Trial of Duty:
Summary:
Major AU! After the war has finished, with Naruto defeating Madara, Itachi has surrendered himself to Konoha to be put on trial for his crimes against the village. As his harrowing story is revealed, a picture is painted of a man who has sacrificed everything for the good of the village and those he loves.
A.N. This is the first chapter – if you want me to continue with the idea, please tell me! Thanks :) Hope you enjoy!
Chapter 1
The man was dragged out of his cell, chakra-suppressing chains clanking loudly against the floor as he was bundled through the corridor of the detention centre, towards the waiting courtroom. Loud jeering and taunting could be heard as the guards pushing him further along, as other inmates; civilians and ninja alike, hurled insults and derogatory comments at him as he walked past.
Despite all of this, the man stayed tall despite the deprived state he'd been living in for the last month after Madara had been defeated. After all, in his time serving Madara, he'd seen so much worse – little things like jeering were hardly going to phase him.
He shook his dark matted hair out of his eyes as he gazed around. He needed to cut it, he noted. It had grown far too long, allowing the dirt from the cell to gather in it and clump strands together. Regardless of the outcome, he'd not have to worry about it much longer, he thought wryly.
'If I make it out alive, I can have my hair cut then' he thought. 'If I don't…well I won't be around to worry about it' he continued, chuckling. His sense of humour had been twisted; his time working under Madara, having sharpened his cynicism to a razor's edge.
He was suddenly snapped out of his musings, by a sudden burst of light blinding his eyes. Even despite their dulled ability to see, the sudden exposure to brightness affected him just as much as it would any other.
As his vision refocussed, he was shoved roughly into a chair in the centre of the room, his manacles being replaced by the chakra-suppressing metal cuffs on the chair. He smirked slightly.
'Of course it wouldn't do for Konoha to leave one of their most prominent war criminals any of their abilities'.
As he looked around, he could see the large gathering of the council members. As it was a trial for a ninja, the civilian council had been excluded – their constant bickering and self-importance did nothing in aiding the ninja council and Hokage to come to a decision.
The prisoner could spot the blonde hair of the first female Hokage as she glared fiercely at him from under the brim of the hat. Next to her, was the second of the Sannin; Jiraiya, the toad sage, widely considered to be the strongest of the three – albeit the least mature. As his gaze drifted further down the line up, he could see the appointed successor to the title of Hokage, Naruto Namikaze-Uzumaki, as it had been revealed to the village just before Naruto had taken down Madara. He was holding his long-term fiancé, Ino Yamanaka by the waist, as he scrutinised the prisoner carefully. He was one of the few in the room who was truly waiting to hear his side of the story prior to making a judgement. It was clear, that Ino held no such compunctions concerning his guilt, with a steady glare being directed at him.
The prisoner continued to move his gaze down, and faltered when he glimpsed his younger brother. He couldn't glance into his eyes yet. He wasn't ready for the judgement that no doubt would be inherent in his brother's eyes. He quickly scanned the rest of the audience, before his eyes landed on someone. A woman. With beautiful crimson eyes. She looked like she hadn't aged a day since he'd left. He pulled his thoughts back before he ventured too far into the past. Of all the people in the room, she was the one who understood him the most. The only person who had a hint of what was to come. The only person who he'd trusted and loved enough to give a hint of what he had to do. She was the only person is the room who gazed at him, not with suspicion or hate, but with compassion, curiosity and a hint of something he couldn't identify.
His attention snapped back to the Hokage, when he heard her start to speak.
"We're gathered here today, for the trial of Uchiha Itachi, for the massacre of the Uchiha clan, and crimes against the village. This trial, will allow him to provide us with his side of the story, with Ms Yamanaka and Inoichi aiding in extracting and sharing memories to verify it's veracity. Without any further delay, let us begin!"