Hello out there. Yes, I decided to rewrite Innocent. Yes, I'm a fool, but that's not the point. On with the show!
Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.
Chapter 1: Ending of a Hero
Nobody understood him anymore once he was placed in that unwelcoming cell. He refused to talk about what happened to him. His eyes were always wide with a cold stare and bags underneath from never sleeping due to the ANBU torturing him. They would hit the bars and shout at him all night. He was usually found staring outside the barred window with a blank face. None of his friend understood the crime he was accused of doing. Why would Naruto kill Sasuke? It made no sense that they jumped to that conclusion because he brought the body home with him. He was arrested immediately and refused to talk to anyone, even friends. Sasuke was a fellow Konoha shinobi, he didn't have to die.
"Oh, Yamanaka-san, his cell has been moved due to him attacking the walls. We had to give him a softer cell. Nara-san, don't let him be too rough," the visitor receptionist said. Ino nodded at the guy and walked back to where he pointed. Shikamaru followed closely behind. The blonde girl was reviewing the case in her mind. Naruto acted afraid of something that must've happened during his disappearance for six months. She wished he was the same old Naruto that would demand his freedom with his extremely loud voice. Ino didn't want to believe it, but it felt like Naruto never had anything but his insanity anyways. She looked at Shikamaru and knew this was the chance to pull him from the darkness.
"I almost forgot," Ino said, stopping. She pulled on a fading orange and black jacket. After a year and a half of being in Ino's apartment with her had the color fading. All Ino could think of after that was why they came in to interrogate the seventeen-year-old almost a year after his arrest. The shadow ninja was only there because Naruto refused to let anyone close to him. Ino was to be the fisherman and take the info from him. It wasn't something she wanted to do.
"Are you ready?" Shikamaru asked as they stood outside the door. He was to provide backup if needed. "This is Naruto. He might be different." Ino gave her teammate a smile before giving him a look that made him worry. Nobody knew what went on in Ino's head after her breakdown from the news of Naruto's arrest. It made him shiver thinking about how she knew about everybody else's head, but nobody knew hers anymore. Where was that fair? He scowled and pushed the thoughts away, but he knew he couldn't lose Ino above anybody else.
"Shikamaru, I've been waiting for this for a long time. Let's get in there and prove me right," Ino said with her mysterious smile. She never doubted Naruto's innocence for second and practically begged for this option. She did in the name of the jacket she wore. Shikamaru sighed and opened the door. He went in first to have Naruto stuck to a chair across the room from them. Naruto looked almost lifeless to them. Something was definitely missing from him, from his heart. His blank eyes flickered with recognition when Ino walked in with the jacket on. She smiled at that as she continued with the mission and entered the prisoner's mind. She had no idea what to expect or how to react to the scenes in his head. They were a nightmare.
She came to after an hour had gone by. Naruto's blank eyes stared at her as if looking into the depths of her soul. She shuddered and almost screamed as the images came back to her, and she felt back onto the ground. Naruto jumped up out of the chair, breaking Shikamaru's jutsu. He closed the distance between Ino and him as Shikamaru repeated failed to make his jutsu connect. The blonde teen picked Ino up and smiled at her. Suddenly, he kissed her. Ino knew what he was missing. She bore witness to everything there was to Naruto's life, and now the pain was on her shoulders too. It felt like five hundred grown men sitting on them. She gasped as when he pulled back and caressed her cheek. The hand was cold and foreign.
"You're real," Naruto whispered silently as he held the pain from his voice. She wanted to scream and kick him until he was unconscious, dead, explaining, or understanding, but she didn't move an inch. He kept his hand on her cheek with warm eyes that were strange on the seventeen-year-old. He ran his fingers through her hair, but Ino forced him to put her down. She backed away when her feet touched the floor. The teen looked hurt and confused. His eyes went blank as he turned to stare at the bird outside his window without another word. For someone that refused to talk or let anyone close anymore, he was letting Ino go without any warning. She was the one with answers and questions, and he was just letting her go with them.
"Let's go, Ino. We've got our answers," Shikamaru said. He turned and left with Ino leading. As soon as the door shut, Ino let out a sigh. She seemed to be holding her breath since the kiss. "If we don't prove him innocent, Naruto is going to rot." Shikamaru could tell the negative effects of jail on Naruto because he had seen it happen to others before his friend. As an ANBU, it was required one to know what a criminal looked like, how to interrogate them, and how to kill them when they lose control. Shikamaru wasn't a big fan of the job, but it paid more, and he needed the money to take care of his aging parents due to his father's discovery of cancer. He let out a long sigh as they started walking. "What's wrong with him?" The words themselves seemed forbidden, and he found himself fearing the answer.
"He was trapped in a dark place where he was tortured for six months by Itachi. Shikamaru, he was torn in two, his loyalties twisted," Ino said. She looked at the grey floor and wanted to forget it all. "Naruto knew Itachi before the massacre. They were like brothers in the final days. Naruto was brainwashed." Shikamaru was shocked but concealed it with a nod. "Sasuke had showed up to rescue Naruto, but he died by Itachi's hand in front of him. That famous promise of a lifetime was broken, and he failed himself. Sasuke never knew Naruto was there due to a jutsu, but when the body hit the ground, Naruto's demon awoke to kill the man he used to call brother." Shikamaru patted Ino's back gently. "Tsunade is going to flip." Shikamaru didn't notice the lack of tears; she seemed to not even care, but Shikamaru knew better. She knew Naruto beyond anyone else. She felt his pain. All he had to say about that was 'You're real'. Did he really think that the jail and prisoners were unreal? Shikamaru figured that Itachi's jutsu never completely left the blonde.
"Yo! Konoha freaks! Look over here!" a large bald guy called from his cell. Ino glanced over at him. "Are you the blonde one that stuck most of us in here?" Ino wished she wasn't depressed as she was or she'd have laughed. Naruto brought most of these criminals in. He acted as their policeman on the other side. Going behind enemy lines to free someone, kill criminals, and smile like nothing happened was Naruto. Ino knew all about Naruto being a false hero. He saved many and killed criminals and enemies, but he did all that for his own reasoned. He killed for the fun of hearing their last cried and had started down the insanity path, which wasn't about to turn around. "Yo, Blondie, can't you hear me?" The bald man really wanted her attention apparently. "Where's Uzumaki at? He's in here with us, huh?" Anger boiled in her body, and she was about to go over and punch the guy when Shikamaru grabbed her arm to keep her by his side. She turned and walked next to him. She was upset and disturbed by Naruto's memories. Over and over in her head, she heard the last thing Naruto said to Itachi. When are you coming home, Sensei? I missed you. The words wouldn't leave her.
INNOCENT
It had been an hour from the time Ino had left the prison. She was looking through old files with Tsunade because they held the key to the truth. Ino sneezed at the dust and pulled up a yellowing folder that had in typed print, Uchiha Itachi. The blonde girl did a little cheer as she spun around in the dust, which caused her to sneeze and cough. Tsunade shook her head and noticed that the old Ino was coming out again. She smiled at her student who handed her the file.
"The file has a one page report on Uzumaki Naruto's mental status by Itachi," Tsunade said. She scanned it with interest. "Naruto was taken in as Itachi's student because the orphanage accused the boy of murdering another child." Tsunade looked under the report. There was an adoption certificate. At the age of six, Naruto became Itachi's son (as ordered by Fugaku). Tsunade figured the clan head was going to use Naruto in some way. There was a special order that stated for Itachi to kill Naruto on the day of his sixteenth birthday. That was the year it was predicted that Naruto would go mad. "Ino, where's Naruto's file?" Ino picked up the file they looked at first without answers. "Go to the medical section." Ino did as told and realized that it was mostly the medical reports. "Night of the massacre." Ino was confused, but she listened.
"The report states that Naruto was dropped off at the front of the ER. He had several broken bones and many lacerations. There was a huge one on his chest," Ino said. She read the report quickly. "The Hokage signed off on this being a private ordeal. It was also found that another seal was placed on him." Ino put it all together in her head. She felt like Shikamaru for a moment. "Itachi did it." The truth was cold, and Ino didn't remember seeing that in Naruto's memories. She looked at the medical report of the next day. "The Third had Naruto's memory erased." Naruto had to watch as the one he trusted the most went to kill him. No wonder the memories were erased.
INNOCENT
"Lady Hokage, I've got some terrible news," the prison messenger said. "Prisoner 1062, Uzumaki Naruto, has had an unfortunate accident." Tsunade had a bad feeling in her stomach. She had just won the lottery, which only ever happened when something was wrong with Naruto. "We would like that you and Hatake Kakashi, his next of kin, to come see for yourselves." Tsunade nodded and sent someone to fetch Kakashi. "Lady Hokage, I'm sorry about this." Tsunade ignored him and walked out of the office. She was going to Naruto because something was wrong.
"This is wrong," Tsunade said. She was crying at the sight. A limp body was hanging from the ceiling by a bed sheet that was torn and tied into a makeshift rope. Something about this made Tsunade and Kakashi think that this was planned out for months by the dead man. The silver haired Jonin sighed as he kept his tears in and looked at the smile on the man's face. It was so carefree and looked like it used to be. It didn't bring any comfort though.
"He's free from his curse," Kakashi muttered. Tsunade wanted to hurt the Jonin but couldn't. She was in pain from seeing the boy she thought of as a little brother hanging there. She instead asked him to get the body down. Kakashi did as told and cut the sheet with a kunai. He caught the body and hid his surprise. It was light and small compared to the most of the bodies Kakashi carried around. He placed the still boy on the empty bed. He carefully removed the noose and hoped, childishly and selfishly, that it would bring him back to life. Sadly, the body didn't stir.
"Kakashi, I'm sorry," Tsunade said. Kakashi was lost in memories and was probably forever gone. Even though the blue eyes were closed, Kakashi's mind would picture them open just like Minato's so many years ago. Tsunade looked at the smile, which made the cold face so peaceful. New tears came from her eyes as she walked away. All she could picture in her mind was the life he should've had and how his friends would be so heartbroken. Nobody wanted to see Ino's reaction after she had worked so hard. Kakashi stayed behind with his memories in his eyes. He couldn't cry; all his tears were wasted on people long since dead. Obito's eye was crying though. Obito always cried for Kakashi. The only thing Kakashi could think about was why he didn't live to be an old man. Kakashi hung his head and took the dead hand in his. He was going to say goodbye one more time.
"Goodbye, my student. I hope you found your peace, Uzumaki Naruto. Forever you shall be missed."
A HERO'S ENDING
Explanation: The reason why people are seeing me rewriting Ice Cold (another story of mine) and this one is because I don't feel like the old ones did them justice. There was so much untold within them. I decided to attempt to make them better and more interesting. Only the reviewers can be my judge. Tell me if you like this version better because if you don't like it, I'll only keep the first chapter up instead of updating the rest. Critique me where you see fit. Thank you – Kyuubi no Kitsune0101