A/N: I'm struggling with the next chapter for my other story and this has been on my mind. I'm hoping this will help get the juices flowing. I'm jumping off of the story Naruto: The Changed by ExoSpectre as a really liked the beginning and have been waiting two years on an update. I have a rough 10 chapters planned that will probably be extended as I write them. I haven't decided on a pairing so I'm going to let you help decide as I could go for either Tsunade, Hinata, Pakura, or Suiren. If I decide on Pakura or Suiren I will be tweaking somethings. Go to my page to view vote!
Naruto's muscular frame meditates in the lotus position while the other prisoners wail in agony as footsteps echo closer. He's perplexed that someone has come down here when there isn't a body to claim, more so that he can sense that these people are coming to see him. The apprehension is coming off of them like dry ice out of a box and he wonders what they've heard about him, more so the woman. Whispers always ran rampant in a prison, and even though no one has seen him in however many years he's been in this cage, he knows his name comes with a layer of fear when spoken.
"The light from you lamp is burning their eyes." He smirks when he hears the click of the light disappearing and the other prisoners screams ending. Her and the guards footsteps quicken as the fear replaces the apprehension of now being surrounded by caged s-ranked shinobi in the dark.
"Is that you, Naruto Uzumaki?" Her voice wavers, seeing his cell already open.
He can only imagine how nerve wracking finding out the specialized cell you had created to contain the strongest inmate the prison has ever hosted wasn't strong enough. Rising to his feet, Naruto approaches her and hold his arms out for her to place the chakra cuffs on him. "The one and only."
After running through the hand seals, she grasps his wrists and an icy burning sensation prickles his nerves. She clears her throat and leads him by the elbow towards the entrance as the guards surround him. "Your life sentence has been reversed. Konoha has requested your release."
Kahyō isn't surprised when he doesn't have any reaction to the news. All the prisoners and guards from the revolt 6 years ago were never the same after the battle. Most had gone insane, others killed themselves, and some never spoke again. Naruto is different though.
She remembers when she arrived at the Castle after the massive chakra explosion. It had been mass panic; everyone was screaming and crying, running as fast as they could to escape the massacre. Only Naruto was calm, kneeling in the middle of the yard, cradling a body to his chest. Red chakra was bubbling off his skin, unimpeded by the Heavenly Prison chains surrounding his body.
It had been a moment of fear, when she was the jinchūriki was losing control, she ordered her shinobi to restrain the boy. He hadn't fought them, just accepted his fate. She tried to look into his eyes; over the years she had found that to be the best way to judge a person. Cuts and burns mar his lids as the demon's chakra tried to sew flest back together. They placed him in isolation and had their best seal masters come and reenforce the cell that would become his home until today.
All of the prisoners from that time resided on his block. They were considered too dangerous to interact with general population. Too dangerous even to let them interact with each other. They isolated them, sending food and water to the prisoners through seals. Life detection seals were placed in all the cells to alert them when someone died so they could collect the body. The conditions weren't exactly humane, but after they killed the 17th guard who was taking them to the yard, she knew they had to be restricted to their cells or executed, and their villages wouldn't have sent them here if they wanted them dead.
They walk up the stairs; their steps are loud in the silence. There is so many questions she has but Kahyō doesn't know where to start. She wants to know if he's just as insane as all the other resident from that time or if he's retained his sanity, if it was the Box of Ultimate Bliss that was rumored to be here that killed all of those people or if Naruto went on a rampage, and if it was the Box of Ultimate Bliss then where is it now. There are too many factors in this situation to make a clear choice and too many questions going without answers. It will just be best if Naruto leaves the prison and never comes back.
As they approach the top of the stairs Naruto stops and turns to Kahyō. "May I have a cloth to cover my eyes?"
Looking at the young man, her stomach rolls. This is the first time she's gotten a good look at how his eyes have healed and she can't blame him for wanting to cover them up. "Of course." She takes the scarf from around her neck, covers his eyes, and then secures the knot. She grimaces when her fingers graze one of the puckered ridges.
"Thank you." He continues forward without prompting and only stops when he waits for the guards to open the door. She know that she shouldn't be surprised at how pale he is, he hasn't seen the light of day for 6 years, but it still shocks her that his skin resembles a chicken egg.
"These guards will lead you to the bathroom, where you can change into one of the two sets of clothes we provide upon release. I will grab your personal belongings." Their goal was to get Naruto out of the facility as soon as possible to mitigate any effects the other prisoners. Before they seperate, Kahyō performs a hand seal to loosen his cuffs a little to change his shirt; hopefully she won't regret it.
The guard at the desk is prepared for her when she approaches. "Is this it?" Usually inmates have a bag worth of things, but Naruto only has a little envelope.
"Yes." The guard shakes and she can tell that the nerves of having the jinchūriki out of his cell is getting to him. She doesn't blame him. He was one of the ones that had to clean up the bodies after they'd collected all the prisoners. "It was all he came in with."
Kahyō nods to him and opens the envelope as she walks toward the waiting room. Inside was a necklace with a blue crystal gem, framed by two little pearls; it looked expensive. Having read his file and knowing that this necklace is all he owned in the world, she wondered where he got it. He didn't have any family and no one had written any letters while he was here, not that letters were common. Most shinobi were sent here and never thought of again. She doubt many new they accepted letters.
When she passes through the doorway, her thoughts are interrupted. "Where is he? He should have been released 20 minutes ago." Kahyō's eyes roam the shinobi. A man with grey hair and traditional Konoha jōnin attire was starting at her with the eye not covered by his forehead protector, and was slumping against a wall. A woman with Hyuga eyes dressed in purple took several steps towards her while ringing her hands. Another man in traditional jōnin attire and pineapple hair was sitting in a chair, resting his chin against his clasped hands.
Finally her eyes find the woman who spoke. A busty blonde woman with a purple diamond on her forehead, who was known around the elemental nations as the Fifth Hokage, was staring her down as if she would attack her if given an unsatisfactory answer. "Inmate Naruto Uzumaki was kept in cell block F which is the hardest to get to and the furthest away from any possible exits." The shinobi raised their eyebrows at the information and the Hokage's face hardens. "He will be a couple of more minutes, he was given a change of clothes."
Tsunade Senju huffs and crosses her arms while looking out the window. The fact that none of them are worried about the Castle's most dangerous prisoner since its founding being released concerned her. "When Naruto comes out be wary. He is not the same boy you sent here, and he could be a potential threat."
"You are underestimating Naruto." The Hyuga no longer looks nervous, but determined. "He is the strongest person I have ever met. He will only become a threat if he in turn threatened."
"Ten years is a long time, Hinata." The pineapple gazes penetrates her and she knows he is the most level headed one in the bunch and the other shinobi only nod along in agreement but the phantom screams of the dying and the smell of burning flesh hold her firm.
"Six years ago, there was a riot." She leaves out the part about the Box of Unlimited Bliss. It's better that no ones knows, and regardless of its participation in the battle, the young blonde has still been changed forever. "When we arrived it was like a bomb had gone off, and Naruto was at the center." She licks her lips and gazes toward the cliffs overlooking the whirlpools. "Everyone there that day, prisoners and guards alike, had to be locked away for the own safety and the safety of everyone else in this prison. No matter how strong you knew that boy to be, the man was not immune to the effects of that day."
The Hokage takes a breath to argue when they hear the click of the door opening and Naruto comes out and stands next to her. She admits he looks handsome when he's wearing clothes that actually fit him. He stands at 6 feet tall; his spikey blonde hair falls to the top of his blue anbu pants and his black tee shirt will look better on him after his skin has more color to it. He's still wearing her grey scarf around his eyes only he's tied it to cover from the middle of his cheek bones to right underneath his eyebrows.
"Can the chakra restraints be removed now?" He tilts his head down at her waiting. She consents and raises her hand to make a seal when his chakra flares. Icy blue kanji dissipate from his skin and a shutter runs down her spine. Every measure they had taken to keep him here was pointless. If he had wanted to leave he could have and nothing they did would have stopped him.
"When you were admitted to the Castle the only thing in your possession was this necklace." She finds her voice and hands the envelope to him and he shakes it out into his palm. He cradles the crystal in palm and his head sinks as if he's looking at it. She can tell he's lost in the past as his thumb runs up and down it.
"Naruto. . ." The Hokage starts and his name being called brings him to the present as he stands taller and tosses the necklace to the Hokage. Her face blanches when she catches it and holds it to her chest.
"You can have that back, Tsunade-sama." He turns and heads towards the door. "I don't want it anymore." He opens the door, stops, and then tilts his head to the side. "Kahyō-san, it seems like the prisoners are aware of my release and are panicking."
He leaves and she's glad he's gone. She leaves the waiting room to ensure procedure is followed and prays that the prison will go back to the way it was before the blonde darkened their doors.