So, the idea behind this is pretty simple. This will be my first attempt at a… 'serious' harem, I suppose. The premise itself is rather cracky; but I will try to take everything else about it relatively seriously. At least, more seriously than nine-nine percent of harem fics out there. And yes, yes, I know it says 'harem', but I'm going to try and give any girls included in it their fair share of development; some will be more developed than others of course, but I'm still going to try. Also, I'm going to try and make the MC a little different from the cookie cutter OP! Naruto that fills most harem fics.

I know, I know. 'A Sasuke story! Why would you do this? What blasphemy!' What's your problem? If you don't like Sasuke... then don't read the story. It's really that simple.

Oh, and something to keep in mind. Not every person in the 'harem' is going to be romantically involved with Sasuke. Some can be physical relationships... some can be built upon pragmatic needs, etc. etc. It's not going to be some love fest for the most part.

Important things to note: there will be numerous lemons. Genderbending. Time travel. Mentions of character death. A lot of exposition. And of course, harem stuff. Should be interesting.

For those are a little more open minded, or Sasuke fans, I hope you guys enjoy this. Don't forget to leave a review if you like it, and to favorite and follow the story. I'll really appreciate it!

Things are quiet-serene, the air still… pregnant almost; not a leaf shuddered on the trees, and not a gust of air wafted through the clearing. A bird perched on a branch-its beak tilted upward, beady eyes staring at a point just above the clearing.

Suddenly, noiselessly, a vortex appeared from thin air-colored a malevolent purple, it vibrated in the air; it spun and spun like a tsunami, before finally, with a deafening crack, something popped out. It was a figure-dark as the night sky, yet clad in clothes of grey and purple; a red and white fan was sewn into his back, but other than that there seemed to be no color to his attire or skin. He is as pale as they come-aristocratic perhaps, or with a chronic fear of sunlight also being a possibility… a betting man would have wagered on the former however.

He stood with grace-he is not exceedingly tall, but the sheer presence he has makes him seem taller than most men.

The man slipped a hand into his pouch, before he withdrew a simple scroll; he unfurls it... the ink upon it still jet black, despite the fact that it was (technically) a year and a half before it was ever written.

His head reared back, and his mismatched eyes-one black and one purple-narrowed as he stared at the parchment.

"You…" Uchiha Sasuke murmured, his voice low. "have got to be fucking kidding me…"

To put what had happened in his original time simply, it would come down to several words: everything that could have gone wrong, did go wrong. Before long, when Naruko had died in his arms and Madara had cackled down at he, Kakashi and Sakura from above-the moon silhouetted behind him-Sasuke realized just how badly everything had fucked up, how badly he had fucked up.

And how badly he'd wanted to change it.

It might seem kind of obvious, but the Sage of Six Paths was an incredibly powerful man; he had the ability to get a lot of things done, and a jutsu arsenal that would put Kakashi and the Sandaime to shame. It was too bad he was a ghost, or else Madara would have been little more than a flick of the Sage of Six Path's hand away from defeat.

Still, he could do things: he had given Sasuke his rinnegan and Naruko the enhanced form of sage mode after all. There was a jutsu in his arsenal that he had reserved for a last resort; even he had admitted that he'd planned on Naruko being the one to survive, but Sasuke was the next best thing in that situation.

The Kyuubi's might had been harnessed, and Kurama had gladly lended her (yes, her, Sasuke was still surprised about that one himself) strength to send Sasuke to the past. There was a price attached to it, however…

Sasuke scowled at the scroll still clasped at his hands-his movements rough, he rolled it back up and jammed it back into his pouch. He took off at a swift stride, rocks and gravel crunching beneath his sandals as he went down the nearest path; he ground his teeth, and it took a good deal of willpower to stop himself from ripping his sword from its sheath and hacking the forest around him to shreds.

Because this had to be a joke. Some sick joke, but there was no way Uchiha Sasuke would have to do that just to save the future.

He had the roughest of ideas about what time he was in-Kurama had estimated that he would appear sometime before Naruko's return to Konoha. The Sage of Six Paths had informed Sasuke that his original self would disappear when the future Sasuke appeared… which meant that right about now, Orochimaru had begun to conduct a manhunt for his vessel, who had mysteriously disappeared from some underground fortress.

Perhaps once upon a time, Sasuke would have felt a ripple of fear at that thought: but now, with his rinnegan prepped and his battle skills hardened, there was no doubt in his mind that Sasuke could take on Orochimaru, or at the very least incapacitate him. There was only several problems that he had, and luckily enough, he had a few months at least to solve them.

First order of business: Sasuke had to figure out where he was. Trees, trees, and more trees-he detected the faintest hint of salt in the air… and if he really strained, there was the sound of waves lapping against a coast. None of that was specific to a place-there were trees everywhere, and coasts everywhere, and really, Sasuke was going to be pissed if he ended up lost in the wilderness for several weeks.

He made for the coast. It was a ten minute walk, and he had to trek through some rocky terrain to get there, but Sasuke managed-once he reached the gravel beach, it suddenly dawned on him where he was…

A bird cawed in the air. In the distance, a bridge loomed-he could see significant amounts of foot traffic going across it, and a boat or two sailing beneath it. Far far in the distance, beyond even the sight of his keen eyes, Sasuke knew the words 'the Great Naruko Bridge' were inscribed, to tell people of the bridge's name.

The wind rippled through the air, rustling his clothes and lifting his hair up.

"Hmm…" Sasuke hummed. "I never imagined that I would end up here of all places."

There was quite a journey ahead of him if he wanted to make it to the Land of Fire, and Sasuke had neither the money to buy himself food, or the patience to spend his nights and days foraging and hunting. Luckily enough, there was a friendly residence not too far from here… he just hoped they wouldn't be adverse to seeing a familiar face.

'They had better be willing to pay back their debts,' Sasuke thought. Maybe they hadn't seen fit to name that moronic bridge after him, but he had fought and nearly died to defend the Land of Waves-he deserved at least some retribution. A place to rest and gather his thoughts; a week or so worth of food and water, and more importantly, the ability to make right his wrongs in the prior world.

He had never done anything to Inari and Tazuna, but he was sure they would have been pissed if they found out he hadn't even said hello to them the last time he had come through here, with Suigetsu at his side and their focus locked exclusively on Zabuza's infamous blade. Sasuke had not even spared a thought for the people who had been there on the mission that had helped to reshape his team; already, Sasuke could tell that he had fucked nearly everything up in his previous life-and even if he wasn't entirely enthusiastic about seeing Inari and the others, it was best for him to go ahead and get started with turning a new leaf. No pun intended.

Despite the fact that it had been half a decade (in his mind) since he'd made his way to Tazuna's house, Sasuke remembered the way quite clearly. He made his way up to the front of the bridge, and worked his way through the town from there; it was near identical to the town he had walked through with Suigetsu a few months after this. Prosperous, brimming with energy and activity-the fall of Gato and the completion of the bridge had sparked new life in Land of Waves, and it reflected in the people. Many smiled at him, greeted him kindly, one even inquired about whether he had a place to stay for the night-he waved that particular man off without a word.

He paused for a moment on the grassy hill where Haku and Zabuza lay; above all else, an Uchiha paid respects to a fallen enemy. The Kubikiribocho was still in its rightful place, glistening in the sunlight, and Sasuke simply stood for a moment before it, his head bowed and his stance rigid.

With a shake of his head, Sasuke now departed for Tazuna's house. At a run it wouldn't have taken that long, but Sasuke was in no hurry-it took him an hour to traverse the forest, and to reach the two storied house that he vaguely remembered looking a little more rundown then it looked today. Now, it looked bright-the paint looked new, the grass freshly cut, the windows scrubbed and a vegetable garden thrived in the back. Prosperity had been kind to everyone in the Land of Waves.

He allowed himself to maintain a neutral demeanor-it was leagues better than the scowl he typically wore anyway.

The lights were on in the house… they were certainly home, and there was nothing to it by this point but being direct. Sasuke stepped up to the door and knocked. He waited a moment; then another. Just when he had begun to think that they weren't going to open it at all, the door swung open.

Beady black eyes stared at him from behind wireframe spectacles-he wasn't wearing that ridiculous hat, and it seemed his hair hadn't gotten any less gray in three years. His beard seemed a little fuller, his wrinkles a little more pronounced… but for the most part, Tazuna still looked the same. The only odd part was the height: back in his genin days, Sasuke had been dwarfed by the grey haired man-now, he was only about an inch shorter.

Tazuna gaped at him for a moment, maybe two. Then- "Sasuke?"

"I was in the area," Sasuke began. "And I decided to-"

He had plenty of time to react, but Sasuke wasn't sure how well he would be received if he threw Tazuna away from him or something worse. So, Sasuke stood there as Tazuna threw himself forward-a bark like laugh escaping from his lips-and hugged Sasuke.

"Jeez, brat! You'd think that one of you would have paid us a visit sooner!" Tazuna said, the biggest, happiest grin on his face. He turned, one hand looped around Sasuke's neck, and lead the Uchiha into the house. "Oi, Tsunami! Inari! Guess who decided to drop by?"

"Who is it, Dad?" a feminine voice called. A woman rounded the corner, and Tsunami too gaped at him for a moment before smiling. "Sasuke-san!"

"It's Sasuke?" another voice yelled. This one came from the kitchen-Sasuke heard the sound of sandals clapping against the wooden floor, and then Inari rounded the corner… without hesitation he sprinted up to Sasuke, and hugged him just as fiercely as Tazuna had. "It's been so long! Wow! You got super tall!"

Sasuke reared back. He had expected a welcome, but not something like… this. So warm and inviting-these truly were nice people; clearly, his memories of them had faded to think that they wouldn't welcome him into their home.

Something startled him from his thoughts. "Your eye is… is purple!" Tsunami exclaimed.

Tazuna and Inari looked at Sasuke, as if they had just noticed that themselves. Sasuke frowned, and scrambled for an excuse.

He decided to go for something that was more or less the truth, if a little lax on the details.

"It's an evolution of my sharingan," Sasuke said.

"Oh," Tsunami said.

"Awesome! What kind of stuff you can do with it?" Inari exclaimed.

"Now now, Inari." Tsunami tutted, and a flicker of something went across her face before that motherly nature came out. "Don't go smothering Sasuke-san now-I'm sure he has plenty of time to answer all of your questions, but he just got here."

Inari whined.

Tazuna grinned toothily. "We were just sitting down for dinner," he said to Sasuke. "I'm sure we could spare enough food to make you a plate."

"There's no need-"

"Oh, we insist, Sasuke-san!" Tsunami said. "Don't worry-it's not like last time… we have plenty of food to spare."

Sasuke refrained from sighing; after only a few seconds of deliberation, he relented. There was no point in fighting it… plus, he was a little peckish-technically, it was less than an hour ago when he had been in the middle of a war. He could use the sustenance at the very least.

"Alright," he said.

Less than five minutes later, he found himself seated at the table. A lot of memories were here-this was where he and Naruko had…

He shook his head.

Inari was still gaping at him; the boy had begun to eat again, but he kept missing his mouth with his fork. Tazuna was laughing and telling bad jokes, tipping back a bottle of sake. Tsunami sat and ate politely, though she was still smiling.

Sasuke was the spawn of a noble clan, and he knew exactly how to compose himself at a dinner. He ate the food with the grace of a proper aristocrat, his plate spotless by the time he was done. Tsunami looked at him expectantly, and he gave her a nod in return-the closest he would come to giving her a thank you. She smiled back at him.

"So, what are you doing in these parts, Sasuke?" Tazuna asked. His breath reeked of sake, but he seemed… mostly clear headed.

"I was… on a mission," he said. "Nothing too serious, but I needed a place to stay for the night, and I figured that you wouldn't be too opposed to letting me sleep in your spare room…"

"Of course not," Tsunami said.

"What kind of mission were you on, Sasuke?" Inari chirped.

"An escort mission."

"Oh! An escort mission? Were you escorting a princess or a prince or something like that?" Inari asked.

Sasuke stared at him for a moment, before he blinked. "Sure," he said.

"Awesome!" Inari exclaimed.

Tazuna and Tsunami exchanged a glance, one that was not lost on Sasuke. The party finished the last of their food-Tsunami gathered all the dishes, and headed to the sink to wash them.

"It's about your bedtime, Inari," Tazuna said. "You can talk to Sasuke more in the morning."

"Aww…" Inari's head drooped, but he put up no resistance. He gave Sasuke a tentative wave, before he trudged out of the kitchen and up the stairs; the door to his room shut a few moments later.

The smell of dinner and sake still hung in the air-Tazuna's fingers began to tap on the table, and he placed the bottle of sake down on the top. Tsunami took off her rubber gloves, returning to her seat and folding her hands in her lap.

"What are you really doing here, Sasuke?" Tazuna asked. "You aren't as good as a liar as you'd like to think you are."

Sasuke privately disagreed-but they had caught him red handed...

"You wouldn't believe me, even if I told you the truth," he said simply.

"Try us." Tazuna looked serious for the first time since Sasuke had arrived-then again, this was a man who had lived through more than one bandit raid, famine, and battle in his life. He was a civilian, but it didn't mean he was someone cushiony… someone to be coddled.

He could tell them, but...

Sasuke didn't trust many people, and to be frank, Tazuna and Tsunami weren't on that incredibly short list.

But… who could he tell? He couldn't tell Itachi-he wouldn't be able to bear the shame of telling his brother what he had done. Naruko would be impossible to speak to, even if he managed to get himself pardoned by Konoha; talking to her would do nothing but remind him of the distinct memory of her blood on his hands..

The thing was, he had to tell someone. A second opinion was what he needed-and he didn't have to tell them the whole truth. He could generalize it; refrain from telling them what he had done.

And of course, omit the price he had to pay to stay in the past.

"I'm… not from this world," Sasuke began. His tone was level-he knew the ridiculousness of what he was about to say, but there was something liberating about telling it to another pair of souls. He couldn't even imagine how much worse that pressure would have gotten had he bottled up the truth of his arrival.

Tazuna and Tsunami once again exchange a glance. "What do you mean?" Tazuna questioned.

Sasuke met their gaze, refusing to lower it. "The world I came from was… destroyed, for all intents and purposes," he said. "Before I left, it was only a matter of time before everyone was dead or enslaved; there was nothing I could do to stop it, but I did have a way of preventing it. I was offered a chance to go back in time and set things right, and that's what I did."

Tsunami offered a slight laugh. "You're- you're a time traveler?" she said. "That's… um… a little far fetched, no?"

"Perhaps," Sasuke said.

Tazuna frowned. "I'm inclined to not believe you." He clearly wasn't going to sugar coat it. "But… I also know that there's no reason for you to lie to us. I'd say I have a pretty good lie detectors-and what it's telling me is that at the very least, you believe that you're telling us the truth, and that's good enough for me. Let's just hope your not having some kind of mental breakdown then…"

"That was last month," Sasuke said. The two of them laughed-if only they knew he wasn't being entirely untruthful about that statement.

"You're welcome to stay with us for as long as you need," Tsunami said. "And any of your time traveling friends are welcome, so long as they make sure to leave their shoes at the door."

Sasuke's lip quirked upward. "I'll keep that in mind," he said. "Thank you for allowing me to stay in your home Tazuna, Tsunami."

"It's no problem at all," daughter and father said in unison. The both of them were so earnest with their hospitality-and he had been the one to interact with them the least on that mission all those years ago. They probably would have rolled out a literal red carpet if Naruko herself had showed up to their house.

Sasuke slid his chair back, and stood up. "Is it the same room from last time?"

"The very same," Tsunami said.

"I think I will retire for the night." Sasuke nodded his head, and made for the stairs.

"Have a good night, Sasuke," Tazuna murmured. Sasuke heard the two of them begin to converse as he made his way up the stairs.

He entered the room, set his things-sword, weapons pouch, equipment pouch, etcetera-down, and laid down on the thin mattress.

'I'm sure it has to be some kind of sick joke.' His thoughts, of course, drifted to what had been written on that piece of paper. 'What kind of idiot would make thatthe price I have to pay?'

He didn't know. But honestly, he was drained-mentally, and to a certain degree physically. He needed to rest… he allowed his eyes to slide closed, and soon…

Once, Sasuke had known how to lucid dream… it had been a requirement to stay sane at times-to wipe away the memories of Itachi standing tall over his parent's bodies, and to replace them with whatever good ones he had left.

That was a skill he had lost training with Orochimaru; he had been pushed too far, day in and day out he would work on his technique, his jutsu, his skills, to the point where he simply didn't have the energy to lucid dream. He would dream-and the nightmares had only gotten worse and worse after he had discovered the truth about Itachi.

This time… he had a pleasant dream.

He was climbing-Naruko on his right, her face scrunched up in determination; the two of them would race up the tree, chakra flaring around their sandals, and when they reached their limit they would slash a kunai across the bark and mark their progress.

It was simple. Routine. And those two things were what Sasuke liked best in a world of intrigue and suffering.

The dirt crunching beneath his feet as he landed on the ground. The weight of the kunai in his hands, the friction as he slashed a line in the bark-it all felt so real. He felt so… not happy… but content; he felt content, and contentment was something he had longed for.

Then, he woke up.

Blood.

Death.

Itachi.

Naruko.

And more than anything, he wished for that feeling of contentment to return…

He eased himself up off of the bed-it was spartan accommodations with how thin the mattress was, but Sasuke had slept on worse before.

His fingers hesitated as he made to reach for his things… his sword, his weapons, his pouch… but he ended up not grabbing them. Sasuke grasped the pouch that contained his scrolls and strapped that to his thigh, but he grabbed nothing else.

It suddenly dawned on him that he would need a plan if he was to actually affect anything; and what better place was there to do that than in the relative safety and security of the Land of Waves? He had all the time he needed-there was still plenty of days in between now and when Obito would make his move on Naruko.

Plus, he still needed to figure out how he was supposed to pay the 'price' that was required of him to remain in the past.

He entered the kitchen; it was early, and it seemed that no one was up… well, no one aside from Tsunami. She was seated at the table-a novel nestled in her slim fingers, a soft look on her features. She seemed to not have noticed him come down the stairs… it was odd seeing her so casual-she seemed so polite and stiff most of the time, constantly attempting to uphold that 'motherly' demeanor she had cultivated so well. Here, she looked less like a mother, and more like a woman; he had to shake his head clear after a moment, as he found himself staring for far too long to be comfortable.

Sasuke purposely scuffed his feet across the floor, so that it made a squeak that alerted her to his presence. She jumped ever so slightly, but relaxed upon seeing it was him. "Good morning, Sasuke-san," Tsunami said. "You sure get up early, huh? Usually the boys aren't out of bed until past noon…"

"I'm an early riser," he said.

"That didn't use to be the case; I remember you and Naruko-san would sleep in all day, eat lunch, then go right out to train again," Tsunami mused, a reminiscent look on her features.

Sasuke slid into the seat opposite her. "That was when we were both trying to climb that tree…" he murmured. "And I would be too exhausted after every night to get up as early as I typically do."

"I see," Tsunami said. "Well, I could make breakfast for the two of us if you'd like… usually I just have some rice or bread, but it wouldn't take me that long to make something-"

"No need," Sasuke murmured. "By the way… I may need to stay here for a little longer than I intended; there's some affairs I need to get in order before I can head out."

"That's fine," Tsunami told him. "It's nice having a new face around the house; anyway, what are you doing down here so early? If not to eat breakfast, I mean."

"I came downstairs for… some space to work." He withdrew a few things from the pouch strapped to his thigh-an empty scroll, a bottle of ink, and a thin brush. "I need to start planning."

"For…?"

"I wasn't lying when I said I came from the future," he said. "I need to come up with a plan-something that I can work toward when the time comes; otherwise, I might as well have not been sent back at all."

"About that," Tsunami began. "I thought about it a little last night-and this morning, too… but it does seem a little convenient, no? That you were just sent back in time the moment things went wrong, and there's no, you know, catch or something. Surely, you would expect a price to pay for something that would require so much power."

Sasuke chuckled, it was a low one-maybe even a little crazy sounding-but it was a chuckle nonetheless.

"Well.. there is a price," he mumbles.

Tsunami blinked. "There is?" she asked.

Sasuke nodded. "It's a little… unorthodox-but to put it simply, it's a sort of 'curse' that is put on the person who goes back in time. To be as plain as possible: I am forced to indulge in something that I… never wanted, neither fancied in my other world."

"Like what?"

He avoided her gaze. "For example…" Sasuke began. "If a pacifist were to have been sent back in time with this jutsu, they would be forced to kill on a regular basis in order to stay in the past; if a drug addict had been sent, they would have to stay clean in order to stay in the past… if a sex addict had been sent, they would have to be abstinent from sex to stay in the past."

Sasuke swallowed. Tsunami stared at him… she seemed confused, by the way her brow scrunched up.

"As for me… well, I was not aware of what the price would be until after I arrived in the past." He slipped a hand into his pouch once more, and withdrew a scroll-he unfurled it, and reread it.

'Sasuke, I'm going to fill in the holes that the old man left on purpose, mostly because you'll need this information for it to work. The truth is, the price you have to pay is pretty lax… for anyone who isn't you. The old man told me what it is: basically, you have to have sex.

Meaningful sex; it can't be with a prostitute or something like that. You have to have an actual connection with the girl, since the old man says the jutsu recognizes that you would have had meaningless sex if presented the opportunity.

It's uh… well, that's pretty much it. The rules of the jutsu itself are pretty strict about this-you won't have to have sex all that much early on, but as you go further along, and the past starts straying from the future, the jutsu will take more and more to hold on… it'll be feeding off my chakra, but it'll also force you to compensate by ramping up the curse.

I would write more, but my hand hurts… writing in this human body is such a pain. Take care, and I'll see you in the past when the time comes. - Kurama'

He really did not want to explain this in person to Tsunami-so he resolved to cross off a few bits, like Kurama's name and the mentions of the 'old man', and simply hand her the scroll. He did exactly that.

Tsunami only took a minute or so to read the text.

She blinked.

"Oh…" she mumbled.

"Yeah…" Sasuke rubbed the back of his neck. "It's not really a 'curse' in the traditional sense, but I've never been the most… physical of persons, I suppose."

"I see," Tsunami said.

"This should go without saying," Sasuke began, "but I hope we can keep the details of that from Tazuna. I'm not interested in having everyone know that the only way I can stay in the past is by… that. I could see that being a weakness that my eventual enemies would certainly exploit, so I would prefer if it would remain… secret."

Tsunami smiled. "I'm sure that won't be a problem," she said. "You are a handsome boy… I'm sure there's a woman or two at home that you'd be able to connect with in order to fulfill that obligation."

He nodded, but it was obvious how pointedly he avoided her gaze. Neither was he going to mention the fact that he was a virgin… the thought of sex didn't terrify him or anything-but he had never paid it any mind. He had never considered a relationship certainly; Kurama had been right, if he had ended up in a brothel or something of that sort he likely would have indulged a little… but to have a girlfriend? A lover? It seemed something that would have been an impossibility in his past life.

But now, he was forced to face that.

He was forced…

Sasuke didn't like to be forced to do anything; but in this case, it made everything-it meant keeping Itachi, keeping Naruko, keeping everything his family had represented instead of burying it beneath an eternal dream.

And it wasn't as bad as it could be. What if it had been Naruko who was sent back? What would she be forced to do… kill and murder just to stay in the past? What if it had been someone like Sakura-would she be forced to watch people die when she could save their lives? Comparatively, he had it easy.

Tsunami was silent-she opened that novel of hers, thumbed through to the page she had been on, and began to read once more. Her eyes didn't seem to move that much, and she flipped the page a little too quickly.

Sasuke went back to the blank parchment in front of him. At the very end-his eventual goal, he wrote down a simple sentence. 'Kill Obito. Save Naruko. Save Itachi. Stop the Akatsuki. Save the world…'

Now, it was just a matter of how he would accomplish that.

That day passed without much event. As one might expect, he didn't get much planning done… there were so many variables that he was missing-he had knowledge of the future, but it was his own jaded, narrow view. What did he truly know? Now that he had effectively deserted Orochimaru-and there was no doubt in his mind that Orochimaru had already combed the Land of Rice Paddies from border to border looking for him-everything had already changed.

He still had several key bits of information: he knew how strong Naruko could become, he knew Obito's identity, he knew most of the Akatsuki's plan, and he knew that above all else, he could not let Madara be resurrected. Otherwise, everything was lost.

Sasuke could recognize that he himself was significantly weakened. It seemed that he still had his rinnegan's full potential, but he had lost the powers of his Eternal Mangekyou Sharingan… his hypothesis was that since Itachi was still alive in this world, it had invalidated his initial Mangekyou Sharingan and basically made it so he had his brother's eyes for no reason.

That would be a problem; it hadn't been conscious, but the Susanoo had become one of the strongest weapons in his arsenal. His rinnegan was still untamed, unused-it would take him years before he could utilize it to its full potential. For the most part, he had to rely on his ordinary sharingan, his talent, and his untrained rinnegan. Against someone like Obito… who wielded the Mangekyou Sharingan, albeit one half of one, and Pein, who had two rinnegan… Sasuke wasn't sure. He knew he could beat them, but there was no guarantee that he would have the time to devise a strategy against them, or have the time to train his rinnegan up to an appropriate level.

It was all a big mess, to put it simply.

After several hours of agonizing over the parchment, he'd simply furled it up, gone upstairs to grab his sword and weapons, and went outside to train. He was still somewhat weak from the war-several hours on end of fighting had taken its toll on him-but he still had the strength to at least some basic moves. The fireball. A watered down version of Chidori. Not to mention a few sword exercises to get the blood flowing.

It wasn't anything too intensive, but only an idiot would say it wasn't worth it to polish the fundamentals of being a shinobi.

He ate dinner with Tazuna and his family once again-Inari threw a dozen questions at him every minute, and Sasuke answered them as evenly as he could. Some he deflected. Some he responded to vaguely. Others, he gave an answer that was entirely truthful. Either way, the kid soaked it all up… he looked as if he was on the climax of a sugar rush with the way his eyes bugged out.

Tsunami sent Inari to bed early, as she had the previous night. She and Tazuna spent some time talking about a new store that had opened in town-Sasuke merely stared at his 'plan' for a good twenty minutes, and found nothing to add to it. He retired as well, and the two bid him farewell. He could have sworn he saw Tsunami stare at him for a moment longer than was normal… but he dismissed it.

The next day was uneventful; he stared at the parchment for five minutes, before nearly tearing it in half. It was fucking irritating-he'd need a lot more knowledge to even put together something that would be feasible.

He was all set to leave the next day… there wasn't any point in staying here if all he did was nothing but train. He would make for the Land of Fire, and see what he could do from a more central position.

It was late that night, when Sasuke awoke.

The floorboard outside of his room creaked… and he heard the door open. There was no point in pretending that he wasn't awake-so he sat up, and looked at the open door.

Tsunami stood in the doorway, a candle in her hand.

"Sasuke-san," she murmured. "Could I talk to you for a moment?"

"What about?"

Tsunami turned the lights on, and calmly closed the door behind her. She blew the candle out, then crossed the room and sat down before him.

"You're not going to last long out there," she said. "It's only a matter of time before that… curse strikes, and you're wiped from our plane of existence." Tsunami took a deep, shuddering breath. "I thought about it… and I thought about it… and I've decided that I want to help you."

Sasuke frowned. "Help… me?"

Tsunami reached forward, grasping one of his hands in both of her own. Her skin was supple, soft-she ran a thumb over his fingers, and it felt as if warmth was being injected into his veins from that one simple movement.

"I admit that I don't know you very well." She lowered her head slightly. "But… I have a good idea of the kind of person you are-and I see one thing: that you'll procrastinate, you'll put it off, and you'll ignore the fact that you have this curse… you'll do all of those things until it's too late. And then you'll die. And then, from the way you made it sound, the rest of us will die as well."

Tsunami took a deep breath. And suddenly, Sasuke realized something… she was clad in that same dress and top that she always wore-but it became exceedingly obvious that she wasn't wearing a bra beneath it, and that he could see her ample bosom quite clearly against the fabric.

And it suddenly dawned on her what she was suggesting.

'Kill Obito. Save Naruko. Save Itachi. Stop the Akatsuki. Save the world…'

That was his mission.

His goal.

To do it, this was something he had to do… and it seemed that fate had given him an opportunity-Tsunami was here in the palm of his hand, and all he had to do was say 'Yes'.

Sasuke swallowed.

"Are you sure?" he asked.

She smiled… bright, elegant-radiant as the night sky. Tsunami reached a hand up, and gently cupped his cheek… Sasuke flinched slightly, but he didn't pull away.

"You and your team saved my home, Sasuke," Tsunami said. "This is nothing in comparison."

He slowly nodded. In a way, he was glad-better to lose his virginity to someone kind and patient like Tsunami, then to bumble about and be humiliated if he attempted it with a feisty girl like Naruko.

"Let's go then," she said gently. Tsunami stood-and she grasped his hand… Sasuke pulled himself to his feet, and she turned. The door was opened, and they stepped out into the hall, taking care not to make any noise as they walked.

Tsunami's room was small, but cozy-a plush bed dominated it, with midnight blue sheets arranged neatly on top. There was a window that showed a lovely picturesque view of the moon outside. She closed the door behind him once he'd stepped in… and locked it with a soft click.

"We're going to start off simple," Tsunami said. She eased herself onto the bed, and beckoned Sasuke to do the same-he did so a moment later. "First… are you a virgin, Sasuke-san? Please, be honest."

He looked away… but his lack of an answer was all she needed to know the truth. She nodded-there was no judging in her eyes.

"I suppose this will be the first pair you see," she murmured, as she lifted up the hem of her shirt. And within the blink of an eye, she had taken it off-to reveal that no she had not being wearing a bra.

Her breasts were lovely to say the least; Tsunami was not young per se, but she wasn't older either. She had the bosom you would expect from a curvy woman-ample, sufficient, proportioned perfectly in comparison to the rest of her body. They rested on her chest, sagging slightly, yet topped with these little rosy nipples that looked so succulent to his mismatched eyes.

Tsunami brushed prettily. "It's been a while since I've let another man see them… not since…" She paused, and did not finish that thought. "I hope you like them, Sasuke-san."

Sasuke stared at them; he had seen cleavage, had breasts thrice Tsunami's size rubbed against his back and arm, yet there was something so… different about seeing them in person… right in front of him… every little detailed visible to his gaze.

She reached a hand down, slowly cupping one of his; she raised it up, and placed his hand on her breast. It was soft… softer than it looked. He allowed his fingers to spread, and he gently gripped her breast-it was something that seemed irrationally erotic, considering all he was doing was squeezing a mammary, but Sasuke would be lying if he said he wasn't aroused in that moment.

"Tease my nipple, Sasuke-san," Tsunami mumbled.

He did so; he gently poked it with his finger, and that sound of her inhaling made him pause. But he pressed on-he gently pinched it, Tsunami letting out this light little groan. He furthered his grip… he gave the entire breast a squeeze, not roughly, but enough so that she could feel it.

"Something that you have to do," Tsunami said. "Is foreplay; most women won't be ready to go the second you are… so you have to warm them up a little. There's a lot of different ways you can do this… and playing with our breasts is a good way-I have particularly sensitive ones, so it's an especially good method for me."

Sasuke nodded dumbly. He had been called a prodigy more times than he could count, but he felt like such a novice in that moment… this civilian one-albeit twice his age-teaching him the intricacies of something that most people found instinctive. It should be embarrassing, but the overwhelming arousal he felt canceled that out.

"Another way women can get aroused," Tsunami continued. "... is by pleasing the person they're with. I'd like to show you what I mean, so Sasuke… if you would kindly take off your pants, I can."

Again, he nodded. His fingers shook, but he still had control of his motor functions-in a scramble, he shrugged of his trousers and boxers without another thought. He kicked them off the edge of the bed, and onto the ground.

Tsunami nodded approvingly. Sasuke wasn't monstrous in size by any means, but he was… big. Above average at the very least; then again, Tsunami hadn't exactly been with many men, so maybe she wasn't the one to rattle on about penis sizes. Either way, she was more than satisfied with her newest lover's size.

'Lover.'

An unfamiliar word, but one that made her smile… it really had been a while since she'd last had sex. This would be a good palate cleanser, that was for sure.

He was half hard already, and all it took was a few strokes to bring him to attention. Tsunami giggled, leaned down, and swirled her tongue around the head of his member-and to Sasuke's chagrin, he moaned. He actually moaned, because that rush of pleasure was unlike anything he had ever felt before.

"Not all women are like this, of course," Tsunami said. "Every girl has their own preferences, their own wants and needs… and it's up to you to figure out what those are. But I can tell you with certainty that all you'll need to get be aroused, is to drop your pants and let me go to work." She licked her lips, and went down on him again.

Of course, she didn't push him too far. She merely took the first inch of his member into her mouth or so, swirling her tongue around the shaft, pumping him gently at the base and cupping his balls with her other hand. It was all very methodical… textbook even, but textbook was more than enough for someone who had never even had a taste of something like this.

Sasuke managed to bite back any further moans, but the pleasure he felt was evident; his face was red, his fingers dug into the sheets, and his legs shook. It was too much for him; if this went on any longer, if she went any further, he would finish…

Thankfully, Tsunami had a good grasp on when to stop. She came up, precum dribbling down her chin, and a mighty grin stretching her lips. "That taste! It's something I forgot over the years, but kami, I can't believe I managed to get through such a dry spell…" Still grinning, her tongue flicked out of her mouth, to scoop up the precum on her chin and swallow it down without hesitation.

She was fast-by the time Sasuke had processed that sight, she was already kicking her dress of. Huh… she hadn't been wearing any panties either-it was another moment like it had been with her breasts. To see a bare pussy for the first time in his life. It was… it was…

He didn't know how to articulate it. But all he knew was that something was stirring in his chest… something bad. Now, Sasuke had at least a vague idea of why people would destroy their lives over sex and women…

Tsunami laid down on her back, and spread her legs wide, so that her pristine snatch was put on full display… it was something that seemed from a dream. Her chest heaved slightly… her face was red… and Sasuke knew that she was just as aroused as possible; that, if anything, alleviated whatever anxiety he had about the whole thing.

"Just be gentle," she advised him. "Make sure you're lining yourself up with the right hole. Ease your way in slowly, gently-don't push yourself. When you think you need to stop, just stop… give yourself a break whenever you need it, and then go on."

Sasuke nodded.

"I can go to the pharmacy and pick up some morning after pills," Tsunami said. "So don't worry about… well, cumming inside of me; I won't mind."

He nodded again-were his ears a little pink? His neck a little red? Great… and Sasuke wasn't sure whether it was from arousal or embarrassment. Damn the Sage of Six Paths and all he stood for… giving him this stupid 'curse' just so he could stay in the past.

Any other man would kill to be in his position-how awful, he was cursed to forever have sex… but to Sasuke, it didn't seem like anything. He would have preferred having to kill people, or let people die, or whatever, because at least then he wouldn't make a fool of himself in front of this beautiful woman.

He eased himself forward, and settled himself in between Tsunami's legs-once he was in position, she wrapped them around his waist, and locked them tight. Sasuke grasped the shaft of his member… it throbbed and twitched in his hand… he was so hard, and there was something about that instant before penetration that he found alluring.

The first thing he registered when he pressed against her entrance was wetness-which he supposed was a good thing, as it meant she was aroused. And as he pushed in, Sasuke felt that feeling intensify… but it was combined with something. Pulsing? Something… rippling around him, as if he were caught in the middle of a wave. It was a little odd; but pleasurable. He couldn't help it-for the second time that night, he moaned.

"Keep going," she urged him. "Don't stop."

He continued to push inside of her. That feeling of pleasure only got better and better… first it was one inch of his member encased in her folds, then two, then three… she wasn't loose by any means, but Sasuke was privately glad that she wasn't overly tight either-it meant that he didn't have to struggle just to shove a single centimeter in.

His breathing was rapid; he pushed, and he pushed-seconds ticked by, and he was on the very end of his tether… still, he was persistent in his desire to not be a minute man. He knew he would never let himself forget something like that.

Tsunami wrapped her arms around his torso, and set her head down on his shoulder. "You're doing fine," she said. "It'll be a while before you can make me cum, but you're not hopeless; you should have seen Inari's father the first time we slept together-he came after like ten seconds." She giggled. "Kaiza was better, but he was so clumsy with his hands sometimes… he would paw at my breasts as if he were trying to get honey from a beehive." She giggled again.

Sasuke felt the tips of his mouth quirk upward. He doubted he would be able to handle penetrating any deeper into her, so he resolved to begin thrusting-in and out, in and out… slowly… but fast enough that it wasn't a snail's course. He had to keep himself restrain, lest he snap there and then and cum.

He managed to persist for a while longer, but it was a foregone conclusion.

Eventually, it was too much.

And he came.

Tsunami shuddered as she felt his seed flow into her-warm, hot, scalding even… it filled her in a way that made her mewl. No, she didn't cum… but there was something about the position she was in-a woman teaching a man how to have sex-that made her feel undeniably sexy. His first time hadn't be that bad… and remembering how competitive Sasuke had gotten against Naruko with something as mundane as tree climbing, she hoped he would showcase that same desire to learn in the bedroom.

Sasuke continued to pump himself in and out of her through his orgasm; it was a lot of pent-up sexual tension, and he had no shortage of frustration to let out. As he shot that last drop into her, he went still.

There was a slight weight off his shoulders. It wasn't gone, but… but… he could say that he felt a little freeier. He was still somewhat repulsed by the idea of sex-but if it kept up like this, maybe, just maybe, he could get used to it.

He pulled out of her, his member softening quickly.

Tsunami leaned down, and gently cleaned him off with her tongue. Sasuke groaned as she did so-her mouth felt so good, and his member was so sensitive after his orgasm… it was a feeling bordering on heavenly. If she had kept it up, he would have gotten hard again fast, but she stopped after his cock was nice and clean, glistening in her saliva.

"I'm going to go freshen up," she said, tossing her hair over her shoulder. Sasuke watched as she stepped into her bathroom-she returned a moment later, her hair done up into a bun, a rag in her hand as she wiped down her folds.

He briefly questioned whether he should be spending the night in bed with her-but really, he had no reason to complain. They didn't snuggle. They didn't spoon. She rolled onto her side of the bed, and he rolled onto the other, but it was… nice. Her presence was warm, and Sasuke was lulled to sleep by the soft sound of her breathing.

And so ended the third day of his new life in this world.

And that's a wrap. This chapter clocked out at around 8500~ words… a long chapter to be sure-I can't guarantee that the following ones will be quite as long, as this one had quite a bit of exposition, but they will be fairly long.

As always, thanks for reading. Don't forget to review, follow, and favorite the story if you liked it, it helps to inspire me to write more awesome stuff like this. Have a great day!