I do not own 'Naruto'
Broken ties
At the Valley of the End stood two figures. One in a cloak of demonic chakra and the other mutated through dark Fuin. Both using borrowed power that was destroying their bodies, which was the last thing on their mind. All they cared about was the opponent in front of them, and where their victory/defeat would lead them.
"Sasuke!" Naruto shouted. "Come back home, give up on the stupid goal, Orochimaru is only using you!"
"Never!" Sasuke returned. "I need this power to kill him!"
"Then I have no choice but to beat some sense into you." Naruto stated.
They charged their respective Jutsu and lunged with the names roaring from their throats.
"Chidori!"
"Rasengan!"
The attacks clashed.
"Heh, I win Teme." Naruto spoke as he carried the Uchiha. "And I didn't even need to break all your bones."
Sasuke just groaned as Naruto carried him, he was in too much pain to do anything else.
The reason Naruto had won was because he hadn't held back in the last moment. Instead of scratching the Uchiha's headband like he planned(dumb move from canon), he delivered a devastating blow to him.
"You should have killed him." A demonic voice spoke.
Uh, not now fox, too tired. Naruto thought.
It was true, the fight had taken him to his limit and beyond. Now he was running on fumes just to get home. It as hard enough just to walk, let alone carry the Uchiha on his back.
"I can give you enough chakra to finish the job." Kyuubi spoke. "Just grab your kunai..."
Naruto tuned the Tailed Beast out, he just wanted to get home.
Home. He thought amusingly. He had just completed the mission to retrieve Sasuke. Now the villagers had no choice but to acknowledge him.
He was brought from his musing by the sight of Kakashi appearing.
"Sensei..." Was all he got out before he collapsed.
When Naruto opened his eyes, he found himself in the hospital.
Ugh, I hate this place. He thought bitterly.
Even with Tsunade running the place it was still terrible. No one was allowed to do anything strenuous, so there goes a good chunk of fun. The doctors were terrible to him when the Hokage wasn't around. Only she and Shizune were truly dedicated to healing him. The worse part of all, they wouldn't sell ramen!
And the needles. He shuddered. Give me a kunai any day.
On the bright side, he never had to stay for more than day before he was completely healed. It was one of the traits he had as a host, the Kyuubi was able to bring him into top condition in that time. And a excuse for the Doctors to do less than adequate work.
He was brought from his musing when the doors opened to allow his guests inside.
There stood his teammate and crush, Sakura. Behind her was their Sensei, Kakashi.
"Why have you called this meeting?" Tsunade asked annoyed. These never ends well.
In front of her stood the Konaha council, comprised of a Civilian and Shinobi half. The Shinobi half were the Clan heads of the prestigious ninja families. The civilians were just merchants and land owners. Then there was the advisers, the former teammates of the Third Hokage.
She never cared for the Council's existence. While the Shinobi half was usually neutral in most cases, minus Clan affairs, they too could give her a migraine. It was the Civilian council that she truly despised. They weren't subtle in their wants and demands, especially concerning Naruto, they outright hated the boy and made that known.
"We called this meeting to discuss the punishment of Naruto Uzumaki." Someone answered.
See.
"Naruto!?" Tsunade asked in outrage. "If anyone should be punished, it should be the Uchiha!"
"We realize that his actions were...questionable." Someone began.
"Questionable!" Tsunade snapped. "He abandoned the village for Orochimaru, an enemy of the village, for his own quest for revenge! His actions put three Genin in critical condition!"
"We believe that he was pushed to this from the de-Uzumaki boy." The councilor spoke. "As well as the curse mark influencing him."
"The child is unstable, just look at what he did to his teammate."
"A teammate that tried to kill him!" Tsunade snapped.
"Even without training, he's been able to defeat an Uchiha prodigy!"
"Naruto Uzumaki himself is above that of a prodigy." Tsunade stated proudly. "This village would know if it gave him some decent training."
"Are you implying that our village is in anyway lacking?"
"When a student is purposely sabotaged, then yes." Tsunade answers.
"What proof do you have that he has any skill?"
"Other than your own comment?" She snorted. "He defeated a Hyuuga prodigy, mastered the Fourth's prized Rasengan in less than a month and the Shadow clones in less than a few hours."
"That proves he's a danger!" Some one shouted. "He has been showing a dangerous growth rate in power."
Many of the councilors on the civilian half began nodding in agreement.
"You mean he's making a remarkable growth rate in power." Tsunade corrected. "And the only person he's a danger to is his enemy, which is most of you." She declares. "I read up on his history, his medical history."
"What of it?" One of the councilmen spoke.
Though he asked in a calm manner, he, as well as the council, were beginning to become nervous.
"Beatings to the point of near death." She read too calmly. "He's been beaten, stabbed, poisoned, burned, blown up, the list just goes on!" She glared at the council. "Care to explain that."
It wasn't a question.
"We did what was necessary to ensure that he knew his place!"
"Right, attacking the host of the most powerful mass of chakra." She sighed. "You all are fools."
I don't know how my predecessors dealt with this. She thought.
"You have no right to judge us." A bandaged man spoke. "You who ran away to drink and gamble."
Danzo. She sneered. "Yes I...ran." She admitted. "And look who brought me back, the same person who brought back the Uchiha. You going to punish him for that too?"
"We aren't here to discuss the boys past!" One of the elders spoke. "It's his future."
"Sakura-Chan, Kakashi-Sensei!" Naruto greeted. "Told you I'd bring him back!"
The remainder of Naruto's team didn't say anything.
Sakura walked forward and slapped Naruto across the face hard enough to leave a red print. The blond was stunned at his pink haired crush's action. All the while his Sensei stood there and watched in silence.
What's going on? He thought.
"How could you?!" Sakura screamed. "How could you hurt Sasuke-Kun!?"
"W-What?" Naruto asked in shock, which turned into rage. "That's what this is about!"
"Naruto, you used extreme and unnecessary violence against your teammate." Kakashi stated. "Did you not hear my lessons?"
"I guess I didn't, seeing as you never taught us anything useful since Wave!" Naruto snapped. "Which we had to learn during an A-Rank mission! Even then, it as something we should have learned a week after graduating."
"It was the first thing I taught you." Kakashi stated as he glared at the blond. "You would have learned more if you wer-"
"If you where half as good as Sasuke-Kun!" Sakura cut in. Though he could never even get that good. Cha!
"Those who break the rules are scum, but those who abandon their friends are worse than scum." Naruto stated, cuting Kakashi and Sakura off. "Yet you seem fine abandoning one student in favor of another to teach him an assassination technique!" Naruto grabbed his chest. "A technique he seemed pretty skilled with it when he shoved it through my chest!"
"I did what was necessary for Sasuke's progress." Kakashi stated as if it where all he needed to say.
"Huh, well you must have halved assed that as well." Naruto stated.
"Don't talk down about Sasuke-Kun, he's better than you'll ever be!" Sakura shouted. "You're just jealous that he's better than you'll ever be!"
"Yet, here I am after bringing him back on your request." Naruto spoke as he got out of bed. "Just like when I beat Gaara to save you, it's my fault and the Uchiha get's the glory."
"You lie, everyone knows Sasuke beat the freak Gaara!" Sakura screeched.
"Really, then ask Gaara yourself." Naruto spoke as he left. "I'm tired of talking to scum."
Maybe I should have listened to the Kyuubi's advice. Naruto thought darkly. And killed the Uchiha.
"So we are at a stalemate." Tsunade spoke.
"We cannot execute the boy, nor will you be satisfied with mere banishment."
"But he must be punished!" A civilian shouted.
"For what reason?!" Tsunade asked in exasperation.
"...Imprisonment." Someone spoke.
All in the council room turned to see the speaker, it was Shikaku Nara. Shikamaru's father and head of the Nara Clan. Though he was usually as lazy and unmotivated as the rest of his clan, the Nara's genius was always respected. For him to speak up when he usually slept was reason enough to listen.
"Go on." Danzo urged.
"We can't execute him without risking the fox being freed." He explained. "And banishment would leave him open to the Akatsuki, or an enemy village to manipulate and use against us. So have him restrained where we can keep an eye on him."
Everything he said was short and sound, just like a Nara.
Damnit! Tsunade mentally screamed. The one time the Nara gives his input, it's against Naruto! She sighed as she calmed herself. Well, it will keep him close and give me time to get around the council.
"Then it's decided?" Someone asked.
All eyes turned to her for the final decision, as if it mattered at this point. He was right and everyone knew it.
"Fine." She conceded.
"Then he will be placed in Hozukijo."
"The Blood Prison?!" Tsunade asked in outrage.
Hozukijo, also known as the Blood Prison, was both the greatest and worse prison of them all. It housed the worse criminals from all over the Elemental countries. From traitors to those that disobeyed orders. It was supported by all five of the great villages, one of the few things they could cooperate on.
"Where else can he go?" Nara asked. "A prison here is a death sentence."
"Explain." Tsunade ordered.
"Many of the prisoners here are well aware of the Kyuubi incident, some even have some resentment towards Naruto for it." He spoke. "How many of them were imprisoned because of those assaults you mentioned? Too many." He answered. "Some may even try to finish the job."
"They'd be a hero if they did!" Someone stated.
"With a lot of the villagers having that kind of thought, many would try and kill him for a get out of jail free card." Tsunade mumbled in understanding. "While the people in Hozukijo have no ties to him."
"Exactly."
Damn you Nara's and your brains! Tsunade mentally cursed. "Fine."
Naruto had been eating a nice big bowl of ramen. It was the only thing that seemed to calm his nerves after such an ordeal. His teammate had betrayed the villages, then he had to fight with everything he had to save him. When he returned, he was met with traitorous teammates! He could expect it from the villagers, but from Sakura and Kakashi!
He would be needing another bowl.
"Naruto Uzumaki."
Naruto turned to see Tsunade, the Fifth Hokage.
"Hey granny!" He greeted. "Here to finally promote me for a job well done?"
He saw her tense and frown, she was struggling to keep a professional face.
It was then that he noticed the people that were with her. A bunch of Rookie Twelves parents and relatives, from his memory, they made up the Shinobi part of the Council. That meant that the others where the Civilian half. Beside the Hokage where some of the old people he remember seeing around the Third. The village Elders that made up the Hokage's advisers.
More people where beginning to gather.
"What's going on granny?" He asked nervously.
"Naruto Uzumaki." One of the civilians began. "By order of the Council and agreed upon by the Hokage, you are under arrest!"
As the words left the civilians mouth, a squad of ANBU appeared and surrounded the blond.
"T-this is some kind of joke right, a prank on me?" He asked desperately, but saw no humor in Tsunade's eyes. "On what charges!?"
"Because of the mission." She answered sadly.
"But I completed the mission and brought the Teme back!" He shouted.
"Watch your mouth de-boy!"
Now the pieces where starting to fall into place for the young blond. This wasn't about him, this was just another way for the council to screw him over because if their ignorance.
"I see." Naruto spoke calmly.
Everyone present noticed the blond's shift in personality. He wasn't the blond goof-ball that they were all accustomed to. This Naruto had an air about him that made them nervous.
"So, who else will be joining me in prison?" He asked a little too calmly.
"What do you mean?" Danzo asked.
"Well, it was Shikamaru that led the mission to begin with." Naruto answered coolly. "Isn't it the squad leader's responsibility to make sure the mission is a success? Or how about the Uchiha, the one he started this whole fiasco." No one answered so he continued. "Or how about we get down to the real reason this is happening."
"What do you mean?" One of the Elders asked.
"This isn't about the mission, after all, I completed it." He spoke. "I even managed to bring the traitor back alive." He added. When I could and should have killed him.
"Don't make jokes boy!" Homaru snapped.
"They're finally getting rid of the demon." Someone stated. "Good riddance."
"It's his fault Uchiha-Sama ran away." Another added.
Soon the villagers where were joining in. They were getting their hatred going for the blond, soon they would be calling for blood, his blood.
"THAT IS WHAT I HATE THE MOST ABOUT THIS VILLAGE!" Naruto shouted loud enough to silence the village, he was finally losing his cool. "The arrogance of the so called greatest village! You care more about your own petty hatred over the actions of a good ninja!" He spat the last part before losing a bit of his flame. "I did my duty, for my village and for my nindo, but that means nothing to you all."
"Naruto." Tsunade whispered.
"It doesn't matter how you feel." Danzo spoke. "The Council has decided and the Hokage has agreed, your fate is set."
"Fate huh?" He spoke. "Neji must be rubbing off on me because I believe I might be fated to hate the Hokages." He stated for all to hear. "I hate the First for thinking he had the right to give the Tailed Beast away to villages as if they were objects." He shouted. "I hate the Second for giving arrogant people such as you Councilmen an ounce of power! The Third for simply rolling over and doing nothing as I lived in this hell called home! And most of all, the Fourth, for sealing the fox inside me!"
As Naruto spoke, he began seeping out red chakra that shrouded him, almost like a flame. His eyes became fox-like and glowed a crimson red. His nails turned into claws as his canines elongated.
People were starting to panic.
Tsunade knew that she no choice of getting Naruto to go quietly, as if it were an option to begin with. She gave a subtle nod of her head towards one of the ANBU.
Hokage-Style Sixty-Year-Old Technique — Enclosed Hermitage Entering Society with Bliss-Bringing Hands
From the ground burst several wooden pillars that distracted Naruto. He never noticed the ANBU make a kanji on his palm, but he noticed as he placed it on Naruto's chest.
The chakra began to rapidly decrease.
"W-What's happening?" He asked as he began feeling exhausted.
"It's an ability of the Mokuton or Wood-style." Tsunade explained. "It allows for the user to suppress demonic chakra, even the Kyuubi's."
"Tsunade...Tsunade Senju!" Naruto spoke tired but coldly. "Do you know how much I despise you?! For all your great strength and power, why would you subjugate yourself to these assholes?!"
"The Council..." She sighs. "Even now, their existence helps keep a certain...balance to the village.
"That's the answer of a weak coward, nothing more than an icon!" Naruto retaliated. "You're the Hokage! You decide the fate of the village, not them! Your word is law!"
"Then I'd just be a tyrant." She whispered. "Not fit for Hokage. Not the leader you brought back for this village."
As she explained, he began drifting out, once she finished, all went black.
Tsunade watched sadly as Naruto collapsed inside of the wooden prison. They placed a Seal onto it so that Naruto wouldn't have access to Kyuubi's chakra.
The escorts made their way out of the village to the Blood Prison.
"I'm sorry." She whispered. "I'm so sorry."
Naruto came through around sometime near sundown.
"Uh, where am I?" He asked.
"Silence demon." One of the escorts ordered.
Great, my guards are demon haters. He thought.
Naruto then remembered where they were taking him, the Blood Prison. He wasn't going to take that lying down. But he was dealing with two ANBU level Shinobi, there was no way he could beat them in a fight. But if he could get free, he could escape, he had plenty of experience outrunning them.
You there fox? He asked, but was met with silence. Fox?
He felt like smacking himself when he remembered the words Tsunade spoke to him. 'Suppress demonic chakra' was bad news since the Kyuubi was nothing but demonic chakra, it meant he was on his own.
Need to be smart. He thought. Without demonic ch...ah, I feel like an idiot!
"What's so funny?" One of the guards asked when they noticed his smile.
"These bars." He answered. "They can't hold me!"
"They can hold back all of the demonic chakra you can muster!" The guard declared.
"Exactly!" Naruto agreed. "But you all forgot one thing."
"And what would that be?" The ANBU asked.
Naruto smirked as he bit his thumb. "I have regular chakra too."
Summoning Jutsu
Naruto had summoned a toad. Not as large as Gamabunta or as small as Gamakichi. It was just large enough to burst through the wooden cage that held Naruto.
Not wasting time, Naruto formed a seal that we're all familiar with.
Shadow Clone Jutsu
He summoned over a dozen versions of himself with his remaining chakra. Each Naruto took off in a different direction, away from the ANBU and Konaha.
The ANBU returned to their village with their heads low.
They had tried finding Naruto, but that was simply for appearances. Everyone knew there would be no finding that boy. They had never been able to catch him in the past and he had only gotten better. When he didn't want to be found, he wouldn't be.
So they went to the Council.
"What happened?" Tsunade asked.
"He escaped." The ANBU answered.
"We can tell that, how!?" A Civilian councilman asked. "You're ANBU, the elite!"
"Though Kyuubi's chakra had been suppressed, we...never did so for his regular chakra." The ANBU explained. "He summoned a toad and broke free before making clones to scatter."
"Then we have to send more ANBU after him!" Someone shouted.
"Don't bother." A new voice stated.
"Jiraiya." Tsunade greeted.
"You can fetch the boy." One of the Elders stated.
"I can't, he cut his ties with the Toads." The Sanin stated sadly.
"Then what can be done?" Someone stated as if they didn't care. "Mark him as a rogue and let someone else finish him off, it'll be a miracle if he could survive a week on his own." He joked. "He was he dead last."
"Let me put this into words you can all understand!" Tsunade snapped. "Naruto is out there with no ties to us and the world to hide in. The only home he has ever known was a hell and now he was turned from it."
"But he has nothing!"
"He has three mountains of gold around his neck and access to Kyuubi." Jiraiya continued. "That's more than he's ever had while stuck in this village, and look at how far he got."
It was finally starting to dawn on them the size of the threat.
"So let me get this straight." One of the Councilmen started. "That boy is out there, he has all that money. He as powerful as the Kyuubi. And he's mad at us."
Naruto was tired and angry.
And hurt.
He had no one he could turn to. Sure, there were those he had helped, like Wave and Snow country, but he didn't want to burden them. Eventually Konaha would come knocking on their doors. No reason to give them his troubles.
He even gave up his contract with the Toads to keep Konaha off his trail.
He was basically alone.
"You're not alone." A voice from inside stated. "You have me."
Review
1) Usually Naruto just rolls over and cry/fake smile as takes his undeserved punishment before banishment. Not with me!
2)This is a pairing with Kyuubi. Sorry for those that voted for Tsunade, I had just forgotten to take this off.
3) This is my first banishment fic.
4) OH GOD, IT'S OVER! NARUTO(manga) IS OVER! HOW MANY YEARS HAS THAT MANGA ENTERTAINED US?-A tear shed for all that has ended. Some of them have aged horribly. And the new generation. Shudder. As long as they don't try a spin off with the new generation, I guess it can go out in peace.
