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Mercy
Chapter 1
By PockyWhore
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How I ended up outside the gates of Konoha I still don't know. After escaping from Orochimaru every thing seemed like a blur. All the countless days of wondering didn't even seem real. Like they had never happened. I just walked and walked until I found myself near the border of Konoha territory. When I realized where I was I immediately turned back towards the direction I had come from. So how I'd ended up in front of the towering gates of my old village, I have no idea.
One minuet I'm standing in front of those looming gates, and the next minuet four ANBU Shinobi had tackled me to the ground and chained my hands behind my back.
I am, after all, a Missing-nin.
They pulled me harshly through the streets of Konoha towards the Hokage's tower. The shackles cut at my wrist, but I couldn't feel it, not really. I stopped feeling pain a long time ago. I kept my gaze straight but I couldn't help but look around. Every thing looked painfully the same. Every shop, every alley, nothing was out of place. It was like everything had been unchanged by time and had remained the same in my absence. Although I could still see the effects of the war. Some buildings were damaged, others gone completely. At first glance Konoha looked strong and unaffected by the war. I could see otherwise. Places were still being rebuilt. People were still healing.
Other than that everything looked the same. Everything, that is, except the people. Hoards upon hoards of people lined the streets taking in the site of me, the boy they once worshiped, being pulled by chains down the pathway that ran through the market.
I don't know what was in their eyes, and I didn't much care. Because none of them mattered, none of those nameless faces mattered.
A bob of pink hair hidden within the crowds caught my attention. I could see the slightly short green eyed girl pushing through the masses of people trying to see what the commotion was about. I hung my head and let my bangs shadow my eyes. I didn't want to see her. I didn't want to see the way her breath would catch and the way her eyes would harden at the sight of me.
The ANBU tugged at my chains and pushed my up the stairs of the Hokage tower. One of them threw open the doors to Tsunade's office and pushed me in and down onto my knees in front of her desk. All I saw was a wisp of blond hair before one of the remaining ANBU grabbed me from the back of my neck and forced my whole body into a bow so deep that was forehead smacked against the floor and I could feel the light trickle of blood, but I didn't fight it.
The room was deathly silent.
"We found him outside the gates, Hokage-sama." One of the ANBU practically spat out as he kicked me in the side. I didn't try to dodge it or flinch away. I took it without a sound. I did deserve it after all.
"That's enough." I heard a hard female voice command. The ANBU wordlessly turned to exit, the one who had been holding me down pushed me again and my forehead cracked against the floor again, and then he left with the others.
Even once they'd left I didn't move. I stayed on my knees, my upper body horizontal to the floor in a bow that the ANBU had forced on me. My Forehead was resting gently against the floor keeping me from lying completely on the floor. Some of my hair stuck to the sticky red blood from my forehead and my shoulder blades felt like they'd pop out from how tightly my arms had been forced behind my back, still cuffed.
"Sit up." The female voice asked of me.
But I didn't. Truth was I probably couldn't sit up even if I wanted to. I'd gone weeks without food or water and now my whole body ached from the abuse of the ANBU.
"I said sit up."
"I can't." my voice was cracking and I coughed, not too surprised at the small trickle of blood that came from the corner of my mouth.
"Well then try harder."
I hadn't expected pity.
I pulled my body up as best I could, coughing again as I finally get myself upright. I kept my head bowed downwards and didn't look up.
"Why did you come back Uchiha?" the same female voice asked me sternly without a hint of any type of emotion in her voice.
I paused. Why did I come back?
"I don't know." I answered honestly.
Someone snorted. "He doesn't know." The voice was deeper and undoubtedly male.
I looked up. Next to Tsunade was a young blond haired blue eyed boy. No, not a boy, he was a man. Suddenly I realized exactly how long seven years is. His blond hair had grown down and rested against the nape of his neck in random jagged spikes. His bangs drooped over his forehead protector slightly and swayed with each movement he made.
I met his eyes, only for a moment. His eyes are different from how I remember them. They seem so much bluer. So much deeper, yet they look dull at the same time. It hurts. It hurts to look him in the eyes, because it's like looking at myself in a mirror. He's changed too much. Far too much. Changed in everyway possible. My breath caught at the sight of him and I could feel my heart pounding in my ears.
I look back at the Hokage. She looks the same, still looking as if she's a 20 year old woman instead of over 60. Still the same busty pigtailed blond she was seven years ago. But she looks older. I can see the wrinkles around the corners of her mouth and, she just looks so tired. Not the kind of tired that sleep can cure.
She locks gazes with me. "Tomorrow you will be put to trial."
I nod. It's really all I can do. I can't seem to find my voice. I notice the way Naruto's looking at me. Like he doesn't know who I am, and he probably doesn't. No one's truly known me since I was 12 years old.
"Naruto, take him to a cell for the night." He nodes and moves towards me.
He reaches out towards me but his hand hesitates for a moment before he grabbs onto the chains and pulls me roughly to my feel. I stumble and curse myself for being so weak, especially infront of him. We leave the room and he leads me down a flight of stairs until we get to the lowest level of the tower, the basement. Almost every cell is unoccupied, and the few that are, are only petty thieves or drunks that are caged for the night.
I can feel Naruto's hands brush against my fingertips as he yanks the chain and I can feel him pull further away from me every time we accidentally touch. He leads me down the corridor to the cell furthest away from everyone and everything. The cell is large enough to lie down in or stand up but that's about it. Naruto pulls out a key from nowhere and unlocks the door. He doesn't wait for me to step in, he just pushes me in.
"Not what you expected is it Sasuke?" I can almost hear the venom in his voice.
"I didn't expect anyone to welcome me back. Or want me back. I know that." And for the first time all day I look him in the eye and for once he's the one that looks away first.
"Then why did you come back." He whispers angrily.
"I don't know." I'm whispering too and I don't know why. I feel like if we talk any louder than none of this will be real. I'll wake up back with Orochimaru in that damn hell hole.
"I hate you." Naruto says as if he's announcing the weather.
"I know." Neither of us is looking at each other anymore.
"Good." With that he slams the cell door shut and all I can do is watch him walk away. Is this how he felt when he'd watched me walk away? Was it supposed to hurt this much? I could hear his footsteps echo down the corridor until they disappeared altogether.
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The next morning came much to fast. Before I could even open my eyes or shrug my shoulders to comprehend the stiff pain in my back, I was yanked by the chains still binding my wrist together behind me. My mind was still fuzzy with sleep and I almost fell back on my ass when the ANBU from yesterday pulled me up from my cell floor.
"You Uchiha's think you can get away with anything don't you? Think you can just waltz back into Konoha?" He pulled at my chains and I felt my joints pop.
"Didn't know Tsunade had sadist working for her." I drawled. He jabbed me good in the stomach and I spat in his face, watching gratifyingly as my blood and saliva clung to his masked face.
I knew why this man hated me. Probably for the same reason everyone else in this village does now. Not because I'd left, not because I'd gone with Orochimaru. Rumors get around, even out in Sound. I know very well what the people of Konoha think. It's said that I, Uchiha Sasuke, started the war with sound. I personally had no involvement in the war but maybe it's true.
Konoha lost a lot of people. A lot of good Shinobi had fallen. A lot of innocents had been caught in the crossfire. They had a right to be bitter.
The ANBU practically slammed me against the bars. I lost my breath for a moment and he took the chance to pull my bound arms at a near impossible angle and I heard my joints pop again louder this time. I clenched my teeth and didn't make a sound.
Finally he pushed me forward and down the narrow hallway and back up the flight of stairs that Naruto had lead me down last night. We got to the Hokage's office and in the same fashion as yesterday he jerked open the doors and flung me in, down onto my knees. If only he knew that I could have killed him twice already. I doubt Tsunade would like that very much though.
He moved to make me bow again but a leaned away from him. My head still ached from yesterday.
"That's enough." Tsunade's voice was impatient and the ANBU stopped in mid reach. He grumbled something under his breath and walked over to the door, taking his post next to it.
I stayed on my knees but turned my head away trying to hide the blood that splattered against the floor when I coughed. Tsunade glanced at me and back to the AMBU near the door but remained silent.
"Can you walk Sasuke?" She asked lazily.
I nodded my head and she stood. I took her example and stood up on unsteady feet. She walked over to me and unlocked the cuffs on my hands. I could barley move my arms, every time I did my whole shoulder ached. I shrugged my shoulders a few times and attempted to pop my joints back into place but I only got my right shoulder blade to pop back in, it was good enough for now. I just let my left arm dangle at my side.
"Hokage-sama, I don't think you should take off his cuffs." The ANBU from earlier practically growled in my direction.
"And I don't think you should be questioning my judgment." She snapped back at him.
Tsunade gave me a once over.
"Your trial will be held in about 10 minuets, you should go wash up a bit." She started towards the exit and I followed her out into the hall. She lead me to the men's bathroom and didn't even hesitate when she stepped in, so why should I? She leaned against one of the walls near the door as I walked over to the sink.
For the first time in weeks I saw myself. For a moment I almost expected a 12 year old version of myself to be gazing back at me in the mirror, but I only saw the present me. I stared at my reflection for a minuet. I defiantly wasn't 12 anymore. I imagine Naruto had realized that too, just the way I had realized it yesterday in Tsunade's office.
I splashed some water on my face and scrubbed off the dried blood from around my mouth. There was nothing I could do about my hair though. It was limp and lifeless and I doubted Tsunade had any hair gel handy, so I just combed through it with my fingers so that it was all down in one length against the back of my neck.
My jeans had a few more holes in them then they'd started out with and I wish I had something else to wear instead if this faded out black tank top, but I looked decent. I glanced over at Tsunade. She nodded and started toward the exit. I followed.
I followed her down the hall, past her office to a part of the tower I'd never been too. She stopped in front of a giant pair of doors and looked back at me as if asking if I was ready. I nodded and she pushed open the doors.
The room was large and well lit. In the center of the room near the back was a small floor table. To the right sat the four village elders. I examined each of them making sure not to make eye contact. They all reeked of money.
And then I looked to the left of the table and I thought my heart would stop beating. Closest to the table sat Naruto. He was wearing his standard ninja gear and staring right at me. We held each others gazes for a minuet before we both looked away at the same time. I shook my head and examined the last four occupants of the room.
Kiba, Neji, Shikamaru, and Choji.
Not much had changed about any of them. They just looked like older, more mature versions of themselves. Or just younger versions of their fathers. My eyes lingered on them. I'd never been close to any of them, so it didn't hurt the same way it hurt to see Naruto all grown up and to know I'd missed it happen. But it still hurt. Just a dull pain in the very pit of the heart I'm relatively sure I have.
Tsunade took a seat behind the floor table and gestured for me to sit in the middle of the room about 3 feet in front of Tsunade and the others.
"Uchiha Sasuke, do you deny leaving Konohagakure of your own free will?"
I shook my head.
"Please make your response verbal."
"No, I do not deny it." I said without missing a beat.
"Do you deny injuring your comrade to critical condition to leave Konoha?"
I felt Naruto's eyes bore into my skull. I looked up and caught his gaze, he looked startled. "No, I do not deny it."
"You do realize that the punishment for a Missing-nin caught by a Hunter-nin is death correct?"
Naruto flinched lightly at the question. "Yes." I answered. I dropped Naruto's gaze and looked back to Tsunade.
"The punishment, does not change, even when the Missing-nin returns on his free will."
I hadn't expected mercy.
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TBC
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So those of you who have read my fic's before are all saying "Omg you started another storie?"
Yes. I know bad habit. I still have to finish "Insanity" and "Feels so much like falling."
But I just got hit with inspiration and I had to go with it.
truthfully I don't know where this story is going. I have two plots in mind and I can't decid between which to use. One of them alot of people probably won't like. I read fic's like these sometimes and they just don't seem realistic. I mean Sasuke would be put to death if he returned. Tsunade isn't just going to forgive him and put him under house arrest. Thats stupid..He comitted a crime. I think it's realistic he'd be put in jail or sentenced to death.
Hmm actually I think I just decided on my plot.
My other stories aren't dead. I'll try to update them as much as I can.
R&R