a soap opera in some ways. I don't feel that confident about it, but I hope some of you enjoy it anyway, and even if it seems a bit absurd, just go with it because I hope to make the next few ideas I have good ones. The keyword for this chapter is "why". Why? Because I don't know why myself! lol. I'm clearly in a weird, quirky mood right now, so bear with me and my random personality shifts. Hearts, and be nice and review!

The hour was late. Sasuke stood before the circular windows in the office that used to be called Hokage's, glancing out into the night. Very few lights were left on in the city; it was so dark that Sasuke could even see some of the stars and planets glimmering overhead. The night was peaceful and quiet, and, Sasuke smirked, it all belonged to him.

So far, everything had been going exactly the way he had always wanted. There had been a few mishaps here and there, especially with regards to Hinata, but now that he had most of his wives relocated, much of his stress had been relieved. Not all of it, by any means; he still had to find more qualified midwives and child care takers among other preparatory aims. He was very particular in this area and reluctant to trust just anyone with his future children. He also needed to have frequent check-ups for the women that weren't yet showing any obvious signs of pregnancy, just in case they had conceived, that way he could rule out any uncertainty and focus his attention on the women that still needed to bear his children.

Whenever Sasuke thought about everything that still needed to be done, he began to get restless, agitated; even when he felt to the point of exhaustion. He knew he was stressing himself out, which wasn't good, but somehow, visiting the renovated Uchiha district seemed to calm and sooth him, even if he didn't spend time with the women there.

It had been a few days since he visited Kakashi and convinced him to attempt making chakra seals for him. His old sensei had been barely recognizable to him, given his numerous injuries, but he had to admire, even if just a little, his sensei's strong willpower despite his situation. He'd had Kakashi moved to the Uchiha temple and locked in one of the rooms there until he could heal up a little, although he hadn't removed the Shinobi's chains just yet. Kakashi was wily and clever, and Sasuke wasn't about to trust him to wander about his room freely. Especially with a Sharingan in which he could unlock many of the secrets of the Uchiha stored there. Judging from the state of Kakashi's wrists, he'd been trying to break out of his shackles for some time, yet it was clearly impossible for him to do so without his chakra. Kakashi was likely to pose a problem once the shackles were removed, so Sasuke was considering various ways to subdue him should that occur. He really wanted things to work out with Kakashi, but if things didn't, he had plenty of other options to contemplate.

Sasuke yawned sleepily and stretched his arms a little. It was almost 2AM, and like the streets of Konoha, the palace was mostly deserted. Sasuke quietly left the dark office and headed down to the nursery, just like he did on most nights when he still felt too restless to sleep. The sight of all the little basinets gently lit by the lamps in every corner of the soundless room made him smile softly as he sat down beside a cradle. Inside the cradle was a small, hand knitted blanket, which, like every blanket, had been endowed with the crest of the Uchiha. Sasuke touched it gently, imagining the sweet little face that would soon be comforted by it, the tiny little hand that would reach out and grip his in its sleep. Glancing quietly around at all the other basinets, Sasuke saw an entire room that would soon be full of his children, his clan.

Sasuke felt something stir in his usually emotionless breast. He wouldn't have to be alone for much longer; someday, his loneliness would disappear altogether. The longing he felt for the unconditional love of a family was overwhelming to him at times. Whenever he felt reluctant to fight for dominance among his wives, or began to feel pangs of guilt seep through numbed emotions at the tears and screaming he heard many a night in the district, the thought of having his family again drove him to continue, no matter the cost to himself or anyone else. Morals no longer existed. He had been with many women now, and few of them had been willing to submit to him. He had battled strong wills and struggled with his own lack of desire only to push through and achieve his ends in order to recover his lost clan, regain his sense of family. But it was slow going. Women took forever to show signs of pregnancy. Already he felt as if he had lived many lifetimes; when he glanced at his reflection in the mirror he was always a little surprised to see how young he still looked.

Standing up again, Sasuke closed the door on the nursery, strolling quietly to his room. Suigetsu was already outside the door, polishing his oversized sword with the loving care of a mother cat with her kitten. Sasuke said nothing to him, only slipped inside of his dark room and lay down, struggling to enter the drift between wakefulness and sleep. Outside, large June beetles and other night animals could be heard chorusing through the night, advertising for mates. Restless, Sasuke turned on his side, tracing the large, empty space beside him on the bed with his hand.

He felt somehow empty, hollow, alone. Unable to express his feelings to anyone. As a child, he'd always struggled to understand his stoic father, to gain his approval in the shadow of his elder brother; now he felt he had become so much more like his dad, so out of touch with his emotions, so unable to express anything. It wasn't entirely true though. When he had been with Yumei, he felt the closest to normal he could have possibly experienced. She was his kindred spirit; someone who shared his pain; someone who could possibly understand him in ways no one else could. And yet, since that night, he had avoided her. He wasn't sure why, unless he feared losing a grip on his true values. Devoting himself to one woman would rule out possessing a harem for his children, and yet in a way, he craved a monogamous, normal marriage; one like his father and mother had shared.

Sasuke flipped onto his back again, his head resting on his hand, staring upwards into the darkness. Feelings like that would weaken him; weaken his purpose. He was too far gone now. Things had already been set in motion. The world knew him as a formidable foe, feared and loathed him, just as the Uchiha had always been regarded. Itachi had warned him of how it would be at the top. He had been all too right when he had told him that life would be lonely and that no one would understand. Sasuke sighed discontentedly. The inferiority of others sickened him. Especially the way they tried to tear him down, how they had attempted to eradicate his clan, manipulated and torn his brother away from his family.

Sasuke sat up, rubbing his tired eyes. His thoughts were too troubled to allow him any sleep. Getting up, Sasuke unlatched his window and hopped outside on the roof, breathing in the cool night air. Gliding gracefully to the ground, Sasuke began walking, not really thinking about where his feet were taking him. His thoughts were still on family as he wandered the empty streets alone, heading away from the city to a less populated area. He found himself descending down a dark, underground passageway that had once been built by the Uchiha, with stairs that went underground nearly a quarter mile from the surface. He was the only one who had admittance anymore, being the only Uchiha left; Sasuke wasn't really sure why his thoughts of family would lead him here of all places; or to him of all people.

Sasuke stopped before the end of the narrow, completely dark hallway. Listening intently, the underground silence grew loud, hissing in his ears. It was a disquieting sound. Cautiously, he reached out a hand, gingerly sliding open a thick, stone door to the only room at the end of the pathway. Slipping inside the small, square room, Sasuke halted at the doorway. Hanging from the ceiling and floor were chains that reached from each corner of the room to the limp figure suspended between them. The room was completely dark, silent, and almost morgue like. Sasuke frowned slightly, approaching the figure carefully, not wishing to startle him if he were sleeping. Creeping up, Sasuke squinted into the darkness, looking up towards the face that was lolling slumped over his chest. Was he dead? Sasuke wasn't sure why, but the thought alarmed him. Both dreading, yet afraid not to, he gingerly touched the figure's chest.

Naruto slowly opened his blue eyes, glaring down into the darkness at the anxious expression of his former best friend, Sasuke. Instantly, the hand that touched him retracted from his chest as if burned, the owner struggling to regain his composure after having been spooked.

For a moment there was complete silence. "Yeah, I'm still here." Naruto spoke at last in a low voice. "You should know by now I never give up, dattebayo."

The stupidity of the phrase broke the awkward tension as Sasuke snorted, just like, Naruto thought sadly, he always used to when something unexpectedly amused him. Sasuke turned away, unafraid to show his back to his former opponent, given Naruto's inability to do much of anything except rattle his chains. Being suspended as he was, was none too comfortable, but he had been using his time to meditate and ignore the pain, attempting to draw in enough Nature energy to enter Sage mode, but something about this place seemed to repel nature, which, Naruto figured, was probably why it had been chosen for him.

Naruto looked at Sasuke's back feeling sort of bemused. He never knew what time it was being stuck in this dark room, but he figured by the way Sasuke appeared so exhausted, it must be late. "What are you doing here, Sasuke?" Naruto asked a little louder, his tone becoming more serious. "Are you enjoying running the village?" Sasuke said nothing to the forced small talk, only continued to remain silent. Naruto scowled resentfully. "Did you come here to ask my advice?" he asked sarcastically.

Sasuke tensed his right shoulder; Naruto's words seemed to wrench him in the gut. He knew Naruto had no idea what he was doing, particularly to Hinata. Naruto had surrendered as a means to peace, to protect the village; he had no idea of all the horrible things Sasuke was doing to everyone he loved now. If he knew to just what extent Sasuke was controlling the village, he undoubtedly would be furious enough to rampage, even with the seals inhibiting his ability to channel chakra. He was such an idiot. Completely naïve and clueless, just as he'd always been.

"I don't know why I'm here." Sasuke answered back listlessly, his voice deep and slightly annoyed.

Naruto stared more intently at him, trying to see into Sasuke's soul somehow. His old friend seemed troubled by something, although Naruto knew not what. Shifting as much as he could, Naruto winced as his numb limbs tingled, aching with the lack of blood supply. Naruto knew something was wrong with Sasuke. He knew it without having to ask, or hear him say it. Having exchanged blows with him, Naruto knew what Sasuke was feeling, and he could tell that Sasuke was wrestling with some form of guilt. "Maybe you've had a change of heart then." Naruto replied quietly, the faintest bit of hope in his voice.

Sasuke jerked his head around to glare at Naruto, his aggravation feeling stirred up once again. Naruto always thought he knew him so well. It was ridiculous that he still claimed to have any bond with him at all. To even attempt to manipulate his feelings was just unforgivable and Sasuke was starting to feel rage building up inside of him. Naruto was an outsider. He knew nothing of the pain the Uchiha endured. He was a pale copy-cat, a fraud who merely wanted to find a means to control him and his power. Just like the previous Hokage had done.

"Maybe you thought wrong." Sasuke growled, advancing so quickly towards Naruto that he barely had time to blink. "I could kill you without a second thought, Naruto." He hissed, his hand glowing blindingly with the light of his chidori.

Naruto squinted, unaccustomed to the harsh light after so many weeks of darkness. "So why don't you, Sasuke?" He pressed back, unafraid. "What's stopping you? I've been stuck down here long enough." Naruto's entire body ached and pained him; even the few times he was let down from his hideous confinement, he found his body unresponsive, and was never allowed to fully recover before he felt the chains being drawn back again, each clanking pull causing his body to shake as he felt himself raised into the air; left to suffer until the numbness returned, causing his pain to subside again into the furthest reaches of his mind.

Sasuke's chakra filled hand trembled as he stared up into Naruto's defiant face, daring him to make the shameful move. Part of him wanted to end Naruto, stop him from causing him any more painful memories, and yet another part of him was unable to do something so dishonorable and cowardly.

Gradually, the light of the chidori faded as Sasuke pulled back on his unstable emotions, retracting his sharingan and collapsing to the floor, his back to Naruto. He couldn't stand to look at him, to be judged by those penetrating blue eyes. He hated being close to him, yet wanted more than anything to hear his voice. He ached to kill him, yet had to preserve him. Naruto alone was the only link he had to the person he used to be, the only reminder of his previous life, the only bond he had that could never be broken.

Naruto had grown accustomed to shoving aside his fear during dangerous situations, but looking at Sasuke crouched on the floor now was beyond disturbing to him. Sasuke in the old days had always been strong, stoic, seldom reduced to tears for any reason, and always separate from anything approaching humanity…except when it counted, when the lives of his once precious comrades were at stake. Now however, he appeared to be coming unhinged. Perhaps he hadn't been prepared to experience Konoha under his rule, or to place former comrades in prison, or sentence them to death. Maybe it was too much for him, yet he couldn't find the words to express it. Naruto worried about the village…what had become of his beloved Hinata? His best friend Sakura, his Senseis Kakashi and Iruka? What about the villagers and the rest of his comrades?

Sasuke felt strange; his emotions battling against his tough exterior were like waves threatening to overwhelm an embankment. He'd been in the presence of his former team mates before, but none of their suffering or pleading ever touched him. He was so good at clinging to hatred when he was around _them_; only Naruto, brave, unyielding Naruto was able to affect him. It was infuriating and troubling to him at the same time. What was it about Naruto that made him feel so weak? Like the heavy curtains that so thickly concealed his soul identity could be so swiftly torn asunder, leaving him vulnerable to every watching eye?

Sasuke suddenly felt trapped, like a hunted animal that had nowhere to hide. He wanted to flee from this place, leave Konoha and everything he'd fought for, if only for a few moments to recover his façade of hatred.

Naruto hung limply, watching Sasuke with a sad expression. He desperately wished there was some way he could get through to him, some way to recover the boy he had once been. "Sasuke?" He began delicately.

_His voice…I can't stand his voice! _Sasuke thought, inwardly frantic. He couldn't take it anymore. He wanted Naruto gone, away from Konoha. Just away from him. Sasuke stood up, moving towards the lever that held the tension in Naruto's chains. Releasing it with a forward thrust, he heard Naruto's chains begin to slacken as the mechanism slowly began to lower him to the ground.

Naruto remained silent, wondering what Sasuke was thinking. His behavior was erratic and alarming, and Naruto wondered if Sasuke really meant to kill him now. "Sasuke? What are you doing?" Naruto asked quietly, his voice trembling a little. Sasuke, no matter what he did, would always mean so much to him. He had given up Konoha to rescue everyone, to rescue Sasuke from believing he had to destroy the village. He knew deep down that Sasuke was perhaps lost to him forever, but part of him still, even after everything, still just couldn't let go. As one of the first people to acknowledge him, it was hard having to lose him again, and again, and again. "Sasuke…please talk to me. Let me help you." Naruto pleaded, the desperation evident in his voice.

Sasuke could feel his body shaking. He couldn't look at Naruto. He couldn't look into those eyes that reflected the word "why" every time they glanced at him. Couldn't face those feelings of guilt and betrayal and perhaps worst of all, forgiveness. He didn't deserve to be forgiven. He was evil, twisted, crazed. Beyond hope, beyond redemption. He could feel his sharingan contracting with all the pain and suffering he felt; he had to leave. Without another word, Sasuke fled through the stone door, sealing it behind him. Running up the passageway, he burst out into the open night air, breathing heavily as he sought to catch his breath, his heart beating rapidly. _Why?_ He didn't know _why_ came here, _why_ he lowered Naruto to the ground. Was it to ease his conscience? Enable him a chance to escape? Sasuke felt himself trembling as he collapsed against an ancient oak tree, his hands on either side of his head as he tried to come to grips with what he was doing. He had no answers. He had no counsel. No one to tell him he was crazy, or that he was in need of help. Why was he still alive? Why was he alone the only Uchiha doomed to suffer all of this pain? Looking up at the sky, the once bright stars were quickly becoming concealed behind fast moving storm clouds. Sasuke felt the turmoil within himself threatening to burst out of him like lightening.

"What am I doing here?" Sasuke wailed into the night. No one answered; there was no sound except the howling of the mournful wind.


	9. Chapter 9: Lord Uchiha

**Hallo alle! That's German for greetings everyone, and many apologies for taking so long to update. I actually have been working on this off and on for some time, but due to the interuptions posed by school work, it doesn't seem as good to me as I would like it to be. I can't wait until May when school is over and I can write to my heart's content again and really give you guys some good stuff to read. Or at the very least, write something that I think is good and feel proud of posting. This is a continuation of Sasuke losing it type of angst. I apologize if it seems a bit spastic in places, but I guess in a way, that type of writing, shifting of perspectives so often etc. is a good way to reveal how scattered Sasuke feels. Then again, maybe not, lol. I actually do like the first part pretty well...it's kind of gothic imagery inspired and features an unlikely heroine, lol. The second part is more from Sasuke's pov and therefore feels less cohesive, and while not a whole lot happens, it sets Sasuke up for an event which I hope will be good. I'll have to let the characters tell me what's going to happen, because even I'm not sure yet. Although, I have an idea. Anyway, I hope you guys continue to enjoy it and will let me know one way or the other! Thanks for reading and reviewing, your support keeps me raring to go!**

Karin started awake at the sound of a loud crash outside. Her heart thumping, she patted the floor beside her futon searching desperately for her glasses. Outside, the wind was roaring around the palace, rain and thunder pelting against the exterior of her window, sounding almost like a hurricane; she was finally able to find her glasses and quickly put them on. Even with her glasses, it was still dark, and despite wearing them, she could barely see anything. It had been so peaceful outside when she had decided to go to bed; this kind of wild storm was strange and unexpected, almost as if it had been summoned here by someone.

Out of habit, Karin closed her eyes, channeling her chakra to zero in on the location of Sasuke. He was probably sleeping in his room right now, with that disgusting Suigetsu standing guard, but she had to be sure. Almost at once, her eyes popped open in alarm. Sasuke wasn't in the palace at all! He was outside somewhere in this horrible storm!

Without thinking, Karin threw her covers off of her and skidded out into the curved hallways of the palace. Her heart was pounding furiously. She had to get to Sasuke, get him out of this awful weather, even if it meant going into it herself. She would do anything for him, even die…but she had already almost done that once.

Racing down the flight of stairs outside, she was struck by the cold rain and wind buffeting her. Karin was blinded as a flash of lighting descended from the black clouds with an audible crack, hitting something on the outskirts of town. Fear gripped Karin. Sasuke was out there, right where the lightening had hit. Struggling to find her footing, Karin leaped down the rest of the stairs and sprinted as fast as she could, not even bothering to notice the rain streaming over her face, quickly drenching her night gown and hair; Bare foot, she stepped into a mud puddle, almost tripping and falling in it, but regained her footing in her desperation to reach Sasuke. At long last, she made it to his location. Stopping, her chest heaving to catch her breath, she stared in amazement at what she saw.

A gigantic old oak tree had been split entirely down the middle, and was now littering the bare street, its thick trunk splintered and burned with the intensity of the lightning strike. Sasuke, her darling Sasuke, was drenched with rain, his clothes sopping wet and his hair flopping in his face, wet strands sticking to him like a helmet. Karin could tell that his chakra seemed disturbed, and it wasn't clear to her if the storm had destroyed the tree, or if it had been Sasuke that had done it. Even in the darkness, she could see his eyes blazing red, his face contorted with pain as he stood amidst the ravaged ruins, the electricity of the night surrounding him. Karin wanted to run to him, but as he was, he might lash out at her, and she didn't want to experience anything remotely close to what had happened to the ancient tree. Shivering in the cold rain, Karin tried to make herself heard over the roaring wind. "Sasuke!"

Sasuke glared down at the old oak tree, feeling a sense of satisfaction coming over him to see it ravaged and destroyed. Seeing it standing so old and proud over an Uchiha ruin had suddenly enraged him; judging by its age, it had been here since the creation of Konahagakure and had witnessed every drama the Uchiha had endured. It had stood there silently observing, while people lived and died, their beliefs and dreams being stolen away as this old tree lived on. Well, Sasuke had had enough. It had outlived its worth. It was time for it to suffer the same indignity of death that mortals younger than it had succumbed to. Smiling ever so slightly, Sasuke stood over the tree, completely unaware of the wetness from the heavy rain that was pelting him. He was stronger than this weather. He couldn't be defeated by any man, and no act of nature would be able to take him down either. His pain strengthened him; such was the curse of the Uchiha.

Karin wavered as the wind buffeted her, threatening to cause her to lose her balance. Sasuke's chakra wasn't the only one she was aware of. Uzumaki Naruto's chakra was present as well. Struggling to see through her bleary glasses, Karin thought quickly, trying to analyze the best approach to this situation. Her only objective was to get Sasuke out of this horrendous weather, and to find a way to calm him down. He hadn't responded to her calling, so she would have to approach, ever so cautiously. Gathering all of her courage, Karin made her way towards Sasuke the best she could, stepping over the broken branches and leaves that littered the ground. Blinking in the rain, Karin stopped a few feet away from the object of her desire. He was breathing calmly now, but his eyes were still whirling and spinning in the darkness. "Sasuke?" She began tentatively.

Sasuke glanced towards the voice, slightly taken aback by what he saw. It was Karin, looking like she had completely submerged herself into a bath while fully dressed in a muddy white nightgown which clung to her body revealingly. Thunder erupted around them causing the girl to start as she held out her arms to him, beckoning him to come to her. Cold and emotionless once more, Sasuke closed his eyes, his sharingan retracting into his black orbs. "Sasuke…hurry!" He heard her say, small cold hands grasping onto his uncertainly. Sasuke opened his eyes glaring deep into Karin's pale red ones. "I didn't ask you to come here, Karin. I don't need you."

Sasuke's cold words hit Karin's heart like an icy knife. Tears threatened to spill over her eyes as she clutched onto his unresponsive form, her actions begging him not to shut her out. "You don't mean that, Sasuke. You DO need me…" She shivered. "Please, come home to the palace."

Sasuke closed his eyes again, wrestling with his impatience. "Don't cling on me, Karin."

"Come home. It's late, you're all wet…come out of this storm." She urged desperately, tugging on his arms.

Sasuke flung her off, nearly toppling her among the scattered tree remnants. "I said let go." He hissed, turning to walk away from her. His purpose was clear now as Karin saw which direction he was heading; the Uchiha district. Trembling with cold, Karin knew there was nothing more she could do. Tears filling her eyes, she watched him stride away from her, his back retreating into the distance. She wanted so desperately to help him, but he seemed beyond her reach. Glancing down Karin saw that the stone door with the Uchiha seal hadn't been replaced over the entrance of the dark passageway leading to the underground room. It was still open meaning the one locked inside would be able to leave once he broke out of his chains. Karin turned away from the sight with difficulty, her loyalty to Sasuke clashing with her awareness that something had to be done to stop him, to keep him from hurting himself. Uzumaki Naruto might be their only hope.

Turning away from the carnage, Karin made her solitary way back up the street to the palace, all sense of urgency now gone.

Naruto had heard the loud crash overhead as something large was destroyed, whatever it was being tall enough to have stretched down the length of the hallway to his chamber prison in its descent; the dirt ceiling overhead had shook with the impact, raining bits of dirt over him, making Naruto fear for a few moments that it would come down on him completely. He knew Sasuke had done something rash and dangerous. Bound as he was by chakra chains, Naruto found he was unable to close his eyes and sense Sasuke's chakra; that would require him to use his own. Now that he could sit on the floor and remain perfectly still, Naruto thought his ability to gather nature energy would have to improve.

Drawing himself with difficulty into a sitting position, Naruto tried his best to calm his thoughts and emotions and focus on nature energy. Visualizing himself deep in the mountains of Mt. Myaboku, Naruto closed his eyes and willed nature to come to him; demanded it to aid him in escaping. Without it, he would be trapped here forever, and he'd never see Hinata or any of his friends again. This was his only chance and he wasn't going to waste it. Within moments, Naruto opened his orange rimmed eyes. Sennin mode achieved, Naruto flexed his muscles, shattering his binds. He was free.

…...

Lightening flashed in the distance, lighting up the wide street of the Uchiha district, shedding light on the lone figure standing in the midst of the leaf and debris strewn street. The rain and howling winds had stopped and only the rumbling of far off thunder remained; Sasuke's hair and clothes clung to him uncomfortably, still very damp and wet from the downpour. The clouds overhead made the night seem even darker than it was; no stars could break through the swirling mass of rain and thunder moving overhead. Sasuke's breath was shallow; he clenched his fists at his sides, grappling with himself internally. He'd come here intent on taking out his rage and loneliness on the young women here, but the nearer he came, the more he started to lose his resolve and began to come to his logical senses. Naruto. What had he done with Naruto? Had he really been insensible enough to enable him the means to escape? He felt so stupid. Naruto would kill him when he learned about everything Sasuke was doing to Sakura, to Hinata.

He felt a little frightened. Turning towards the old Uchiha temple, Sasuke hurried inside; he had to think quickly if he was to get out of this predicament. Approaching the room that housed the Hyuuga sisters, Sasuke quietly crept inside.

…...

Neither Hinata nor Hanabi had been able to sleep with the raging storm outside; Hinata doubted anyone had been able to get any rest considering the ferocity of the storm. She had been praying to the gods that the storm might blow the temple down and enable her to escape, but since the wind had quieted down some ten minutes ago, it appeared unlikely that her prayers would be answered. Cradling her sister's head in her lap, Hinata petted strands of long black hair behind her ear, relaxing her to sleep. Hinata had grown much closer to Hanabi since their capture; she had seen that her little sister, who had always seemed so strong and fiercely confident when they'd been younger, did in fact have insecurities and fears. She had never wanted the burden of taking over the family, and had only assumed that role because her father had convinced her that her older sister was incapable of it. She had been terrified of disappointing her father, and had taken all of that fear and anxiety and channeled it into her training. Now, she was quite content to have Hinata taking care of her, allowing her to still be a child.

Breathing calmly in the dark room of her prison, Hinata had long since resolved herself after Sasuke's attack that she would, at all costs, stop him when he came back again. He had already raped her, and, as the days went by, Hinata began to feel more and more as if she might be with child. She wasn't ever going to let him touch Hanabi. If he tried it, she was certain that she would attack him with everything she had. If she couldn't kill him, she'd make damn sure that he'd be incapable of fathering anymore children again.

Hinata's breath caught in her throat as she heard the door to her room slide open, quietly, the intruder approaching stealthily. Hinata silently activated her Byakugan so that she'd be able to see the figure's chakra. It was just as she expected. Uchiha Sasuke had crept in here, either to kill or rape her or her sister again. This time Hinata would be ready for him. Sitting quite still, she gathered chakra into her fingers, preparing herself to strike him where it would hurt the most. Once she disabled him, she'd render him infertile, and maybe, just maybe escape with her and her sister's life. But she'd have to be as stealthy as he was being. From what she could tell, he wasn't preparing himself for a fight, which struck her as odd. But then, his late night wandering wasn't something she thought him accustomed to either. Something seemed off about him, like his chakra was disturbed. Hinata felt a slight thrill in the pit of her stomach. Her chances were looking better by the minute.

Sasuke stood stock still, water still dripping off of him, uncertain of how to proceed. It was so quiet; the girls had to be asleep. He needed light, but didn't know where to find any. The last thing he wanted to do was startle two sleeping Kunoichi.

Crouching down until he could sit, Sasuke hugged himself, knowing he had to drum up the courage to proceed. He could feel pangs of shame threatening to overtake him, especially given the reason he was here; Hinata could very well refuse, and unless he figured out a good way to threaten her into compliance-if not, there was always Sakura. She would do it. She was easy to manipulate, stupid.

"What are you doing here, Sasuke?"

Sasuke jumped at the unexpected voice and the even more unnerving way Hinata had echoed Naruto. Sasuke sorely hated being caught off guard. He felt his familiar wall going up; the strong, unyielding wall that kept everyone out. Jumping to his feet, Sasuke held himself confidently, threateningly, making up for his childish pose earlier. After all, he wasn't sure if she could see him or not, but he needed to be taller than her, to feel superior. Without pausing to think, he spoke. "I have a task for you." He answered authoritatively.

Hinata frowned. "Task?" She repeated suspiciously.

"That's right. If you don't do it, I'll kill your sister." He said easily, inspiration coming to him off the top of his head.

Hinata swallowed, burying her fears. She would humor him, because he definitely seemed off. An open threat was not generally his style; he wasn't the type to give warnings, so based on that, she knew he was lying. The Hyuuga blood was too precious to him. "What is it you want me to do exactly?"

Sasuke's jaw clenched. "I want you to convince Naruto that all the women have left Konoha, and that you'll be leaving too. I want you to tell him he has no chance of defeating me and that he needs to leave Konoha or be killed."

Hinata steadied her breathing as best she could. It had been a long time since she had heard anything about Naruto, but just knowing he was still alive and was somewhere without her was painful. Taking care of Hanabi and remaining strong for her had been the only way she could distract herself enough from thinking too much and worrying so much over him. "You expect me to believe you're just going to let him go?" Hinata asked coldly. This entire conversation seemed so absurd. Sasuke was like a child who had just told his parents he hated them without really meaning it. If he wasn't such a dispicable person, she'd almost feel sorry for him.

"Hinata, he'll leave if you tell him to." Sasuke replied in a low voice. While outwardly calm, he felt almost in a complete panic. Hinata wasn't cooperating the way he had hoped. She was questioning him, and he didn't like it. He rushed forward, driven by irrationality and was nearly hit by a flash of chakra glowing from Hinata's hands. Stunned, Sasuke leapt back, keeping his distance, shaken at her invisible attack.

Hanabi squealed, frightened awake by all the commotion, allowing Hinata to leap to her feet, hands placed in front of herself defensively. She had the advantage; Sasuke couldn't see in the dark like she could. She might have missed her first hit, but she wasn't going to let him get away this time. She'd kill him if she could.

Sasuke's breath caught in his throat, and for a moment, in the darkness of the room, he felt like he was seven years old again the night he had stumbled onto the scene of his parents' murder. "No, don't kill me!" He heard himself scream, reliving those fearful times as he fled the room, slamming the door shut behind him. Feeling completely spent, Sasuke tumbled down the dark hallway, feeling as if everything he had worked for was caving in on him. He was such a fool. He should know better than to think a deceiving witch like Hinata would want to help him. He had to do something though. He couldn't give up. Not after everything he'd been through. Sakura. He'd ask Sakura...no, order her. She'd be much better than Hinata any day.

Stopping outside the large room that housed Sakura and the remaining Kunoichi, Sasuke steadied himself, grasping onto what little inner strength remained to him. Ready at last, he stepped inside.


	10. Chapter 10

** Greeting new and old readers! I've been thrilled to receive new favorites and follows, despite my lack of activity in the past few weeks due to school. The only thing that could top such encouraging signs of interest would be for you to tell me how you feel about my story! I love reviews, like any author, and Fanfiction is great because you get instant access to the thoughts of your readers. So please share your thoughts! I apologize for not updating more, recently, but I made the decision to stop writing when I'm swamped with school work because I felt like my chapters were subpar and not up to my own standards, which is never satisifying. If I can't be proud of my own work, I can't expect anyone else to like it either, so now that I'm on Spring Break and can focus on my creative side for a few minutes, I'm happy to say that I believe I made the right choice. This chapter is much better and feels more inspired than my original drafts that were distracted and just not nearly dramatic enough for my taste. I hope all of you approve of this chapter and consider it worth the wait, or if not worth it, at least an indication of better things to come. I still have a ton of ideas that are centered on this fic, so I suppose in terms of finishing this story, it won't be over until my ideas run out, and or I come up with a good ending that I find suitable, whichever comes first. I'm enjoying it so much though at the moment, that I can't even think about ending it at the moment. I feel like I've maybe written perhaps a quarter to a third of my ideas so far, so depending on how much inspiration or lack thereof that I have, I'll continue writing this story, so please continue to enjoy and support me! Thank you so much for reading, reviewing and favoriting!**

"Sentenshin no Jutsu!"

At the sound of the voice, Sasuke's fighting reflexes sent him springing backwards, using his chakra to suction himself to the side of the wall. Catching his breath, Sasuke whipped his damp hair out of his eyes so that he could survey the gathering of Kunoichi below him, readying themselves to attack. "Kuso." He huffed shakily, still reeling from the unexpected speed of the women. He spotted Ino's limp form, slumped in the arms of his pregnant Kunoichi, Ten-Ten; the other girls were making a nice battle formation around them to preserve their safety. All except one. Where the hell was Sakura?

As if in answer to his question, a fist came suddenly flying out of nowhere, clocking him in the jaw and sending him sprawling back to earth. The ear shattering growl of the Kunoichi combined with his own shriek of pain as he plummeted to the ground and landed with a hard crash, knocking the breath out of him; Sasuke's head was swimming, his senses totally disoriented. Before he could gather his wits any further, she was on top of him, trying to thrust a covering over his eyes as what felt like a multitude of hands hastily grabbed him everywhere else, their sharp fingernails digging into his flesh and making him yelp. As he struggled to regain the upper hand, more fists made contact with him, and although not as powerful as Sakura's blow, they were plenty effective at subduing him in his weakened state.

"Get something to restrain him, hurry!" Sasuke jerked, freeing one of his arms, attempting to toss off the bag that was covering his eyes, but to no avail. With a loud growl, Sakura sent her Chakra laden fist into his face again, while the other Kunoichi seemed to cover him from head to toe, allowing him no movement whatsoever.

"We've got you now, Sasuke-kun…" Sakura heaved, her adrenaline rushing through her system. She still couldn't believe he had been taken down so easily, and the thought of it made her feel a little unsettled. For Sasuke to let his guard down was extremely rare, and even more so for him to have what seemed to be so little fighting spirit. Something was wrong, and she knew it, but she had to push her feelings for Sasuke aside for the time being. Ten-Ten hurried to Sakura with a length of rope, while little Moegi, Konohamaru's young team mate, captured Sasuke in a choke hold, keeping his airways restricted. Sasuke gagged, unable to breathe, and during his distraction, Sasuke's hands and feet were bound.

Sakura and the others girls were panting in exhaustion, their successful maneuver not even sinking in for them yet. Ino sat up, her consciousness returned to her body at last, a look of mortification on her face.

"I'm so sorry…I wasn't quick enough!" She cried, hugging her knees in tightly. Sakura wasn't sure if her failure was what had upset Ino, or if it was the sight of Sasuke being bound like a prisoner, spots of blood beginning to show through the bag on his head that concealed the wounds Sakura had inflicted. It wasn't any easier for her; she too hated to see Sasuke injured. No matter what he did, it seemed she could never stop loving him.

"We need to free anyone who is being held prisoner here." Sakura said at last, her voice ringing through the room authoritatively. "And we also need a safe place for him, where he won't cause us any trouble."

"Why? Why not just kill him?" Ten-Ten asked shakily. Of all the Kunoichi present, she was the only one who had been raped by Sasuke. An uncomfortable silence hung in the air at Ten-Ten's words.

Sakura glanced at Ino, who shared a look of uncomfortable indecisiveness with her. She knew that no matter how bad Sasuke had become, no matter how many people he had destroyed, they both shared the irrational desire to save Sasuke and return him to the boy they had both fallen in love with.

"Yes, I agree with Ten-Ten." Moegi piped up. "Sasuke is dangerous and we have the upper hand. We should kill him now and be done with it."

Ino's blue eyes locked on Sakura's desperately. _Say, something Sakura! You organized this entire plan! You can't let the girls kill Sasuke-kun! _Sakura swallowed nervously at the sound of Ino's voice inside her head, imploring her to delay matters. She wanted to do so desperately herself, but she also knew that the idea wouldn't be a popular one with the others. And how was she supposed to convince them to wait on this decision peacefully?

"Well?" Moegi and the other girls asked impatiently. "What are we waiting for?"

"We're waiting for the Hokage's decision. That's what we're waiting for." Sakura answered snippily. "Until Naruto is made aware of everything, we aren't going to do anything. That is, we'll make sure he's secured and incapacitated enough to be safely contained and that's it."

"You know how clouded Naruto's judgment is when it comes to Sasuke!" Ten-Ten burst out suddenly. "Why should we tell him anything? All we'd have to do is kill Sasuke and tell Naruto that it was an unavoidable outcome. How could he blame us for that? Sasuke's a horrible, nasty person who's been killing and raping—" Ten-Ten was suddenly overcome with emotion as she clutched her stomach, tears beginning to form in her eyes. Moegi slid an arm around her waist, looking up at her sympathetically.

Sakura bit her bottom lip, guiltily. She knew how much Sasuke had hurt Ten-Ten…she had even convinced herself to hate Sasuke, or rather, what he had become, but when it came to killing him, she was still hesitant. She knew that that was entirely unfair to Ten-Ten, but selfishly, she couldn't bring herself to care now that she had Sasuke under her control. "I'm sorry, Ten-Ten, but we aren't going to make any decisions about Sasuke without the Hokage's approval. That's the way it has to be, so please understand. I'm sure, if you wanted to, we could abort the pregnancy now—"

"NO!" Sasuke suddenly shouted desperately. Even though his eyes were covered, his attitude of distress could be seen in the way his shoulders rose to the level of his ears, and the way he clenched his fists. "NO! That is MY child and you won't take it away from me!" He screamed, his voice cracking in a deranged sounding way.

Ten-Ten and Moegi huddled together, disturbed by Sasuke's outburst, and even Ino and Sakura seemed taken aback.

"I won't let you kill my child!" Sasuke cried, "If you try it, I'll destroy this village and everyone in it once and for all!"

"Shut up, Sasuke."

Everyone looked up at the voice of Hinata, a stunned silence filling the room at her presence. Despite everything all the women had been through, Hinata was the only one who managed to look regal. Her serious gaze locked on Sasuke's form, pale eyes seeming to pierce through him and demand the silence of everyone else.

"You were mad to think this plan of yours would ever work. "She began quietly, a note of barely concealed restraint present in her tone. "You're nothing but a lonely, pathetic psychopath, and a disgrace to the name of Uchiha. You're time as "Lord Uchiha" is over. You can't frighten and control anyone anymore. And the women that you've impregnated? You can't control them. They'll be the ones to decide what they want to do, and I'll start by telling you my choice right now. I WILL have this baby, because it's MY baby, and you're never going to see it and it's never going to know what a disgrace for a father it has. The only father it's going to know is my Naruto, so you can bask in the revelation that the man you hate more than anyone else is going to be raising "your" baby, because I'll be damned if I ever let you get near my child again."

The room was speechless at Hinata's proclamation. As she turned to exit the room, Sasuke called after her, his blinded head looking in the direction of her voice. "Fine by me. As long as my child lives, so will my clan."

"No it won't. You're clan is dead Sasuke. These innocent children have nothing to do with that." With her head held high, Hinata left the room, her tone indicating that she would see to it that she would keep that promise.

The girls all glanced at one another nervously, no one knowing what to say. At last, Sakura gathered her courage and spoke up. "Come on, everyone, we've got a lot of things to take care of. We need to get organized as quickly as possible." She glanced down at Sasuke; his covered head was hanging between his knees now, tired, defeated. It seemed he had resigned himself to his capture for the moment. "I'll take him and put him away now." She said quietly. With a look of solidarity, the other girls nodded.


	11. Chapter 11: Lord Uchiha

**HAHAHA! That seems to be the theme for this chapter, laughter, because I am getting so close to being free for about two weeks before I begin summer school! I'm thrilled because I plan to write as much as I can during that period, and as I giggle and fantasize about it, so too do my, or rather, Kishimoto's characters giggle and laugh with me. I certainly hope my strange mood comes off alright in this chapter. It's a little more light hearted and zany, but I think fitting as well, since I really enjoy writing crazy Sasuke. And loopy other people. Anyway, thanks for continuing to read and favorite, I appreciate everyone's support! And in case you don't know much Japanese, I have a little key here for some of the phrases I used, although I think the context of how I wrote them in should make them relatively easy to understand.

Ohayou: Good Morning

Daijoubu: I'm all right.

Wakarimashita: I understand.

I hope that's it. Anyway, I hope you all enjoy! Sincerely, Shikamarulover**

Sasuke was mute as he allowed Sakura to pull him to his feet and steer him blindly along the corridor. Given the way his ankles were tied, they were making slow progress as he couldn't take a comfortable stride; instead he had to settle for short steps that tripped him up more often than not. He could taste the metallic consistency of blood in his mouth where multiple punches had cut the inside of his cheek. His left eye felt as if it was swollen shut and he could feel the side of his head getting coagulated where Sakura had first hit him. He supposed he probably looked about as bad as Kakashi had the last time; that is if anyone could see him beneath the covering that was over his head.

Sakura stopped outside of a small room that had a chakra seal already situated over the door, preventing the occupant's escape. This would suffice for Sasuke until they could find something better. It was likely where Sasuke had been keeping Hinata and Hanabi, and now, ironically, it would serve as Sasuke's prison.

Sakura's thoughts still felt so disjointed from the near chaos that had erupted between herself and the other girls over Sasuke's fate. She felt like her mind was racing over all of the details and how absurdly easy Sasuke had allowed himself to be taken down. As she glanced at his slumped form beside her, Sakura couldn't help feeling uneasy and as if her treatment of him wasn't a little wrong. Yes, he had killed and murdered people in Konoha; he had raped and fathered children with who knew how many women, and he was still claiming that any wrong moves against his "clan" would result in the obliteration of Konoha. He simply wasn't well. Every time someone wanted to blame him, destroy him for his actions, hurt or kill him, Sakura always justified his doings by saying those words to herself. _He isn't well._ Whenever she caught herself saying those things, those terrible, irrational things, she had to worry about herself a little bit too. _Maybe I'm not well_. She loved him; she always would, no matter what, and no matter what he did, she wouldn't change her feelings towards him. Ino understood her reasoning. Ino was perhaps the only one who could understand how she felt. But nevertheless, she knew Ino wasn't entirely sane either. _None of us are well._

Sakura did her best to swallow back her feelings of misgiving and to proceed with a business-like demeanor. Now was not the time for confusion, but for action and the re-stabilization of the village. She had a temporary prison for Sasuke and he would have to be contained less than ideally for now; she made a note to herself that she would also have to find a better solution for preventing Sasuke from using his Sharingan and quickly, since a bag wasn't the greatest form of insurance. Before she could slide open the door to his new prison however, a loud thump against the wall startled her.

"What the-" She started, almost expecting the wall to come crashing in on her. Was it one of Sasuke's henchmen? A low giggling that sounded almost mad began emitting from Sasuke as he seemed to register where he was and understand better than Sakura what was going on. Sakura glanced at him worriedly. She found him difficult to understand when he acted so strangely, and his behavior gave her even more reason to doubt his sanity.

"Open the door, Sakura…" Sasuke taunted at last, catching his breath up enough to speak. "See what's inside…heh heh heh…"

Sakura was beginning to feel a lot of misgiving over what she should do. However, she rationalized to herself, if someone has been sealed behind this door, they must be an enemy of Sasuke's. Without further ado, Sakura slid open the door to the room.

She gasped a little in surprise to see her poor old Sensei, Hatake Kakashi, wrapped from head to toe in Chakra chains with his Sharingan buried under layers of bandages preventing its use; if it was even possible for him to use it in the first place. The way he was flopped on his side, his long gray hair matted and laying stringy over his one good eye (obscuring his view), it was evident to her that he had been trying for some time to escape his room, but had failed to succeed…unsurprisingly. Apparently Sasuke didn't need to see how sad Kakashi looked to be amused at his pathetic state; if Sakura hadn't been so angry to see him treated this way, she might have laughed too, but as it was, she simply couldn't bear to let him be bound like that any longer.

"Sensei!" She exclaimed, finding her voice at last as she hastily bent down to unchain him.

"Ohayou…Sakura." Kakashi answered listlessly. He appeared exhausted from whatever exertion he had put himself through in his fruitless escape plans, and like his scarecrow namesake, looked as if all of his stuffing had been pulled out of him.

"Ohayou? It's not morning Sensei…it's night…I think." She answered absentmindedly. Her long time spent in captivity had made her suddenly aware with how out of touch she was with the comings and goings of the sun.

"Ah, but you're wrong, Sakura. I've been keeping track of the days ever since they moved me here, and I know for a fact that, given my calculations are correct, the sun even now might just be rising at this very moment."

Sakura stared at her Sensei wordlessly for a minute feeling seriously nonplussed; then all at once she burst out laughing for absolutely no reason at all. She hadn't seen Kakashi since this entire ordeal started; frankly, she was a little surprised he was still alive; after everything that conspired, she was finally reunited with him at last and what does he do? He goes on, not mentioning anything about what they've all been through or what to do about it and instead rambles on about his stupid, unimportant logical reasoning behind knowing the time of day, which any moron would be able to figure out as soon as they stepped outside! It was so absurd and funny to her that she had to burst out laughing, feeling all of the stress from her containment begin to disperse from finally having something, even something as stupid and unfunny as this, to laugh about.

Sasuke was now the one standing mute and visibly uncomfortable as he listened to Sakura's hysterical laughing over utter foolishness. He had always considered Sakura to be a little screw ball, but perhaps this confirmed she had lost her marbles as well. It didn't make him feel any better to be captured by her, but the more he thought about it, the more he figured he could possibly make it work to his advantage. Only time would tell, but one thing was certain; he wasn't going to allow her to keep him locked up forever. Not when he had children he needed to save and protect; the next generation of the Uchiha clan. He needed to be alive to preserve his offspring, and the best way to do that now was through cooperation.

"Arigato, Sensei." Sakura said at last, catching her breath. "I needed that."

Kakashi stared up at her quizzically, his lone black eye drooping slightly. "I seem to have missed the funny part."

Sakura nearly burst out laughing again, but managed to contain herself. "Never mind, Sensei. I just missed you, that's all." Kakashi sat up slowly, his chains sliding off of him as he was finally free at last. He closed his right eye, taking a deep breath as he did so.

"Are you okay, Sensei?" Sakura asked, a trifle concerned.

"Ah. I'm fine. I'm just relishing in the feeling of having Chakra again, that's all." He responded quietly.

Sakura smiled meekly, a pang of sympathy hitting her as she gathered up Kakashi's chains into a bundle, readying them to be put around Sasuke. To her surprise, the former "Lord Uchiha" stayed still as she fastened them around him, which both eased and exacerbated her fears over his unstable mindset. Sakura pushed her anxiety away as she finished with Sasuke at last, and returned to Kakashi in order to help him to his feet. He hissed in pain as she did so, alarming her considerably since he never showed much weakness to pain. "What's wrong?!" She asked quickly.

"Daijoubu," He grunted, clearly trying not to reveal his coping skills were at their limit.

"You're not okay!" Sakura burst out angrily. Men like Naruto and Kakashi always infuriated her with their inability to express when they were injured. As a medical professional, she found it even more frustrating. Shinobi always seemed to push themselves too far, but Shinobi like them were even worse. It would take dying for them to know when enough was enough.

Kakashi wanted to chuckle in spite of himself. Sakura was her usual, demanding, overly concerned self. It was comforting to him, and if he had been a more sentimental man, he might have cried, even despite the 25th Shinobi rule. "I'm just a little broken and battered here and there, but I'll survive." He downplayed, hoping to assuage her fears. The night's thunderous storm had enabled him to clatter around more than usual in his attempts to free himself, but the extra effort had taken its toll on him. Having heard the commotion with Sasuke and the girls with his immensely sharp hearing had spurred himself to try to escape even more in the hopes of aiding and protecting the women. His worthless tries were laughable in view of Sasuke's capture by Sakura and subsequent freeing of himself, which made his sorry efforts appear even greater. Sakura had clearly surpassed the greatest Kunoichi of all time, and the proof stood before him. As much as it bothered his deflated ego, he felt at the same time an immense, fatherly affection for her, and pride that his former student had become so very adept at handling herself, as she had once again proved to him. It was no longer just Naruto that had surpassed him. All three of his former students had become unbelievably powerful Shinobi.

"Well, you'd best not keep moaning and groaning then as we walk out of here, Kakai-Sensei." Sakura scowled in annoyance.

"Wakarimashita." Kakashi answered meekly, wincing as he did his best to accompany her on her terms.

…

Sasuke heard the door slide closed, leaving him entombed in his prison. How humiliating. An Uchiha like him, allowing a girl with barely any clan lineage at all to capture him. The thought of his children suffering at the hands of these prejudicial individuals was enough to sicken him, as well, but he wasn't going to allow it. He'd save as many as he could, and gather more mothers if the ones he managed to get weren't satisfactory. Sasuke smiled, a small, crazed smirk, his eyes piercing through the burlap sack covering his head to envision his perfect world, the world that he would achieve upon his release from prison. It would be such a wonderful world. All that was required of him now, was to wait. Wait, and pounce when opportunity presented itself, which it would. He knew it would. Sasuke's body began to quiver as his laughter filled him again, quiet at first then growing louder. "Self-indulgent idiots!" He shouted joyfully. Their stupidity was unendingly amusing. "None of you can stop me! I triumph even better in situations where I seem to be the loser. Watch out. I'm only waiting. Waiting, waiting to strike. Then you'll see. The wrath of the Uchiha clan will never stop until those who hate it are destroyed. You'll see…you'll see...just wait."


	12. Chapter 12: Lord Uchiha

##Hello readers new and old! I hope there are some of you out there who are still interested in this story, since it has been a long time since I've been able to update, but I have a kind of longish chapter here for you, so I hope you'll accept it as an apology. University work really is a time and energy drainer, that's for sure. But now that I'm doing finals this week (something I should be studying for but I worked on this instead, lol...very, very bad) I'll hopefully have more free time to write and indulge my creative muscles. At any rate, I am still having fun with this story and don't plan to stop writing it any time soon because I have some stuff planned, so we'll just see where it goes. To all of you who have been faithful readers and reviewers, thank you so much. I do write this story for myself primarily, but the fact that you enjoy it and continue to read it and leave me your thoughts is truly inspiring. I'd like to give my special appreciation to Rosebunse and Fanfictions4ever for always leaving me a review on every chapter and telling me what you thought. I really appreciate it! I hope everyone will indulge me in three little favors:

1. Who is you favorite Naruto character(s) and why?

2. Are you a boy or a girl, and how old are you?

3. What did you think of the chapter?

Thank you in advance to everyone who answers! I adore you all! Without further ado, I give you chapter 12. Enjoy! ##

Hinata stepped outside the Uchiha temple into the pre-dawn light, surveying the aftereffects of Sasuke's rule. Her pale eyes glided over the newly built district with its two long rows of chambers running up the street, tiny windows providing little to no protection from the weather, and noticing how horribly confining and constricting they were. Hinata desperately wanted to find Naruto and rescue him more than anyone, but her heart also went out to the many young women and girls that Sasuke had captured and was keeping locked up in those awful prisons. They needed to be freed as soon as possible and no matter what was decided about the babies, the young mothers needed to be cared for and protected from any more harm and abuse.

"Hinata, are you all right?" Hinata turned at the sound of Sakura's voice, and saw that she was half carrying Naruto's former Sensei, Hatake Kakashi. "Yes, I'm fine. How is he?"

"I couldn't be better." Kakashi replied with a pained expression. Hinata decided to ignore him; she didn't know the man well enough to converse with him comfortably, and her shyness that was still very much a part of her deep down, wanted to escape from any awkward interactions if she could help it.

"I think we need to find all of the prisoners and release them immediately." Hinata said finally, breaking the uncomfortable silence between them. It was obvious that everyone present was deeply troubled in their own way, and that trying to behave normally was just as taxing as ignoring everything that had occurred.

"I agree." Sakura answered, squinting as the morning sun began to brighten the dark, damp streets. "Kakai-Sensei, do you know where the captives are being held?"

"Some of them." Kakashi replied solemnly. "I'd also check the Konoha prisons. I heard many rumors that Sasuke was executing people daily, so I don't know whether it's true, or if it was just a tactic to scare us, but I know one thing, I haven't seen any comrades since Sasuke took over; for all I know, I'm the only one who has been able to survive…and let me tell you, it hasn't been easy."

Sakura glanced at her Sensei sympathetically, noticing he looked rather haunted and that his inability to speak yet about his experiences in captivity spoke volumes. As bad as the women had had it, she could only imagine what the men had been going through, and if Sasuke had really been having executions—Sakura's throat clenched in fear as she thought about Naruto. Glancing up at Hinata, it appeared by her worried expression that she was having some of the same thoughts.

"We can't worry about rumors. We just have to hurry up and get organized and get whoever is in prison out."

"We should start with the women first, since we know for sure where they are." Hinata replied. She was doing her best to remain sensible and not jump to the worst-case scenario just yet. "Perhaps Ino or Ten-Ten could tend to that while you and I search the prisons for the men."

"Sounds good." Sakura answered. "Let's go."

Hinata led the way, accidently stepping in a large puddle as she did so. Feeling annoyed at herself for not noticing it, she continued on with Sakura and Kakashi to meet up with the other Kunoichi.

As the puddle rippled from the intrusion, a liquid blob rose unnoticed out of its shallow depths, as it ever-so- slightly formed into the head of Hozuki Suigetsu. His dark purple eyes watched as the women grouped together, explaining their plan to each other. Melting back into the water, Suigetsu trickled up the street hoping to gain access to the Uchiha palace, but it was far too dangerous with various Kunoichi and villagers wandering around the entrance. Karin hadn't been kidding. When she had suddenly burst in on his quiet time (most of which he spent indulging himself in the care of his sword), Karin had been quite distraught at the notion that Sasuke might be killed. When he'd asked her why she hadn't told him sooner, she had said that she hadn't been thinking clearly and really thought she wanted someone to stop Sasuke, but now she feared for his life. She wanted to make certain that Suigetsu did his part as Sasuke's body guard and ensure he was safe; but now Suigetsu could see the idiot Uchiha had clearly meddled in more than he could handle. It was a bit shocking to say the least; he'd taken over Konoha, had many brides and conceived as many babies, and just as things were going well for him, he went and did something stupid like this. Uchiha didn't know the value of subtlety, clearly. Suigetsu would now have to be troubled with the organization of an escape plan. How irritating. On the other hand Suigetsu loved to fight, and any opportunity to use his sword was welcome. Continuing to trickle down the street, he smiled a watery grin. This ordeal might turn out interesting after all.

…

Hours had passed and most of the women had been released from the district and removed to the abandoned palace for safe-keeping. Sakura and the other Kunoichi were exhausted from the day's activities and the never ending supply of more work to do. Some of the men had been located as well; Sakura had been especially shocked by the appearance of an extremely weak and frail looking Iruka who seemed not to have eaten much in the past two months. It was disheartening to see that most of the men who had been recovered were in equally pitiful condition. When Sakura thought about how it had been Sasuke who had done this to them, it horrified and sickened her. Her childhood image of her beloved Sasuke just didn't fit with the acts of the man who called himself Sasuke now. And yet, it was growing harder and harder for her to deny the obvious suffering of so many before her eyes.

As much as she loathed returning to the Uchiha temple, she knew it was imperative that someone offer Sasuke something to eat, and also see to it that his wounds didn't become infected. Now that he was subdued and no longer a threat to the village, she could perhaps get a chance to talk to him and try to find the boy hiding deep inside of him somewhere that she still loved.

Carrying a tray that held a bowl of hot ramen soup, Sakura glided down the hallway towards Sasuke's enclosure. It was hard to believe, but less than twenty-four hours ago she had been the captive and he the captor, and now everything was reversed. If only she could find out where Naruto was…or at the very least, confirm that he was still alive.

Balancing the tray on her hip, Sakura slid open the door and quietly stepped inside, keeping her eyes on Sasuke at all times to ensure he did nothing unexpected. Not much had changed about him from earlier; he was still bound by the chakra chains and sitting calmly, his covered head inclined over his chest as if he were lost in thought, or sleeping. He didn't acknowledge her presence in the least which Sakura found a little unnerving, but she pushed aside her misgivings and approached him with the soup.

"Sasuke-kun, I've brought you something to eat." She said in a flat tone, devoid of warmth and happiness.

"Hmph." Was his only reply.

Sakura swallowed, a tad annoyed with his behavior, but chose to ignore it. "I can also take a look at your injuries if you promise you'll behave yourself."

Sasuke's head shifted ever so slightly, as if considering her offer, but he said nothing. Sakura scowled. He was acting so childish! The least he could do was form a sentence, regardless of their relationship right now. She didn't know why it bothered her so much that he wouldn't speak to her, but somehow it did. She couldn't help but desire a scant amount of common courtesy, which was the least he could do after everything he'd put the village through.

Sasuke's lips twitched into a concealed smirk. Sakura was so stupid and easy to manipulate. His actions were getting precisely the desired reaction he was looking for. Clearly she was still smitten with him, which was excellent news for his escape plan; all he'd have to do was fain his remorse, and little by little he'd gain the upper hand before she even realized she'd lost it. He might even be able to convince her to help him with his children. She'd make an excellent midwife. But he couldn't begin to plan things too soon; things right now were delicate and had to be dealt with as such. He could sense her coming nearer, placing a lukewarm, tentative hand on his bare shoulder. She was still afraid to lift the sack on his head; too afraid to face the Sharingan; but she had to have realized by now how worthless his eyes were without chakra to aid them. Little by little, she lifted the sack, revealing his bruised and battered face, the blood from his earlier encounter with her was matted and thick, his hair stringy and unkempt.

Sasuke shot her an accusing glare, daring her to look at what she'd done to him. Although he didn't show it, he was pleased to see a look of anguish cross her features before she smoothed it away again.

"Um…your…soup's getting cold." She said quietly, pushing the steaming bowl closer to him.

Sasuke glanced at the ramen floating lazily in its flavored hot spring; he was finding himself hesitant to eat in front of her. Since he'd been a kid, he's always found it difficult to keep his guard up when he was eating, and compromising his awareness could be dangerous for him. On the other hand, he needed to gain Sakura's trust in order to manipulate her, and what better way to do that than to let his guard go a little? Sasuke reached out, awkwardly scooping the bowl into his hands and picked it up, made all the more difficult by the fact that his elbows were pinned to his sides by the chains. As he stretched his neck forward to eat, he could sense of hopeful sort of change in Sakura, as if she felt some relief that he felt comfortable enough to eat in front of her. Good. This was exactly what he wanted.

Sakura sat quietly watching Sasuke as he ate his meal. She couldn't help but feel a little glad that he showed some spirit still and had an appetite. Now, if only she could get through to him and make him change. She wanted to initiate a conversation with him, but she had no idea where to begin. She was also itching to attend to his wounds, as although he didn't appear to be in any life threatening condition, she still couldn't bear to see him injured. As he finished his ramen, Sakura moved forward and gently began to administer healing, particularly to his face and head where she had punched him so hard. She was slightly amazed that Sasuke sat so still and so calmly, as if he really didn't mind being captured by her at all. It was a littler perplexing to her to say the least, but she made no comment on it.

Sasuke relaxed as Sakura offered him some relief from the pain that had been throbbing through him all day. He remembered how Kakashi had always said she had the best chakra control of everyone in cell seven. Hmph. Why was he remembering stupid crap like that now? As she moved around his body with her hands glowing with chakra, Sasuke allowed her to do whatever she desired with him as a show of trust. His body was feeling much healthier the longer she worked, and he found himself slightly enjoying the attention in ways he perhaps shouldn't. He still considered her one of his wives after all, even if she was ugly.

As the glowing of her hands ceased, Sakura went to gather up the empty bowl and the tray she had brought it to him on. Just as she was about to head towards the door, Sasuke spoke.

"Sakura, thank you."

Sakura froze, her back to him. Those words. Those same words. He had uttered those words that awful night he'd left Konoha and she'd been unable to stop him. A lump rose in her throat at the memory as she recalled how his abandonment of her had felt, and how, despite being near him again now, she couldn't quite feel at ease with him. "Y-you're welcome, Sasuke-kun. I-I couldn't leave you  
like that."

"No, Sakura. I mean-yes, thanks for that-but…I meant for taking such good care of my future children."

Sakura frowned slightly, unsure of how to respond.

"You aren't like everyone else, Sakura. I know that, regardless of what happens to me, you won't let anyone hurt my unborn children." He said softly.

Sakura risked a glance at Sasuke's face. It was difficult for her to ascertain if he was being genuine or not. Her air of caution was warning her to avoid trusting him, but it had been so long since she had heard him speak like that…he reminded her almost of the old Sasuke. He wasn't looking at her; he was gazing at the floor, seemingly preoccupied with something troubling. She couldn't help it. Maybe now was her chance to delve deep into his thoughts and understand him better.

"Sasuke-kun…you know, it doesn't have to be this way." She began hesitantly. "You could still be there for your kids; if you could just return to the way you used to be…maybe…maybe—"

"There's no maybe, Sakura. I screwed up big time. All I can hope is that when I'm gone, you'll be there to tell my kids the good things about me."

Sakura grew silent. Sasuke seemed so defeated. Was this really the man who had raped Ten-Ten and Hinata and starved Iruka and beaten Kakashi among countless horrendous things? Remembering that brutality, Sakura felt caution rising up inside of her again. Too many times she'd been fooled by Sasuke and she couldn't help but be suspicious that he was trying to do so again. Two could play at that game though, at least until she could grasp what he thought he could achieve by manipulating her.

"Sasuke-kun, what can I do to help you?" She asked, coming closer to him.

"Help my babies come into this world alive." Sasuke responded quietly.

"Sasuke-kun…I, I can't promise they'll all make it to term. Many of the women you made pregnant are dangerously young…it'll be a miracle if some of the babies are born at all."

Sasuke scowled, not liking her words at all. "What do you mean?" He asked suspiciously.

"I mean that many of them are like children themselves. They may be pregnant, but it's exceptionally risky for both the mothers and the babies when she is under the age of seventeen or eighteen. It's not impossible certainly, but needless to say, there are endless complications that could arise with their pregnancies, and if worse comes to worse, the baby could die, or the mother, or both."

"No babies will die." Sasuke spoke sharply, forgetting all about his desire to manipulate Sakura for the moment. Sasuke found himself thinking suddenly about his own mother, and her age in relation to his father. She had been close to ten years younger than his father, and she had had his brother Itachi when she was around nineteen years old. Sasuke's breathing began to feel strained as he thought about Yumei…she was just fourteen…was she pregnant? Would she be at risk of dying? Sasuke didn't really care about the lives of his other wives, but Yumei was different. She was like him; alone in the world, an outsider. He didn't know what he'd do if he lost her. Of all of his wives, he imagined she would end up being the one he desired to be with the most, and aside from the Hyuuga sisters, she would have his most favorable children. "Sakura, there's a girl named Yumei,,,I think she may be with child…if what you say is true, she could be at risk."

Sakura pacified her face with difficulty. She remembered Yumei…a shy, wavy dark-haired girl with bright brown eyes that looked to her like more of a child than most of Sasuke's brides had been. It made her stomach churn to think that Sasuke had violated such a sweet, innocent young girl. The way Sasuke spoke her name though…it was odd that he'd mention Yumei and none of the others who were nearly as young.

"What is she to you?" Sakura asked, sounding a little more callous than she'd intended. Sasuke was reminding her of how disgusting he could be, and despite her sympathy for Yumei, she couldn't help but feel a pang of jealousy as well.

"She's the mother of a precious child of mine." Sasuke responded coldly. "And I want her to live."

Sakura glanced away from Sasuke, attempting to pacify the feelings that were rising up within her. "Is that all she is to you?" She asked quietly.

Sasuke lifted his chin, surveying her with a haughty glare. "What's it to you?" He replied coldly.

Sakura matched him with a glare of her own, feelings of hurt and betrayal threatening to consume her. How could Sasuke think he loved Yumei? He'd raped her…he'd raped all of them! If that's what he considered love, he was insane. "Sasuke, you're a sick man. Yumei was terrified of you. I can't tell you how many times I had to hold her until she fell asleep because she had nightmares of you murdering her father!"

"She understands me. She knows what it's like to lose your entire family. The pain we share is the bond between us. It's nothing _you'd_ understand, Sakura." He said scathingly.

Sakura felt her feelings of childhood love recoiling, like drawing back a thin covering of protection that had shielded her from the truth. Tears were beginning to well up in her eyes at the sight of the monster before her; the monster she wanted so badly to be her Sasuke. "Sasuke-kun…what you're feeling is…it's not real."

Sasuke felt heat flaring in his stomach. What was this 'It' that wasn't real? His love? His feelings? "Shut up!" Sasuke shouted at her, his black eyes flashing dangerously. "How I feel is of no concern of yours! Just leave me alone!"

Sakura couldn't help but see a little boy throwing a tantrum, a sad, lonely little child who didn't know any other way to express his feelings and could only respond with frustration at being misunderstood. And yet, she wasn't all blind. She realized Sasuke wasn't a little child. He was a rogue Shinobi, an international criminal who had surpassed Itachi and Orochimaru, a rapist, a murderer. A man who was quite possibly beyond all hope, beyond anything.

"Sasuke-kun," Sakura said softly, her eyes wet with unshed tears. "I will stand by what I told the other girls about letting Naruto decide what to do with you, but I can see now that no matter how much I want to help you, how much I want you to change, you just won't. There's simply too much hate in you, and…trying to hold on to the past, to my memories of you, is only hurting me. I have to let you go…for myself. " Sakura was finding it difficult to maintain the steadiness of her voice. "So, after today, you won't see me here anymore, Sasuke-kun….I guess it's what you always wanted anyway, so you'll probably be happy about that. I don't think my feelings for you…the old you, that I still love…will ever truly go away… but—" Sakura felt herself beginning to break down and tried her best to hold on to her composure, "but from this point on, I think I can finally move on with my life. So, thank you, Sasuke-kun. You…meant the world to me…and you always will."

With that, Sakura fled the room, tears running down her face freely as she grieved in solitude for the love she had lost, forever.


	13. Chapter 13: Lord Uchiha

Hello dear readers...that is, if I still have readers! It's been a long time since I updated, and I heartily apologize for that. I've had some trouble trying to decide the direction I want to take this story, and I also had some indecision about whether or not I wanted to kill someone in this chapter or not; I also wasn't sure what Naruto was doing either, but I think I've resolved both of those problems in the following chapter, so that's good for me at least, lol. Nice of you to let me know what you're up to Naruto, I've really been waiting a long time, lol. All banter aside, this is kind of a transitional chapter, so I don't feel it's my best work, but things have to be set up in order to move, so, while I always kind of hated those types of episodes on LOST, I can see now why they are needed now that I'm writing those types of stories with multiple characters myself. I've been brain storming off and on in search of inspiration as well, so hopefully I've found a little, just enough to continue the story and keep it moving in the direction it's going...which, because it's not yet written, is always a little fuzzy to me because anything I think of now could end up changing as I write; I really let the characters dictate to me as to what they want to do, so I guess until they decide, I can't help them much, lol. Blah, blah, blah...my fantasy mind is totally taking over this post...I've been kind of busy taking Japanese four nights a week and dance twice a week, so I'm totally enjoying myself out in the real world too, and since it is summer, I'm just lazy enough to want to sit outside on a swing and do nothing for hours...it's awesome, especially since it seems like I'm always studying anymore. I hope someone enjoys this, or at least reads it without thinking it's a total bore or whatever...I get quite sentimental at times, so some of you might perceive it as sappy...I don't know, and I hate judging my own writing and trying to predicte how people will react to it. Hopefully my somewhat return in welcome though, regardless. ;D

Anyway, here's a question for you if you care to answer it:

What's your favorite story genre and why?

Mine is probably drama...I absolutely hate slasher type horror, but I do like psychological stuff sometimes too. For some reason, I was always fascinated by the old slave stories of bondage and torture, because I really can't imagine how someone could have done that to another person. I suppose in my own way, I'm exploring a Naruto version, lol.

And here's a fun fact that gave me enjoyment at least...I am so much like a certain character, that I wrote, "he wouldn't acknowledge him" days before Kishimoto wrote in the then newest Naruto chapter, "I won't acknowledge him." So, clearly, I am highly in tune with him/myself, lol.

Anyway, I hope you enjoy it, jaa mata!

Shikamarulover

...

The sun was going down. He wasn't quite sure how he knew it, he could just feel it.

He could be wrong of course. It was so dark in his jail cell that he really couldn't see anything, not even himself. He knew it had been done on purpose, for as much as he liked shadows and darkness, his abilities were rendered useless without light. Clever Sasuke. He might consider himself the Lord of Konoha now, but Shikamaru would never acknowledge it as long as he was alive…which might not be long now.

Shikamaru rolled over onto his side feeling weak and malnourished. It seemed Sasuke had figured out the science as to how much was just enough to sustain a life, but not enough to provoke enough strength for a revolt. Shikamaru was glad in a way that he wasn't being fed enough. A few weeks ago, some of his neighbors and clansmen had started being given more food than he and had been told to be prepared to fight at a moment's notice. What they hadn't been told was that they would be going head to head with Sasuke in the Chunin exam arena, and that they were basically being used as pawns for Sasuke to vent his frustrations. The fights couldn't exactly be considered fair, and no one who left ever returned to their cells which meant they were probably dead. If any of them had won, he certainly wouldn't still be in this jail cell, starving slowly in the darkness.

The dead were actually lucky. Chouji…his dear friend Chouji would have been far too sensitive to live in conditions like this. Chouji had been such a good man, a kind man. Shikamaru missed him terribly, and he sometimes worried about Ino too, as troublesome as it was. His emotions were mostly deadened and dull on the whole, these days…he just didn't have the strength or energy to express any emotion. Try as he might to think of a logical means of escape, he simply couldn't come up with anything. Any plan he could make required light or strength, neither of which he possessed. So much for being a genius. Without Ino and Chouji, he was probably the weakest link. Brainpower went only so far against amazing Ninjutsu and Genjutsu like Sasuke's. To tell the truth, Shikamaru had always been a little envious of the jerk.

He decided to close his eyes since it made absolutely no difference in what he saw if they were opened. At least if they were closed he could visualize some hazy pictures. He often spent his imagination with Chouji, reminiscing over the good old days, the carefree, lazy summer days when all he had to do was look up at the clouds and listen to Chouji eat his favorite Bar-B-Q flavored chips. Ino would invade their peaceful space sometimes, squealing at him to get up and do something, and he'd always grumble to himself about how troublesome she was and wonder where her power came from when he found himself doing whatever it was she asked. He was even starting to wonder what had become of his troublesome, high-strung mother. Without him and his father Shikaku to boss around anymore, she was likely at a loss as to what to do with herself. Regardless, he hoped she was safe and okay, which was probably the closest he'd ever come to admitting how much he loved her. Whatever his feelings about how she'd raised him, he did love her, but he would never admit that to anyone but himself. He might have admitted it to Asuma, were he still alive; he'd admitted a lot of secrets to Asuma and to his father, but he didn't have either of them anymore. When he eventually died, and when everybody who ever knew them died, their lives and memories would cease to exist, just like him. But that was okay, a life of fame and infamy had never been his style anyway. He would always regret not having a son and daughter and dying before his future wife though. It looks like he'd have to skip everything but the last part. So be it. Life was too troublesome anyway.

Shikamaru curled up in a ball, quite content to fall asleep and abandon this cruel existence. He smiled a little at the irony of things. The entire Shinobi world had fought and died to prevent Tsuki no me, and yet, maybe living in a genjutsu world would have been better in the end. No matter though, it was over for him anyway. At least as a ghost he could keep an eye on the village and protect his friends...and maybe, just maybe, he'd finally know what it felt like to be a cloud. Whatever the case may be, he would look out for everyone as best he could.

Hunger pangs wracked through him once again, making him wish it was over already. "I'll be seeing you soon, Chouji…and you too, Dad." He whispered to himself, a small tear leaking out of his eye. He was so hungry it almost hurt to breathe. He didn't know if he imagined it or not, but it almost seemed as if a light, yellow glow had crept into his room to comfort him during his uncomfortable transition to the next world. He didn't know how long it would take, or what would happen to him when it was all over, but he had felt so weak for so long now, it couldn't take much longer. Maybe he was dying now…he'd often heard stories that the way to heaven was through a tunnel of light…not that he completely believed in such things, but to be safe, he'd never wholly dismissed it in his own mind, no matter what he told anyone else. The light seemed to grow brighter as it reflected off the back of his cell, bathing him in a warm glow. Suddenly, he felt a hand touch him gently on the shoulder.

"Shikamaru…"

He turned his head slightly, looking up into the smiling face of Naruto. A little puzzled, Shikamaru just stared at him, not sure if he was really seeing him or if it was merely wishful thinking on his part. "N-Naruto?" He heard himself say.

Naruto's glowing face looked him over, examining his paltry condition. "It's alright now, you'll be able to see the sky and the clouds soon, 'cause you're coming with me, dattebayou."

"Naruto...mendokusei…" Shikamaru muttered slightly dazedly, feeling far more relieved than he was annoyed. He couldn't believe his eyes hardly. Naruto looked almost like an angel the way his kyuubi chakra bathed him in such warm, golden light. "How did you get here, and how did you know where to find me?"

"Don't talk too much, they'll be plenty of time to answer all that." Naruto grinned warmly.

Shikamaru smirked, feeling slightly amused. Don't talk too much? That was rich coming from him. "Look who's talking. It's about time you got here." He found himself joking.

"Shut up, 'ttebayou."

Shikamaru smirked, happier than he'd been since he couldn't remember. Naruto slipped his brilliantly glowing arm around him, helping him get to his feet. "Thank you, Naruto...you're truly a life saver."

Naruto appeared a little saddened. "There's a lot of people I used to know that I can't sense anymore."

Shikamaru nodded defeatedly. "It's been rough, Naruto, really rough."

Naruto pulled Shikamaru's arm over his shoulder to support him. "I know. Let's just get you out of here."

"Are you ready to get out of here?" Suigetsu asked, pulling the chakra chains off Sasuke.

"What took you so long?" Sasuke asked grumpily.

Suigetsu pouted, his sharp tooth protruding over his lip. "It's not as easy to slip in here as you might think." He said defensively. "However, the coast is definitely clear now-," His smile widened considerably as he imagined all the blood he'd left in his wake, "and many of your ladies are right where you left them, Lord Uchiha, and the ones that aren't have been moved to the palace."

"Good." Sasuke said quietly. It was a little surprising to him that Sakura and the other Kunoichi hadn't immediately set all of his brides free…but then, it hadn't really been long enough to organize anything too drastic he supposed. All the better for him, because the palace was right where he intended to return anyway.

Sasuke stood up, stretching his cramped legs. "I'm tired of being in here. Let's get going."

Sakura had been crying for over an hour as she dried her sobbing eyes, struggling to regain some composure over losing Sasuke once again. She'd always maintained the naïve hope that he would be her Sasuke again, but deep in her thoughts, she always knew he was never coming back. Having to face that reality was something she had put off for so long that it was really hitting her hard now, much to her dismay.

Glancing out the palace window, Sakura saw it was twilight; small stars were appearing in the gray blue sky, and despite the early hour, many people had already retired for the night. The palace was very quiet, which was a relief to Sakura. It gave her the opportunity to think in peace without being disturbed.

Tired of being shut up in solitude, Sakura decided to get up and explore the palace; it looked so different since the times when Tsunade-sama had been the Hokage; even Naruto's short term as the Fire Shadow hadn't changed it as much as Sasuke's take over. The palace seemed to lack the warmth and security she used to feel when she'd roamed these halls in her youth…her youth-so much had happened that she'd already begun to think of herself as old. Maybe it was all the heartache she'd suffered, and the uncertainty about her friends that they'd still been unable to locate, like Naruto, who was by far the most important.

As Sakura brushed away the silent tears that continued to fall, she came across a room that was completely made over. She was rendered temporarily speechless as she gazed in awe at the rows upon rows of tiny basinets and cradles that lined the room in neat little files. Each tiny bed had an equally tiny blanket, hand knitted with the Uchiha crest on it. Sakura swallowed slightly, unsure of how to feel about the sight, especially when she knew just how terribly those babies' mothers had been treated...besides, there were so many basinets...it was overwhelming.

"Are you the midwife?" A craggy sounding voice suddenly called out to her from across the room. Sakura started, looking up to see a fairly old looking woman smiling over at her in the dark. "Oh, I'm sorry dear, I didn't mean to startle you." The old woman apologized. "Lord Uchiha brought me here to be the children's nurse and help prepare for their arrival, so I assumed you must be the midwife he was talking about bringing here. You know...I've never seen a more tender man than that young Lord Uchiha." She babbled on. "Why, he came here just about every night to see the progress I've been making, and just the other day I saw him touch that little bit of crochet in that bed ever so sweetly when he thought I wasn't looking…" The old woman smiled fondly as she reminisced. "...despite how he behaves, I think the Lord Uchiha is a deeply sentimental man, when it all comes down to it."

Sakura blinked numbly, her eyes still damp and scratchy from crying. "Is that true?" She asked hesitantly.

"Yes. I _firmly_ believe he _loves_ those babies of his, more than anything in the world."

"I see…" Sakura replied meekly, staring at the symbols the old woman had crocheted for Sasuke. "I guess he does."

Sakura knelt down beside one of the basinets, glancing at all the care Sasuke had put into making it perfect for the little life that would soon be occupying it. She imagined Sasuke doing what the old woman said she'd secretly witnessed him doing, the gentleness and love…it was such a stark contrast to how he normally presented himself. The tears began welling up in her eyes again, clouding her vision. Sasuke would never love her, but it seemed these unborn children were something he truly did love, the one and only thing. Despite his faults, a man that could love his babies must have _some_ good left inside him. Now that she thought about it, the whole purpose for Sasuke's revenge on Konoha had been the loss of his clan...in other words, his family. He had to have loved them very deeply to have gone as far as he did. There was something touching and noble about that, especially since she often didn't appreciate her family as much as she should. She understood his thinking now. There was something desperate about it...as if he was always terrified of losing everyone that meant so much to him again and again. She had lived with that fear herself, so it wasn't beyond her to empathize.

Despite everything she'd lost, she would protect that for him-she would protect his future family, and help them grow up learning the good things about him, just as he'd asked— she would do that out of understanding, and out of her undying love for the boy who would always have her heart-Uchiha Sasuke.


	14. Chapter 14: Lord Uchiha

## Your views and reviews always inspire me, so despite being busy, I've written another chapter for you. I hope you like it! My story seems to generate constant traffic and even repeat views, so thank you everyone, whether you review or not, I am deeply honored by so much interest. I'm not a dark person in any shape or form, so I don't know why my story is so dark, or what possesses me when I write it, lol...because gee..some of this stuff is horrifying to me...maybe, now that I think about it, a lot of this is what I would consider my idea of a worst nightmare, so I'm bringing my fears to life here, but also impersonating the one I fear...maybe so I can try to understand him and the way he thinks. I really don't know. I've also thought up some kind of sick comedy that I may or may not use...lol...it made me giggle to think of it, but animal lovers (like myself, I've had many cats and currently own three dogs) might be saddened rather than amused, so I may not use it...or if I do...I'll figure out some way so that everyone is happy. ;p

Anyway, enough blither and blather on my part, and please enjoy, and if you get a chance, leave a review! I love to hear predicitions and what you like and what disappoints you...it gives me an idea of things that need to be addressed.

As far as Sasuke's 'romance' with Yumei though...he's in serious denial that he's been a monster to her. It may take him some time to wake up to that fact too. Anyway, without further ado, please enjoy! Shikamarulover ##

Night had swiftly fallen, blanketing the silent street in velvety evening. As Sasuke emerged from the Uchiha Temple, he noted with approval that Suigetsu had made a clean job of getting rid of, and quietly disposing of any opposition to Sasuke's prison; especially considering that it wasn't really his forte.

Ordinarily, Suigetsu made a mess of anything he touched, and often left a trail of body parts that could be traced back to him fairly easily. Thinking about it more, Sasuke decided there was no way he could have done such a job all by himself. It just wasn't possible.

As if in answer to his pondering, Sasuke spied Jugo carrying a limp body over his shoulder, being shuttled and directed by Karin as to where to dispose of it. True to her take charge personality, she was quite easily able to badger the towering Jugo any which way she pleased.

As Sasuke watched placidly, Karin noticed his eyes on her; turning red and appearing flustered, she raised her voice to Jugo some more trying her best not to appear obvious about her reaction and failing miserably. Sasuke smirked, feeling slightly amused. Karin was such a strange, funny girl.

"Suigetsu," Sasuke said after a moment. "I'll be back. I want to go check on my wives."

"Oh, sure, Sasuke…er, Lord Uchiha." Suigetsu corrected himself, a knowing look coming over him.

Sasuke ignored Suigetsu and headed in the direction of the newly built compartments he'd arranged for his wives to live in, not going slowly, but not hurriedly either. He was feeling a little put out; after putting so much work into rebuilding a district in his old home town, for the time being, he'd no longer be able to use it. Any girls that remained in their rooms would have to be released to come with him, or else he'd lose them, and he certainly didn't want that to happen. He didn't know how many of his wives had already been taken from him, and if they were his pregnant wives or a mix of both. There was one in particular that concerned him the most though; Yumei. He wanted her, longed for her and worried about her more than any other. Anxiously, he found himself traveling to her door, hopeful that he would find her there.

"Yumei?" He called softly, approaching her bare window. "…Yumei?"

Yumei's heart leapt into her throat as she whirled around at the sound of _that_ voice…calling her name. Terrible images flooded her mind, and she found herself once again wishing desperately for somewhere to run…to escape. She was trapped though, as trapped as she'd ever been, and here he was, Lord Uchiha, back again.

It had been a few weeks since he had taken her innocence…the last thing that had still belonged to her. Her only family and freedom had been stolen from her since the Hokage's defeat, and now, she understood things about men and women that she was never aware of until now. It frightened her a great deal. Had her father hurt mother that way? Was Lord Uchiha here to hurt her again?

Overcome with fear, she heard the door open and close softly as he entered her room. Tears stung her eyes as she stood, trembling in fear, her heart pumping blood into her ears. When she felt him touch her gently, she screamed and fled to the back of her prison, clawing the walls in a madness to escape. "No! Oh please, God, no!" She cried hysterically, her wavy dark hair becoming wet and tangled from her tears.

Sasuke stood watching Yumei, feeling confused by her reaction. He was relieved to see her looking well, but he didn't understand her fear of him… not now that the worst was over in her journey to becoming a woman.

He knew he had hurt her at first, but he had taken his time and tried to make it pleasurable for her as well, and he had thought then that she'd been responsive to him. She'd fallen asleep in his arms afterwards…it had been so intimate and loving in his mind. Nothing that had transpired added up to this scene he was now witnessing.

"Yumei…what's wrong?" He asked, genuinely concerned. Yumei continued to sob as she collapsed to the ground beside the wall, burying her face in her hands.

Sasuke sat on the floor, watching her carefully. Not wanting to upset her, he kept his distance and waited for her to calm down. Even sobbing and inconsolable, she was beautiful to him. He noticed her slender form and lithe arms and legs that had drawn him to her in the first place; the curve of her hips and her tiny waist; her delicate, feminine hands.

Eventually, Yumei regained enough composure to look up at him mistrustfully with red-rimmed, brown eyes. Sasuke gave her a genuine, sweet smile, hoping to ease her into relaxing and trusting him. He hoped she understood how special this made her. He wouldn't behave like this for just any woman among his brides; he wasn't especially moved by tears of any kind either. He hoped his restraint would prove to Yumei just how much he loved and respected her, and more than anything, he wondered if she was pregnant with his child.

"Are you alright, now?" He asked her pleasantly. Yumei responded by staring at him with wide, alert eyes and sniffling. "I've been thinking about you a lot. I've missed you." Sasuke held his arms out to her. "Please come to me, Yumei. I want to talk to you about something important."

Yumei shuddered at the invitation, wishing more than anything that she could just stay where she was. However, if she did that, she might anger him, and that terrified her more than anything. She'd seen how angry he could get when he'd murdered her father right in front of her eyes, and although she loathed herself for being so helpless, she had to think first and foremost about her survival. With much hesitation, Yumei forced herself to crawl towards his open arms, feeling faint when she felt him wrap her in an embrace that felt as constricting to her as if he were a viperous snake.

"Yumei…" he whispered into her hair. She smelled fresh and clean, as if she had bathed recently. He loved the smell of her.

"What—what did you want to tell me?" Yumei dared to ask. Too much silence on his part made her worry that he would think about doing…doing…no, she couldn't think about that now…she couldn't upset herself like that again…openly reject him in his arms.

"Hmph, you're persistent aren't you?" He teased her. He loved her somewhat fiery personality. She still seemed a bit nervous to him, so he tried to help her relax with a gentle massage. "I wanted to tell you that soon, you'll have to leave your room and stay with me and the other girls for a little while, Yumei." He cooed. "A lot of things have happened and I may have to fight to remain Lord Uchiha of the village. I wanted you to know that no matter what happens, you'll be safe, because I'll protect you."

Yumei looked up at him, trying to assess if he was lying to her or not. What 'things' had happened? Had the Hokage returned to the village and taken it back? If that were so, why had she been forgotten and left here?

Sasuke looked deeply into her shining, brown eyes. Affection welled up inside of him at the sight of her pretty face. "Oh Yumei…you mean so much to me." He whispered, moving his mouth closer to hers without stopping to think.

Yumei's head started to spin in terror as she felt him moving closer to her, his breath misting over her lips. She jumped when he opened his eyes suddenly as if something had occurred to him, placing a warm hand on her stomach. "How have you been feeling?"

"I-I'm not sure…tired, I guess…" She answered timidly, still frightened, but glad he continued to talk.

"Tired? Really?" Sasuke frowned a little, feeling worried. Sakura's comments about Yumei's age and the dangers it would pose her to have a baby, replayed in his head as he thought about her answer. It had been a couple of weeks since he had seen her last, but he thought her breasts looked fuller and rounder than he remembered. "You're fourteen, aren't you?"

"F-Fifteen…I just had my birthday."

Sasuke saw her eyes leak out a few lingering tears and her lower lip tremble slightly. "I'm so sorry I missed it…my birthday is in July too." He smiled softly at her. Knowing she shared his birth month signified to him even more that his and her destinies had been tied together from the start. He couldn't allow himself to get carried away with idealism just yet though. "But you've been tired…how tired?"

"I'm not sure…I-I don't think I've ever felt this tired before…I sleep but, I'm always still tired." She said, allowing some bewilderment and anxiety to creep into her voice.

Sasuke circled his hand lightly on her stomach, worry returning to him again. From the things she was telling him, she was giving him every sign at this early stage that she was with child. He was pleased and very happy in one way, but in another, he worried about her life and safety. Learning she was now fifteen was somewhat of a relief to him though…by the time the baby was due, she would be closer to sixteen than fourteen, which would improve her chances of safely having their baby. Despite this though, nothing would assure him of her safety and the baby's unless an authority like Sakura were to tell him so.

"It's okay…it's normal." He assured her, stroking her hair with his hand. Yumei looked a little confused, but said nothing. "Are you in any pain?"

Yumei hesitated. "No…"

"I'm glad." Yumei saw his eyes turn hazy as his voice softened and slowed. "I'm sorry…if I hurt you…before." She stiffened again as he moved his lips closer to her ear-his body seemed so large and strong against her frail, weak one. Ever so softly, he moved the hair that was draped over her ear and tucked it behind-as if deliberating carefully what it was he wanted to say, he finally whispered, "I love you, Yumei."

Yumei's eyes widened in surprise and alarm as he suddenly kissed her, soft and gentle. Paralyzed as she was by fear of his future actions, it felt like an eternity of submitting to his lust. After a moment though, he broke the kiss and took her hands in his, standing her up with him. "I have to go do some things now, but I'll be back for you and the others much later tonight." He bent down and lit her lamp for her, as by now it had gotten quite dark outside.

Yumei started slightly when she noticed in the lamp's illumination, remnants of dried blood on his face and clothes but saw no injury that she could detect. "What happened to your head Lor—" She stopped herself abruptly-he'd told her not to call him that! "S-Sasuke?"

Sasuke smiled at her again, the lamp making her brown eyes shine even more brightly. Her concern was touching to him. "It's nothing. Please don't worry about it, Yumei."

Heading towards the door, he opened and closed it behind him once again, leaving her in solitude. Glancing down at the flickering lamp, Yumei held herself feeling afraid and uncertain. He had told her he loved her, and in some ways, she almost believed it, despite the way her blood curdled at the thought of it. But she could not and would not ever forget what he had done to her, and to her poor father who had given his life to protect her. Yumei paced anxiously, hugging herself tightly; he planned to move her again tonight…move her where? When? What was happening outside this awful little room? What was happening to her?

She hadn't felt much like herself since the night of the rape. That morning she had been alarmed to wake up to the sight of blood on her sheets; when she'd tried to sit up and move, her stomach had felt tight and sore, and just-strange…and then she'd noticed her dress had been nicely folded beside the futon, which she thought was even more unsettling because she couldn't understand why. After a few days the blood spotting had stopped and her insides seemed to have healed, but lately she noticed her breasts felt stiff and tender, as if it were time for her monthly cycle, yet no blood came.

It was all so overwhelming and confusing, and the quiet solitude of her prison had only been interrupted by the awful sounds of women in the neighboring rooms being visited by Lord Uchiha. Forced to listen to the horrific sounds of the powerless women screaming and crying had been another reminder of the night he'd come to her room.

As she watched the moon rise among the stars from her tiny window, she wished more than anything that she could go back to being her father's little girl again, safe and protected in his arms…unafraid of what tomorrow would bring.


	15. Lord Uchiha: Chapter 15

** Minna, Ohaiyou Gozaimasu! It's been a while, but I'm happy to say that I've been coming up with more ideas lately and I have a rough outline as to where I want to take this story up to the short time skip I'm planning. Yay, I like having a plan, although sometimes spontaneity is also fun. On a side note, did you guys know that the Japanese translation for Bushy-brows is literally centipede brows? LOL! That's horrible. I can't believe Guy and Lee put up with that...clearly they're easy going fellows. I've been having fun learning Japanese this summer. It's especially fun when I can hear Naruto and the gang saying a new word I learned. Anyway, I don't have much to say except that I thank my readers for making my last chapter the most popular after chapter one for the month of July. I'm truly honored! Please keep reading and I hope you enjoy the next chapter too! Sincerely, Shikamarulover**

Darkness had fallen over the village of Konohagakure, covering the rain dampened city in early evening; observing from his high vantage point atop the Hokage Mountain, Uzumaki Naruto glanced downwards at the Village Hidden in the Leaves. Although the night was quiet and calm, there was a feeling of unease and foreboding that Naruto couldn't shake. Stars were emerging in the night sky so that it was dark enough for the residents to begin turning on their lights and heading home, but even this bit of normalcy wasn't enough to soothe Naruto's feelings…not when he knew that Sasuke was on the move again.

It had been two days since Naruto had seen Sasuke, and since that time, Naruto had spent the entirety of his freedom finding and recovering his friends and comrades from the Konoha dungeons. The flunkies Sasuke had hired to look after the prisoners had been negligent and even abusive; clearly haters of Shinobi who had obvious grudges and emotional hang-ups. How Sasuke had been able to get them to do his bidding was a mystery to Naruto…perhaps his seeming disdain for his own kind had attracted them to him, or perhaps they were the type to use any excuse to get back at the ones they believed abused their power in the non-Shinobi villages. Regardless of their reasons, Naruto had heaped a bit of his own revenge; any jailor he caught was swiftly placed inside one of the prisons to live out the same kind of hell he'd inflicted on the prisoner. It was a better justice than death ever could be in Naruto's opinion.

Naruto also knew that in the last twelve hours, Sakura and the other Kunoichi had gotten themselves free of Sasuke; he'd sensed their chakras and spied on any he saw in secret just long enough to ensure that they were okay, but he didn't want to reveal himself to them and cause any problems just yet though; Sasuke was worse than unstable judging by his behavior two nights ago and wasn't handling things very well on his own. If Naruto involved himself with Sakura or any of the others, he might endanger them and make things worse; he was better off tending to the ones he'd recovered from the prisons and ensuring their health and strength returned to them before making any sudden moves.

Naruto got up and opened a trap door, heading down a flight of narrow stairs leading behind the rock face. Inside, about three flights down, was a large hollow room, big enough to house most of the Village's residents which it had done many times throughout the years when Konoha had been threatened. Due to the age of the hideout it didn't have electricity and was lighted instead by paper lanterns that lined the edges of the walls. The room was indeed vast, but it wasn't quite empty; several Shinobi sat or laid down, recovering from their imprisonment, while those that were feeling better looked after the ones that were still unable to fend for themselves.

Even as Naruto glanced around at the familiar faces, he knew that their numbers were significantly diminished. It seemed Sasuke had been attempting to wipe out every one of Konoha's most prevalent clans, for each one had at most, only five or six members remaining…many far less than that. It was distressing to see, given that these clans: Yamanaka, Akimichi, Hyuuga, Sarutobi, Inuzuka, Aburame, Nara…had once boasted numbers in the hundreds. Those who had no clan were lucky to still have their lives, but then again, they hadn't been targeted in the same way the clans had been. It seemed Sasuke truly intended to wreak revenge on Konoha in one way or another, but it still sickened him to think that Sasuke could sink so low.

Since Naruto still considered himself Hokage and held all the secrets of the village, he had an advantage on Sasuke who was only pretending to be like a Hokage in his own deluded mind; Naruto still felt a little frustrated with himself for not being able to move against Sasuke as quickly as he wanted to; however, he also knew that it was Sasuke who had given him this chance to retaliate in the first place, and despite it all, he knew how the Uchiha was suffering. He had seen and felt so much pain and confusion in his old friend.

Naruto would never give up trying to help Sasuke heal, but sometimes he wondered if there would come a point where Sasuke did something so heinous that he had no choice but to turn against him. He wasn't sure what that something would be, but he hoped against hope that he would never find out. He knew that this latest incident was an all too obvious exaggeration of Sasuke's struggle within himself; having gone through a similar transformation in his journey to overcome the hatred inside him, Naruto understood that Sasuke was getting closer to facing that battle within himself. It would only be a matter of time before his outlook changed, and when that day came, Naruto vowed that he would be there to welcome him back with love and open arms.

Naruto looked up, distracted from his thoughts by Kiba who was currently undergoing a terrible, feverish dream. Naruto had found him in a moldy dungeon that had already killed most of the inhabitants imprisoned there. Had Kiba not been as young and strong as he was, he surely would have been a goner as well. That being said, he wasn't much better off at the moment and was suffering from delusions that clearly upset him.

Naruto walked quietly over to Kiba who was sweating and shaking, unaware of where he was or what he was saying. "I—I told him he could eat me…I told him-, but, but he refused!" Kiba wept, fitfully.

Akamaru lay beside Kiba having recovered much more easily than his human companion; there were no diseases that were designed to attack Ninja hounds in prisons; after two days of good meals, he had already regained much of his health and massive weight back. Kiba on the other hand seemed to be trapped in a nightmare and was unaware that his loyal friend was sticking beside him…Naruto would wager his nightmare had something to do with Akamaru, as nonsensical as it seemed. Kneeling beside him, Naruto gently touched Kiba's shoulder so that he could transfer some of his Kyuubi chakra to aid in Kiba's recovery. He'd done this for several Shinobi that had been close to death's door, but most had proudly refused, saying they were strong enough to cope on their own.

Kiba seemed to relax a little as the Kyuubi chakra enveloped him in a warm glow, easing away his worry and calming his fever. He stopped fretting and looking fitful, and seemed to slip into a relaxing slumber. Naruto smiled, and glanced up at Akamaru. "You wouldn't have eaten Kiba, would you?" He asked the dog. Akamaru panted slightly and licked his lips. Naruto frowned, puzzled, not quite sure what to make of that. He'd have to remember to ask Kiba about that later.

Getting to his feet, Naruto walked over to Shikamaru who was sitting alone, a little ways from everyone else. He'd been very quiet and withdrawn into himself lately. Losing Chouji so soon after the death of his father had been very hard on him. Naruto's heart went out to him, especially since he knew what it felt like to lose someone you cared about like family.

"Are you feeling better?" Naruto asked, sitting down beside him.

"Yeah…a little better, thanks Naruto."

"Nah, I wish I could bring you a basket of apples like you always brought me…"

"Heh…yeah…it was always fun teasing Chouji about not being able to eat any…" Shikamaru trailed off sadly.

Naruto immediately felt guilty; he had been trying to avoid the topic of Chouji, but given the close relationship Shikamaru had had with him, it was virtually impossible to say anything that didn't drum up a memory of him. Shikamaru was quiet again, resting his head on his elbow that was propped on his knee.

"I saw Ino." Naruto said after a minute, hoping to perk him up a little.

"How is she?" Shikamaru asked listlessly.

"She looks really good." Naruto said, smiling slightly.

"I wish I could see her." Shikamaru replied softly.

"I'm going to go up to the palace tonight; I'll tell her to get in touch with you."

"Thanks…I'd appreciate that, Naruto."

Naruto patted Shikamaru on the back and squeezed his shoulder gently. He hated to see Shikamaru looking so solemn, but he supposed it couldn't be helped.

Sighing a little, Naruto got up and headed towards the exit again, checking on his comrades as he went. "Oi, Gejimayu, are you doing okay?" He greeted Lee who was helping Guy Sensei eat some watery porridge. "Hai, Naruto-kun!" He answered enthusiastically, flashing a bright smile and nice guy pose. Naruto smirked. Nothing ever got Lee down, no matter how horrible it seemed.

Naruto entered his Kyuubi mode as he exited the hideout and hurried down the sloping path that curved around the village. He was very close to the palace and could sense exactly where Hinata was. He wanted so badly to see her, to be with her. It had been over two months since he'd been near her and he missed her dearly. As much as he still loved Sakura, she was no longer the first girl he thought of…she was one of the first to be sure, but that honor belonged to Hinata only now.

Naruto hurried along as quietly and as swiftly as he could, vowing he would just look at her, nothing more, but the nearer he got to her, the more his resolve began to crumble; he wanted to see her up close, touch her, hold her tightly, never let her go.

Naruto hid in the shadows of the enormous palace, closing his eyes to focus on Hinata's Chakra. Pinpointing her whereabouts, he smiled and held onto the side of the palace with his chakra, crawling up to the window where he knew Hinata would be inside. As he edged closer to his first sight of her in months, the feel of her chakra overwhelmed him and he almost moved to break the window in his eagerness to see her. It was all he could do to resist his urge to create a scene. His breath caught as he hopped onto the sloping roof and pushed himself up to peer inside. There she was…his beautiful Hinata. She was brushing her shining dark hair and appeared to have just recently bathed herself.

Naruto watched her openly and wasn't even trying to conceal himself any more. He wanted more than anything for her to look over at the window and see him. He smirked to himself as he wondered just how long it would take her to catch on to his presence, but he didn't have to wait long because she seemed to realize almost instantly that she wasn't alone. As she turned towards him he grinned widely, especially when he saw the expression of surprise and delight when she spied him.

"Naruto-kun!" She exclaimed, sounding almost like she used to when she was a child. She ran to the window thrusting it open as quickly as she could and all but pulled him inside and into her arms as she exploded into tears of joy and gratitude. Naruto held her in his arms as she collapsed on him, all of her strength gone as she sobbed and wept, squeezing him so tightly it almost hurt. Naruto kissed her shining dark hair, feeling emotion start to overtake him as tears began to fall from his own eyes. "Hinata…I've missed you so much…" He whispered to her, petting her back gently. Hinata calmed herself enough to look into his blue eyes with her pale, tearful ones. "I knew you were alive…I just knew it! I never gave up on you…" She sobbed. Naruto grinned teasingly. "Well, I hope you didn't think I'd give up THAT easily, dattebayo…" Hinata swatted him gently for joking with her at a time like this and grabbed his head with both hands as she started to giggle a little. "What is it, Hinata?" Naruto asked a little stunned by her reaction. "N-Nothing...it's just, you have a mustache."

Naruto frowned. "I do?" He asked, feeling a strong desire to touch his upper lip.

"Just a little bit of one." She smiled lovingly. "I can see it when the light hits you a certain way."

Naruto smiled, feeling a bit crushed; her description hadn't at all matched the image in his head; he felt his masculinity plummet a little. "Oh…heh, heh…figures, dattebayo…"

"You look great, Naruto-kun. Every day I was stuck in that room, all I could think about was getting back to you…" Hinata sniffled, a few more tears falling silently down her pretty face.

"Well, I'm here now. I hate to burst your bubble, but you can't get rid of me that simply." Naruto said, hugging her tightly again.

Hinata relaxed contentedly in his arms, and for once in a long, long time, all seemed to be well. But after a moment Hinata seemed to become troubled and restless as if something was tormenting her inside. "Hinata, what's the matter?" Naruto asked her concernedly. Hinata slowly pushed Naruto away just far enough to look him in the eyes. For a moment she was silent, seemingly trying to gather her courage to speak. Naruto grew very worried at the look of anguish coming over her features. At last she moved her lips, large tears falling from her eyes.

"Naruto-kun…" She began, her voice full of sorrow. "I have something I need to tell you."


End file.
