Which Way to Konoha?
WARNING! Proper Naruto World Map completely ignored!
Disclaimer: I do not claim to own that which has already been created, patented, or copyrighted.
Naruto shifted within his bonds lackadaisically. Tsunade hadn't tied him up too tight, but Naruto didn't try to escape, not yet anyway. His mind was a beehive of thought, and he was too tired to really but much effort into a proper attempt.
"So Naruto," called Tsunade and Naruto looked up from contemplating his bindings to glaze up into the blazing eyes of the Hokage. She did not look happy, Naruto decided, in fact he was sure he had never seen her so angry before, "would you mind telling me where you have been for the last year and a half?"
"Here and there," shrugged Naruto noncommittally, he was more concerned about receiving answers to his own questions then answering hers, "Hey, that entry in the Bingo Book that Neji showed me, it wasn't real, was it?"
Naruto's eyebrows screwed together and he didn't let his eyes leave the old lady's face. His patience was soon rewarded as he watched Tsunade bodily deflate. The anger that had been present since he had been tied to that chair late that afternoon was placed on the back burner, and what shined in her eyes now could only be called disappointment. It made Naruto squirm in his seat, the ropes of his bindings chafing his wrist and bare arms in the process.
"Naruto," Tsunade began seriously, but Naruto didn't stop fidgeting, "You went M.I.A after a mission, just a few months after you had gotten back from traveling with Jiraiya, what were we suppose to think? You'd gone soul searching?"
Naruto snorted at her dry attempt at humor; he trusted that this meant she didn't think his case was too hopeless.
"Fine, but I want to at least tell my side of the story," challenged Naruto, calming down and allowing a sure smile to light his features.
Tsunade didn't answer right away, the old anger seemed to have been re-ignited and it showed in her eyes as she looked down at the confident teenager. Naruto gulped, he hadn't meant to antagonize her, so he quickly schooled his features, replacing his confident smile with a downturned pout and his clear blue eyes with sad, pleading ones. Naruto had to clench down on the feelings of triumphant when he physically felt her resolve weaken.
"If we're going to do this, we need it to be legal, with witnesses and a council, and they'll be your judges," explained Tsunade after a few moments of silence, she searched Naruto's face for any sign of concern. This was bound to happen anyway, Tsunade knew, but she was determined to avoid sending him to the T&I, "but you should know that finding any judge is going to be hard, especially an unbiased one, after you went M.I.A. there was a lot of hard feelings. You should know there's a very high possibility of you receiving the harshest punishment, even if your story checks out."
Naruto was willing to accept these terms; he knew there was nothing to worry about. So he leveled a bored look to her searching eyes, a hard glint in his true blue eyes.
"Yeah, yeah, bring it on Granny; I'll prove them all wrong!"
It would take until the next morning for them to gather the Jury and begin the trial, which would be conducted in the Hokage's office, so in the meantime Naruto had been held overnight in the office. Throughout the night he had remained tied to his chair and had watched in bemusement as the raging Tsunade lectured him while downing shot after shot of warm sake. His apprehension quickly turned to delight as after she had finished her third bottle she had ceased to lecture him, having forgotten why she was angry in the first place, before she had proceeded to congratulate him on his marriage and began to interrogate him on his future plans with said wife. Naruto had eagerly played along; anything to stop the ringing in his ears from her shouting, all the while secretly relieved to see that something's never changed after all.
When morning came and Tsunade had been awakened from her drunken stupor by Shizune, it had only taken an hour to gather the necessary people to begin Naruto's trial. Naruto was grateful to finally start, the rope, although loose, was starting to get itchy and his muscles were beginning to feel achy. The quicker he told the story the quicker he could be released from this characterless bondage.
The council consisted of five ninjas. The Hokage's most trusted assistant, Shizune, as well as Yamanaka Inoichi, Shiranui Genma, Nara Shikaku, and Yuhi Kurenai. Also present at Naruto's trial was the two teams that had brought him in, the old Team Gai and Team 10, when he had seen them he had sent a grin their way, he would have waved but his wrists were currently being held in place so even the slightest movement caused a slight shock of pain. The two teams would be required to give their testimonies of the capture of Naruto as well as a testimony on his behavior towards his past companions.
"Alright Naruto, these people will be your judge," Tsunade affirmed, and Naruto raised an eyebrow at the mismatched jury but quickly shrugged it off, besides Shizune he'd never really talked to any of these people, he supposed that maybe that talking to strangers would make it easier to get his story across.
"You'd better make this worth our time," Inoichi said harshly, and Naruto nodded with a shrug. He supposed that whether his story was 'worth it' depended on the listener, he shouldn't really be expected to be the one to dictate that.
"It all started when Kakashi-sensei told me to go fishing…" Naruto began ominously.
To be continued…
A/N: This all takes place between the time Naruto returns to Konoha after training with Jiraiya and the three tails.
