Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto
Chapter II: Fallout
Outside the questioning room at the observation window
Yamanaka Inoichi was currently standing outside of the room as Uzumaki Naruto was being questioned by Ibiki. Inoichi was the commanding officer of the ANBU Torture and Interrogation Force. As such he was Ibiki's direct superior and soon he would probably be stepping down to spend more time at home with his daughter Ino and put in more hours at his wife's Yamanaka Flower shop.
Ibiki was going to be taking his place as commander in the near future and was being given the lead on most of the recent investigations and interrogations to get acclimatized to the position before the promotion. Once Ibiki was finished with the questioning, Inoichi would perform a psych evaluation on Naruto in order to determine his current state of mind and if he could be capable of committing the three murders that had taken place late the previous night. He watched the questioning through the one-way mirror in order to gain as much information as he could about the boy before he started, which was also why he was sifting through the case file.
The metal door to the questioning room opened and Ibiki stepped out. Both men stood by the observation window and looked at the blonde boy within who was currently staring at the mirror and thus staring right at them. It was Inoichi who broke the silence, "What do you think?"
"He answered all my questions truthfully and left nothing out from what I can tell. I don't think he is repressing any memories. If he is responsible then he has no knowledge of it." said Ibiki.
"What about motive?"
"If that altercation two days ago can be considered the motive then by the same logic the boy has enough motive to kill off most of the shop owners in the village. Possible you as well." Ibiki stated with a small bit of humor.
"You leave my flower shop out of this. He's never even been in my flower shop. You're right though, the motive is mediocre at best. There was no real reason for him to kill Hideki-san out of all the people who have wronged him, let alone the two people he was meeting with. Did you manage to find out who they were and what they were doing at his store at such a late hour? What about scent evidence, did the tracking team find anything?"
"The two people were identified as his merchandise suppliers, both are merchants and were currently staying in Konoha. As to why they were meeting together that late at night I really could only speculate but it is a little suspicious to be meeting in a back room like that and long past normal store hours. There was nothing illegal in the back room, no contraband or anything like that, we also checked his business records for anything unusual and found nothing.
Suspicious meetings aside, there was very little sent evidence. Tsume couldn't find anything from the boys house to the crime scene and even the ANBU that was on duty to guard the boy didn't even know he had left his apartment. There is almost no scent evidence in the entire store or the back room. It seems as though the scents were covered up or masked. There is also almost no scent of the boy leaving the store to where he woke up." Ibiki replied and waited a few moments to continue.
"I still doubt that the boy would be even capable of what the evidence suggests. He is only five years old, has no ninja training, and I don't think he has even unlocked his chakra yet. But somehow he manages to get past an ANBU, kill three fully grown civilians, and mask his scent from most of the crime scene area. Sandaime-sama has checked the seal and it seems fine but he isn't a seal master and that seal is supposed to be one of the most complex known in the village and perhaps in the Elemental Nations. The ANBU outside his apartment did not feel any of the Kyuubi's chakra nor did anyone in the entire village. It just doesn't add up."
"True but this isn't just Naruto we are talking about. The boy contains the Kyuubi and if it is influencing him, which is looks like it could be, then we don't know what he is or isn't capable of. It could have possessed him somehow when he went to sleep. It unfortunate but my clan can't use any kind of 'mindwalking' on the boy if his condition is like that, it's too dangerous. I don't think anyone has ever even entered the mind of a jinchuuriki before and I don't want any of my clan to even try." Inoichi replied solemnly.
"In any case it doesn't really matter whether he is innocent or not. The evidence from the Konoha Military Police is overwhelmingly against him. As soon as word gets out about this there is gonna be a shit-storm in the village. The boy is not a ninja and therefore will be tried under civilian court so in the end he will be found guilty no matter what. Excuse me Inoichi, I have to go present my findings to the Hokage."
"Good luck Ibiki-san." Inoichi replied solemnly as despite the tall mans lack of showing any emotion, he could tell that situation was really getting to Ibiki.
Hokage's Office
Knock Knock
"Enter!" said the Sarutobi Hiruzen, Sandaime Hokage of Konohagakure no Sato.
"Hokage-sama, you wanted to see me after I had questioned Uzumaki-san and put together my findings." stated Ibiki.
The Hokage sighed and motioned for Ibiki to sit down while opening the top drawer of his desk and taking out his pipe. He had a feeling that his stress level was about to go up again and he was going to need a smoke. Despite being noted as 'The Professor' and the 'God of Shinobi', the Sandaime was dreading this visit. He had been woken up early this morning by his ANBU with the information that three murders had occurred in the shopping district and that an eye-witness claimed to have seen Uzumaki Naruto exiting the scene. The witness was the owner of a shop right next door and claims to have been woken up by screaming next door. The man apparently lived in the apartment above his shop. After witnessing the fleeing suspect the witness called the police force and they in turn notified the ANBU. The Sandaime had ordered that everyone involved, including the eye-witness, to be quiet about the incident pending an investigation. Unfortunately by early morning people were already beginning to talk about it and the Sandaime was beginning to fear that he may have a powder keg ready to explode. It wouldn't be long before people would start calling for the boys death.
The Sandaime had inspected the seal after Kakashi had brought Naruto directly to him and found nothing wrong. He had already sent for Jiraiya but he had no idea when his traveling student would get the message and how soon he would arrive. Minato's seal should be perfect. The Kyuubi should not be able to influence or possess the boy, yet he was currently embroiled in a situation that would suggest otherwise.
"Please present your finding Ibiki-san." The Sandaime said while excepting the folder that Ibiki offered.
"After questioning the susp...Uzumaki-san, it was obvious that from his 'perspective' he did not commit the crimes. He has no memory of anything occurring after he went to bed around 9:00 PM until he woke up in a alley off of Oak Street. After waking up, he proceeded to make his way to the Hokage Tower. He did run from Konoha Military Police until he was picked up by Hatake-san but he wasn't exactly thinking clearly at the time. Those are the only memories he has of the night in question." Ibiki stated.
"So he has no knowledge of anything?" inquired the Sadnaime and after getting a nod from Ibiki, he silently thanked Kami that the boy had no knowledge of what he may have committed. Browsing through the folder the Sandaime inquired, "What about the evidence from the Military Police?"
"I'm afraid that the evidence is completely damaging for the boy. Uzumaki-san did have a prior, minor, altercation with one of the victims. A kunai was found in the area with the victims' blood on it as well as the boys fingerprints. Don't ask me how the Military Police has a five year-old's fingerprints on file; we are currently double checking that evidence. The blood found on Uzumaki-san's hand was a match to tw of the victims. There is also the eye-witness's account. I interviewed the witness and Inoichi did a 'mindwalk' to confirm that she was telling the truth. She saw what she thought was Uzumaki Naruto fleeing the scene of the crime. Whether that was actually Naruto or a young impersonator using a henge is not known. A tracking unit was used but there was almost nonexistent scent evidence."
The Sandaime exhaled a plume of smoke and pinched the bridge of his nose trying to fight off a building headache. "What are your thoughts on the case Ibiki?"
"Personally I doubt the obvious allegation that the boy was responsible or that he was somehow manipulated or possessed by the Kyuubi. There are several inconsistencies such as a lack of Kyuubi's chakra, getting past his ANBU guard without detection, sneaking past the ANBU yet getting spotted by a civilian, the lack of scent evidence at the scene and surrounding area, and a five year-old killing three grown men in a shop full of weapons without getting a scratch on him. Kyuubi empowered or not, I don't think he could be capable of everything that he is being accused of." The Sandaime nodded his head at the logic behind the Ibiki's argument. There were many discrepancies in the case. Unfortunately none of these findings would get the case thrown out.
"Inoichi is currently giving Uzumaki-san a psych evaluation but I have a feeling that it won't tell us anything more about the case. I'll keep you informed." Ibiki said before he got up from his chair and prepared to leave.
"Ibiki-san, what do you think his chances are in a trial?" The Sandaime already had an idea of Naruto's chances but he wanted a second opinion.
"Honestly Hokage-sama, even in an appeals case I don't think its possible for him to get a non-guilty verdict. Even with the best lawyer in Fire Country."
"That's...what I thought as well." the Sandaime replied with a heavy sigh. Before Ibiki left the Sandaime had one last thought, "Has Naruto been notified on what charges he is being held for?"
"No he has not. I thought it best to wait until the investigation was concluded before even thinking about telling him. I am not sure that informing him or having him sit through a trial with the evidence being displayed will be very healthy for a five-year old. Especially if it is possible that his mental stability is in question. Also he does not know that he holds the Kyuubi and there is still a law against telling him. What do you want to do Hokage-sama?"
"Perhaps he should not be present at the trial. I'll have to consult Inoichi after the psych evaluation on what the best course of action for informing Naruto of the Kyuubi and charges against him. Thank you Ibiki."
Ibiki nodded and left.
The Hokage turned towards the pictures on the wall of the other kages'. Specifically to the Yondaime and cursed loudly at the entire situation. There was no good outcome to this problem and anyway that he looked at the situation, he had failed the boy. 'Why was it that Naruto never seemed to get a break? No one in Konoha's history has ever been tried for three murders at only five years of age, even at ten or fifteen years of age.' The Sandaime thought. The number of murders in the village that were not ninja related could be counted off on his hands.
'I can't even image what the verdict would be and the fallout of the village for charging a young child with murder. Hopefully Jiraiya will get here to examine the seal before the civilian council forces a trial date to be scheduled. I don't known how long I can hold off the inevitable storm.' he admitted and turned away from the pictures as he couldn't look at the blonde haired man anymore.
It hadn't taken long for the majority of the village to hear of what happened. The Sandaime had tried to put a lid on the situation but in a mere manner of hours after sunrise, the entire village knew and was in outrage over the incident. Most people were both scared and angry. They wanted vengeance on the Kyuubi container for lashing out at civilians for what they saw as no real reason. Many people talked as if they knew such a day would come all along, and it was just a matter of time before the demon returned. They wanted blood. It had only been twelve hours since the murders occurred and civilians had already taken it upon themselves to punish the demon.
Naruto's apartment that he had been living in for nearly a year after being kicked out of the orphanage was the first casualty. A mob had set fire to it and they didn't even bother to disperse themselves after committing the act to escape from being arrested. A rumor had spread from an unknown source that 'the demon' was being held in the Konoha Military Police Station in a holding cell. Not long after that, the military police were fighting off a riot that had started outside the station with civilians and ninja alike trying to break into the station in order to 'serve justice' and 'finish what the Yondaime started'.
It took several hours for the Uchiha clan to get the police station back under control and they had to call in off-duty ninja and some of the ANBU forces to do it. The hospital was flooded with injuries from the scuffle and with little else to take out their frustrations on because they could not find Naruto, tensions in the village were extremely high.
The Hokage was having just as bad of a time trying to deal with the rest of the village. Nearly every influential civilian in the village, including every members on the civilian council were demanding an audience with him in order to discus the situation and what he was doing about it. Then there was the shinobi council. The village elders had demanded an emergency meeting which the Hokage thought he might not even be able to attend with the chaos currently happening right outside his window. It wasn't until the Uchiha clan had the riot at the police station under control that things even begun to settle down. Even then the holding cells at the station were jammed full by that time and Uchiha Fugaku, the head of the Uchiha clan and chief of police, was requesting additional space to hold offenders.
The Hokage was forced to deploy almost all of the available shinobi in the village to control its citizens as well as fellow ninja who had joined in with the mobs. He had to divert most shinobi from missions and countrywide patrol duty to stop any signs of rioting in the streets. Hiruzen had never been so thankful that the location ANBU headquarters was only known to a small group of trustworthy people. Only the ANBU, himself and his advisers, the clan heads, as well as the top ranking jonin in the village knew of the location. In addition to that, any offenders that did find out about it would have to storm up the Hokage monument to get to it and even then they would need more than just a mob to break into the base. Needless to say, the safest place for Naruto was inside of his holding cell at the moment.
It wasn't until after the Hokage secured the village from...the villagers, that he was able to call and attend the emergency meeting. He also told his secretary to take the rest of the day off and the guards at the tower to use excessive force if necessary to keep anyone from trying to barge in to see him. Needless to say, when the Hokage finally sat down in his chair inside the meeting room, he felt like shit. The only other person who could possibly feel worse than him was Uchiha Fugaku, and by the look of Fugaku, it may be a possibility.
"Now, what do 'you' all want!" Hiruzen said to the council in as civil a tone as he could at the moment. The person to give him the answer he sought was one of his former team mates and one of his current advisors, Utatane Koharu, "In light of recent events I think that we would all like to know exactly what happened from a reliable source and not through the rumor and speculation circulating through the village." Several other members nodded their heads in agreement to this statement and the Hokage told them all what he knew about the incident and what was happening.
After he was finished, Nara Shikaku had added his thoughts on the subject, "How troublesome." Inoichi then presented the findings of his evaluation of Naruto. He informed the council that the boy was in good mental health, and considering what he had to endure on a day to day basis from the village he was in excellent mental health. There was no indication of any influence by his tenant.
The Sandaime then spoke again, "I have examined the seal and from what I can tell there is no malfunction and the seal is working perfectly." Before anyone could say anything to the contrary he continued, "Yes I have already sent for Jiraiya to return and inspect the seal himself."
While the Sandaime made it appear as though he had faith that Jiraiya would be found and answer the summons to return, his thoughts were rather different. 'I have no idea when and if Jiraiya will get here. If he isn't in Fire Country it could take weeks to find him and I can't send ninja outside of our borders for an extended period like that. I sent several messengers to search as much of Fire Country as possible before the trial. If he isn't found and it is obvious that he cannot make it before the trial, I will have to call off the mission.' The Hokage thought sadly.
While Jiraiya was an excellent shinobi he was incredibly difficult to find because he kept moving around to meet his contacts for his spy network. His contacts were unfortunately all over the surrounding countries. It was seldom that Jiraiya would even contact the Sandaime with any information and it had been five years since his former student had even been in the village. Hiruzen had no way of contacting Jiraiya through his toad summons and therefore had to send out messengers. It was therefore very unlikely that Jiraiya would be able to arrive before the trial.
The Sandaime's thoughts were broken by a question from Aburame Shibi, "Hokage-sama, what exactly will happen to Uzumaki-san?
"Naruto is currently in a holding cell in ANBU headquarters where he will stay until such time as a trial is held. Naruto does not yet know of the charges against him. He isn't a ninja and therefore isn't under my direct control. I cannot shirk the laws of Konoha and Fire Country so a trial must be held to determine his guilt or innocence, but I would like to postpone it as long as possible."
"How exactly are we going to conduct a fair trial?" asked the Sandaime's other advisor and former teammate Mitokado Homura.
The Hokage contemplated on this and responded, "Considering that a jury from Konoha is out of the question and the sensitive nature of the trial, I believe that we will have to call an arbitrator from the capital to come to Konoha and oversee the trial. We will need to have the trial in an undisclosed location to keep civilians and shinobi alike from disturbing it. Given Naruto's young age I don't think it wise to have him present at the trial to listen to the evidence presented against him. It would be better if someone was chosen to represent him at the trial."
The other members of the shinobi council nodded in understanding at the Sandaime's words. "How long do you think you can postpone the trial?" asked Yamanaka Inoichi. "Seeing as the investigation is almost complete, in accordance with the law I will have to send for an arbitrator in the morning. However long it takes for he or she to arrive will determine when the trial will be held." responded the Sandaime. The other shinobi again nodded in understanding and agreement at these words. It was written in the laws of Konoha that after the investigation was over, a trial would be held as soon as a jury was assembled or in this case, an arbitrator was found.
The members of the council were pleased to know that despite the situation, and the Sandaime's feeling toward the container, that they laws of the village would not be cast aside. Despite Naruto's age, the village actually didn't have laws governing minors. Since ninja as young as six could become genin, and therefore adults, they fell under adult laws. No crime similar to Naruto's had ever been committed by someone younger than adulthood.
As the meeting ended and the participants filed out the Sandaime couldn't help but feel that this had been one of the longest and worst days of his life. If he didn't follow the laws or conduct a trial, then the citizens of Konoha would most likely complain to the Fire Daimyo, if the citizens weren't already trying to complain to the Fire Daimyo. The Fire Daimyo would be required to investigate these complaints and the Sandaime could end up be removed from his position and someone else chosen to be Hokage. There really weren't many choices but the Sandaime needed to keep his position in order to help Naruto as much as possible. He didn't want to put the boy on trial, what he really wanted was to just make all of his current problems disappear but this was not meant to be. A trial had to occur and Naruto had to be judged.
No matter how much the Sandaime wished it wasn't so, it would have to happen. With the charges against the boy he knew Naruto would be found guilty no matter what, meaning that the trial was just a sham and everyone in the council room knew that as well. The only thing that the Sandaime was concerned with now was damage control. The Sandaime needed to make sure that the sentence was as light as possible and something that he could work with. It was obvious that the civilians wanted execution even though the boy was five years old and the mere thought was ridiculous. That was mainly why he wanted a neutral arbitrator to decide and not a jury or even a judge from Konoha, because they would push for the maximum possible sentence. The Sandaime just hoped that the boy would be shown mercy.
