Letting Go
A/N: I changed the council a bit. There are four members instead of three and instead of Homura and Koharu – I put Shinsuke, Hiroto, Izumi and Miyako.
Summary: Naruto has miraculously survived the war and made it back to Konoha. After several days of fame and respect, a turn of events results in Naruto's banishment. Now, he must accept his new life in the wilderness where he is being hunted down by new and unknown enemies and learn to let go of everything he held special in the Leaf – including himself.
Disclaimer:I do not own Naruto.
Naruto POV
I could feel the sunlight peering through the curtains and heating my cold flesh. I woke up, noticing the bitter taste that consumes my mouth and greets my taste buds. My feet shuffled along the floor, sweeping away the empty ramen cups and dirty underwear that littered it. After brushing my teeth, I changed into my normal attire – except for my black hitai-ate and cooked some instant ramen. When I ate half the cup of ramen, I heard a large knock at the door. Must be another fangirl. After the war, I would wake up to the sound of a normal guy pounding on the door. Then, I would watch as he grinned ear to ear as the black marker implanted my signature onto his skin.
I opened the door, finding three ANBU armed with swords and other weapons while I only had a pen to defend myself.
"Uzumaki Naruto," one said, "You are being summoned by the council."
The council? Why would they invite me to their boring meetings? What would they like to discuss with me – now that the rewards have been handed out and all the ceremonies and funerals are done? Whatever the reason I was being summoned, I bet it's not good. The journey was long and silent. Two ANBU walked at both sides while one followed me at a very close distance. So close, we're barely touching. And I can tell you one thing, it doesn't feel right. I tried to keep cool but every pair of eyes kept turning our way. I even caught a group of girls pointing at me and whispering things to one another. When we had reached our destination, the masked men shoved me into the room, making me stumble into the room. An eerie silence followed. Then finally, a voice broke the silence.
An old man, Shinuske spoke.
"Uzumaki Naruto," Everybody just has to say my name first because it's so formal. "We are asking you to leave the village for a while. Many enemies are targeting this village because they seek your power."
From this statement, I could tell that the council's opinions of me remain unchanged. They still underestimate me and allow me to prove them wrong.
"I can stay and fight these guys," I protested.
"By doing so, you are putting many lives at risk!" Shinsuke shouted at me, realizing I will not be easy to convince that I should go. "You must leave!"
"Even if I leave, they'll come for me," I said, "Many people died that way in the Invasion of Pain. They would've stayed dead if it weren't for me."
That's when Hiroto, an old man in his sixties, I think, spoke up to help Shinsuke. "There are many reasons for your leaving," he said, calmly, "Or should I say, reasons for your banishment."
Reality slaps me in the face. He wants me to die in the forest. My shock was shown in the expression I made. I saved the world and I thought everyone was on my side. I was wrong. Then, I remember something someone said to me once. "Not everyone can be changed."
"One," Hiroto began, "You have been a threat since the time of your birth."
Obviously, he's talking about Kurama. He completely ignored the fact that I can control his power and the other Tailed Beasts.
"I can control the Tailed Beasts," I told him.
"If there is anything I've learnt, it's that humans say anything to save their skin," Hiroto said, completely annoying me, "Your power is dangerous. One mistake could result in the death of many innocent lives."
He stared at me with a smug look and then continued with his awful reasons.
"Two. You risked the loss of the Shinobi Alliance in the war by participating. Madara had almost won because of you and that ignorant rapper."
"His name is Killer Bee!" I yelled, "And, I can't stand by and watch my friends die out there. Oh, and we won didn't we?"
Hiroto glared at me for a while, then continued. "Three. You are the main reason why the Akatsuki and many other enemies have targeted us."
"The Akatsuki is dead and when the other enemies attack, I defeat them," I claimed.
"ENOUGH!" he yelled. His voice bounced off the walls and echoed in our ears. "Uzumaki Naruto. You are banished from the Leaf."
"W-what?" My jaw dropped at the sudden news.
I must be dreaming. This must be a nightmare. But, I knew it wasn't. Hiroto has made his point clear. He hates me, distrusts me, sees me as a threat to human life and banishes me for his own satisfaction.
"You can't banish me! I just put my life on the line out there to save the world and I come back to be banished?" I look at the other council members. "Please, help me here!"
Hiroto must be enjoying this. I'm on my knees, begging for the council's approval. He passes something to each council member under the table. I can still see it. I watch as they share the green bundles – cash – between themselves. Hiroto mouths the words , No, help me as he passes more cash to Shinsuke, Izumi and Miyako. Shinsuke takes the money and clasps it in his hand, smiling. Thanks to Hiroto, he's no longer in debt. But, what council member ends up in debt in the first place? "I support Hiroto," he says.
The women, Izumi and Miyako hold the money away from each other protectively as they slip the money into their purses. They must be planning to use the cash in one of their weekly shopping sprees. Women these days. After zipping their handbags, they say in unison, "We support Hiroto as well."
A smirk forms on Hitori's face. "Naruto, you are to leave in fifteen minutes. Otherwise... we will kill you."
That's when I lose myself. I charge at Hiroto with my fist curled tightly into a ball. It's only inches away from his head before an ANBU grabs me and pulls me away from the council. I struggle to free myself from my restraints as I curse Hiroto. "FUCK YOU, YOU SON OF A BITCH! YOU'RE NOTHING BUT A PIECE OF SHIT!" I'm being carried away like a three-year-old out of the room as I spit out my foul language and I know that I'm leaving no matter how much I dislike it.
I march over to my apartment. I can just see the crooked roof when an arm reaches over my path. It was Sasuke. He looks at me with deep concern – which is new for a guy like him. "What's wrong, dobe?"
I force myself to put on my trademark grin and say, "Nothing. Everything's fine."
My lies were futile. Sasuke knew something was amiss. He's clever enough to know when something isn't right, especially in battle. Instead of asking more, he let me go. As I walked towards my apartment, I could feel those watchful eyes of his piercing into my back. As soon as I entered the building, I slammed the door behind me and sit in a hunched position against the door.
"What am I going to do, now?" I whisper to the walls.
Minutes later, I grab a backpack and fill it with food, water, weapons and a sleeping bag. I find a picture of Team 7 on my dresser. The memories start rolling in; my fights with Sasuke, my attempts to go on dates with Sakura, Kakashi-sensei being late for our training, the bell test, our fight with Zabuza and Haku, our reunion in the war – everything. I set the picture down, noticing my black hitai-ate – neatly folded beside the photo. I draw a straight line through the Leaf symbol as my tears rolled down my cheeks. Then, I wrote a note and pierced through the hitai-ate and the thin sheet of paper, pinning it to a wall next to the door. It read,
If you are reading this, I just want to let you know, the council has banished me for multiple pathetic reasons. And, to my friends, Sakura-chan, Sasuke, Hinata, Kiba, Shikamaru, Choji, Shino and Ino... I miss you guys, already.
After, I left the building I called "home", leaving the door unlocked, abandoned the streets I would roam everyday and departed the village I protected one last time. Outside the gates, I took one last look at the village where I no longer belong in and vanished into the forest.
I am Uzumaki Naruto. No longer a shinobi of Konoha...