konohasuperstar

Since Itachi's last visit, the home had changed.

Outside was now a pool with koi fish, many more small shrubs that could hide small snakes near the house, and the house itself?
Work had been done on it, heavily remodeled to hold more rooms.

It would make sense if the kids all shared the same room, but they did not. They had their separate rooms already, and yet the house had an all-new wing to it. The atmosphere as a whole had also changed.

Outside was the little Yume, still not going to the shinobi academy, trying to catch the frogs that hung around the koi pond.
He was playing, of course. After all, he would release them as soon as he got the best of them. Oddly enough, snakes and frogs cohabitated within the front yard in such close spaces. Quite a wonder indeed.

School would be out soon, and there was a nice smell in the air, dinner being cooked at home.
It smelled like breaded fish sticks and one could bet there would be some sort of salad with it, something that would please everyone.

But then, there may have need for another space at the table...

"All right you two..." Orochimaru gave a sigh. He always dreaded this time of the day for some reason, but thankfully, the two older children finally had gotten ahold of the concept of silence, and how the more of it they gave readily, the faster the two younger went to sleep. "Your mama's tired today, but you did very, very good."

Sasuke was curled up on the couch, holding onto Yume, the baby against his chest, lulled into sleep by the sound of a beating heart against its ear. Nearby were readily-available milk bottles on a small table next to the couch, near which was also a foldable travel-size crib within which Hana was resting in, the girl holding her bright pink blanket tightly as she slept.

When everything went well and was quiet, these three could sleep for hours. Orochimaru called it afternoon hibernation. It was something he had also done with these two older ones when they were as young as this too. Yume argued that Mirai could never slept as long as this, but Orochimaru had written records to prove it. The Sannin had, in fact, many records, from growth rates to individual diets, the usual health records... He catalogued everything he could. After all, seeing how they were all conceived, he wished to save up a history of potential effects or problems if any were linked to this strange conception method. "So then... this means we can go out~" he gave a light nod, making sure to pen down the current time.

"Yaaa-" Mirai started cheering, but Toki quickly silenced him, a look of dread in his eyes as he glanced towards the living room.
"Shh.. not yet!" the younger one whispered. "We still gotta be quiet."
Orochimaru gave a light chuckle and led them outside before inquiring. "Now, what would you like to do? You have three choices. We can get an afternoon snack somewhere, feed the birds at the park, or we can go in the forest and have a mushroom hunt."

"Mushroom hunt!" Mirai cried out enthusiastically. "Then we can roast em with fire and eat em!"
"I wanna feed th'birds." Toki pouted.
"It's okay, we can roast those and eat em too!"
"Niisan!" the other screeched, horrified.
"Isn't that what chicken is?"

Orochimaru gave a sigh. Oh these two. "Now, now, Mirai... not all birds are edible. Chickens are big and feed many people at once, and their eggs are big enough to be of use. Eating doves and pigeons is bad. It's even more bad if you roast them with a jutsu."
The work 'bad' did mean something to their little 4 year old minds (Toki kept insisting he was so almost four that he may very well be) and Mirai bowed his head. "Okay."
"..well.. roastin 'shrooms is okay, right?" Toki quipped, catching his brother's utterly defeated expression. "We can go in th'forest."

Orochimaru gave a smile and patted the boy's hair, which was not as wild as Minoru's, yet not quite straight. The youth seemed extremely aware of other people's emotions, almost too much sometimes, to be a three, almost four year old boy.

It had been years since the massacre, and the little Sasuke had grown into... hey, quite the dashing man if he would say so himself.

And he did say so.

Since growing into a teenager and fully aware of his own goals and needs, he had shifted from flirting to scanning for potential mates. Those he thought he had the most chances with had been approached, but alas, it proved unfruitful. Months had passed, and eventually turned in a whole year, and multiples. By then, he was not being picky...

There was simply no one that wished to join with him for such an endeavor.

He knew, after all, that he could not--
No. He could force someone. He had easy access to the Uchiha's dojutsu, and many other means... but no. He would not use any of them. Not on anyone from his village. Not on anyone period. He had not nor would he ever give up on his clan's revival, but now, he was twenty one years old, and even though he was a responsible Jounin of Konoha, a lethally skilled shinobi, no one wished to found a family with him.

It was getting harder and harder to come home from missions, into the large, ghost-town part of Konoha, which once housed th whole Uchiha clan.
....to come home to a dark house after a walk down dark, lonely streets full of childhood memories.
He would go into the room where it had happened. Daily.

The room where his parents were murdered... and where his brother told him the whole truth, and handed him his mission... before leaving Konoha to join with Akatsuki. Even if he was viewed as hero, his punishment was to be banished... so that Sasuke could remain.

Finally, with a despair that no one could ever guess, he had begun to seek means to revive the clan on his own... and for this, being a Jonin was useful. It was in the room with specialized documentation that he had met Orochimaru, and the Sannin had taken an interest in the last Uchiha. After initial small talk, days went by, and sasuke learned of the man's passion, and his goal to learn all jutsu that existed.
This was Sasuke's opening to ask about forbidden jutsu. After the small things concerning forbidden scrolls that had been unsealed in the past, it did not even seem to shock Orochimaru to learn Sasuke wished to create life on his own.

"A bold, very bold and very dangerous goal~" the snake Sannin had told him. "I can help you, but... not here."

And thus had started Sasuke's trials. Orochimaru did have good intentions, but many of the jutsu he had found were incomlpete, and did more harm than good. Most were forbidden because incomplete... but finally, after months of research and careful dodging or bypass or twisting of rules, the revival had been set in motion.
He opened his eyes, extremely groggy and feeling like he had been in hell in his forced sleep.

"It was a success." Orochimaru reported after seeing those dark eyes finally reaching awareness, disposing of... well, Sasuke had no time to see exactly what. "Do make certain you read through what I gave you to take home yesterday." it mostly concerned the steps he would need to take to ensure the Hokage gave her approval of their method. Taking DNA from dead people was nothing Orochimaru had not done before, but what had been done to alter his subject's body to accomodate his desperate wishes may be seen as inhuman.

Sasuke had been fully aware of what he would face should this succeed, and had given his fully lucid agreement to go through with it. "I will... Yeah"
Orochimaru carefully helped him sit up, handing him the yukata Sasuke had come in with. The man was... interesing. To so readily accept to have his body altered and tampered with, for the sake of...
...well, given the Uchiha's situation, Orochimaru understood. This would mark an historical moment. "Do mind your balance." the sannin helped him get up and made certain he was all right to walk on his own. "I have done some research to adapt caretaking." oh, knowledge did fascinate him indeed, particularly that of life, and this existence would be a special one. "Do come and see me for anything. I will periodically send some summons to check on you unless you ask me otherwise at any point." although he definitely would not let too mucjh time pass without checking on him.

After so long being unable to hope for his goal to come true, it would finally happen.
As surreal as it seemed... Uchiha Sasuke, under that yukata and jounin vest that may hide additional curves... was pregnant.
It had not truly sunk in, even as he passed the large gate that laid in heavy disrepair, along with the whole Uchiha ghost-like compound.