Disclaimer: Did you think I was joking last chapter? I don't own Naruto or any of the copy rights thereof.

Sakura's Downfall

Chapter Seven: The Village Reacts and Sakura's Punishment

Over the next few weeks, shock was the best word to describe the feeling in the air around Konoha. Naruto being revealed as a girl who had been hidden under a high level henge all her life was shock enough but then to find out that all the high level people had known she was female- Jiraiya, Tsunade-Sarutobi-Kakashi- it was just one more confusing issue surrounding Konoha's most surprising unpredictable ninja. Civilian villagers just threw their hands in the air and shook their heads muttering about how if they lived to a hundred they'd never know Naruto as well as they thought they did. The ninja snickered every time they heard the civilians muttering about how the Prankster had gotten them again.

But given Naruto's history of surprising people and the revelation of her gender the fact that she was already married to Kakashi should not have surprised anyone. Especially since she had been living with Kakashi from the time she turned thirteen but still there were a lot of single available guys crying in their sake the night that information came out.

When the news hit the village that she was expecting Kakashi's child the reaction was a mixture of joy and apprehension. The die-hards just couldn't believe the baby would be taint free no matter how many times they had been told she was not the demon. They simply could not wrap their mind around the fact that the demon was confined to the blasted seal on her belly. And since they didn't believe Naruto was taint free there just was no way they could believe her baby was either.

But for the majority of the ninja community the news was very welcome. They rejoiced, understanding now why Naruto had decided to reveal herself. They knew she could not be in a henge while she was pregnant. It would kill the child as she did not do the normal henge taught to every ninja wanna-be in the academy. Her henges were actually begun under the skin and totally changed her into the image she really wanted to become. Therefore, when she became a boy she lost the female equipment that made being pregnant possible.

The news of her identity and pregnancy overshadowed Sakura's betrayal and subsequent pregnancy but by no means did the pink haired girl walk away from her act unscathed. No one involved would have stood for that and, even though everyone was paying more attention to Naruto and Kakashi, they were waiting for news on Sakura as well. Some of the villagers didn't believe she'd really done what the rumors said she had. She was a council members only child and she'd been raised to know better. But there were a lot of people who knew the girl well enough to know she was more than capable of having done as the rumors attested to. Added to her most recent bad act though was the confusion in the commoners mind about how she could possibly have been around Naruto dang near daily sice they were seven year olds and not known the boy was actually a girl. The fact that she was the one saying Naruto was gay and Kakashi had simply sacrificed his own happiness to help the Prankster maintain his seal was also heavy on the populace's minds. People were now questioning everything Sakura had ever told them in regard to her former team. Since they did have eyes in their head and could see Kakashi was devoted to Naruto, they were beginning to doubt the seal was in any danger of being broken and if Sakura had lied to them all about that what else had she lied to them about? Then there was the way the Aburame clan and her own Mother were acting to be considered also. The other rookies were clearly angry and showed it by walking away any time someone tried to express sympathy that Naruto had gotten the cherry haired girl into trouble. No matter how the topic was brought up the rookies and their Sensei all reacted the same way. They got tight angry expressions full of hate and walked away as fast as they could. The Aburame clan did the same thing while Councillor Haruno just pretended she couldn't hear what was being said. So after the shock of having once more been tricked by the Prankster King. . .erm Queen, the village came heavily down on the side of Naruto and against Sakura.

For Tsunade, it was both a time of remorse and rejoicing. Remorse for the loss of Sakura, as an upstanding and respectable ninja, and rejoicing for Naruto. Naruto was being accepted while Sakura would be scorned as soon as she publicly announced the truth of her behavior and it's consequences. She had tried a second time to abort the child Sakura carried and again it met with failure but she had confirmed Sakura was carrying twins.

The Aburame clan had to be appeased and they demanded that she be physically marked as well as shorn. They said as far as they were concerned not only had she betrayed her oath as a ninja of Konoha and her team but she'd proven herself to be lower than the most common of geisha girls and therefore a branding was appropriate. While Sakura was pregnant with the Uchiha's offspring she could not physically be harmed but in no way was she worthy of any honor either.

A tearful Sakura was brought from interrogations holding cells before the populace and set in a chair upon a stage in the public square. The whole village had turned out to hear the truth of things and to see what would happen as a result of whatever Tsunade had decided. On the stage a blacksmith was heating something in a portable forge. Two members of the Interrogation department stood one to a side of Sakura's chair. The girl had been given clean clothes to wear but no make-up or anything else that she would normally have on. Behind her a barber stood beside a table that held the tools of his trade.

Tsunade looked at Sakura sadly, as the tearful girl did her best to glare back in defiance. Tsunade cleared her throat and the crowd quieted expectantly. They knew they were finally going to hear the truth today. One way or another they would know by sunset who was to blame for the position the cherry haired girl was in. Tsunade addressed the crowd to pronounce her sentence. "A little more than four years ago now a very bad event took place in the village. My old teammate attacked us. He was trying to destroy us; to break us by taking what was most important to us. He took my Sensei's life and he took a member of team seven. The Pride of the Village went to his service because he promised quick power. But the team he served us with refused to give up on him. For four years now, they have chased their former comrade trying to bring him back to the village but always he tells them no. Always he fights them refusing to return. They've all taken injuries trying to convince the Uchiha to return to his oath of service here. You all know this story. You know it well. You've seen the team both before an attempt is made and after it fails. You've seen them full of hope that this time he'll listen; this time he'll be ready to come home. And you've seen them crushed when they return hurt and empty-handed. You've been part of the efforts to bolster them up again to keep trying. Always you've heard them telling themselves they'll succeed next time."

"But this time one of them threw the rules aside. This time one of them was so desparate to succeed she forgot to value her faithful companions. She endangered their lives because she wanted to succeed at their mission to recover their lost companion so badly. She crossed the line of what is honorable and left her own honor behind. For that, she sits before you today to receive her punishment." Tsunade took a deep breath and lowered her eyes sadly for a few seconds before proceeding to the next stage. She hid her own feelings deep inside and refused to let her eyes dampen but everyone could tell she was not enjoying herself as she performed this duty.

"Because my apprentice betrayed her oath of service to the village, by knowingly and willfully sleeping with a missing-ninja she was sent to retrieve while her team was sleeping in their tents unaware of his presence in their midst; a ninja her team had already had three separate run-ins with and that she knew to be running with three other missing-nin; she did thereby endanger, without thought or mercy, her entire team. For this blatant disregard of her team's safety and the will of this village, she is stripped of her rank and headband as a ninja of Konoha." The crowd murmured in surprise. Tsunade saw Naruto and Kakashi standing with Yamato and Sai off to one side and away from everyone else. None of them looked happy but their body language said they would stand their ground as her sentence was announced and carried out. She had been a member of their team and Team Seven did not abandon it's own. "While the taking of her headband and rank can in no way equal the loss Konoha would have suffered, should even one of her true and faithful companions have lost their life due to her actions, it is all I can offer them."

"But she did not just endanger her team with this action. No. Her choice went deeper than that. And hurt more people than just those of her team. Other people of our beautiful home have been affected by her decision as well. Though their lives are not on the line as her teams was, they feel the cost of her decision just as strongly." The crowd began to murmur knowing this was the part of the decision that would deal with the village itself. Tsunade gave them a few minutes to settle watching as Kakashi held Naruto close to him and she noticed neither of them would look in Sakura's direction. Clearly they were still very angry with her.

Tsunade continued speaking as the crowd quieted. "Because she was engaged to marry an upstanding ninja of this community, her actions brought dishonor onto his clan. The Aburame Clan may not be as well known as the Uchiha Clan but they are every bit as noble. Her actions have slandered their reputations and besmirched their honor. On behalf of their heir, to whom she was engaged and had promised to remain pure and true to, the clan has asked that she be shaven and remain shorn until after the birth of her child. Furthermore, they ask that she receive a brand appropriate to her betrayal for the manner in which she chose to dishonor them and of course the betrothal is broken." As the barber stepped forward and clipped Sakura's hair, she gasped in shock and the crowd was murmuring with their approval of this judgement. By the time the razor began to shave the already short hair from her scalp she was beyond shocked. Her expression was frozen in horror at the thought of being bald as an egg. The barber changed blades in his razor and smeared a shaving cream over her stubble before continuing her shaving. He had a bucket of water standing by to rinse her head after he was finished so he could apply a sun screen creme to keep her from getting a nasty sunburn. And once he was done with the razor she showed she had not been expecting the water by sputtering in outrage at the deluge. The water plastered her shirt to her chest and everyone could see she was not wearing a bra. They could also tell her nipples were extremely hard and tight. For the guys, that meant only one thing. She was excited by this attention. Her cell frowned at the murmurs they heard running through the crowd as they knew it didn't mean that at all. Even Sai didn't like what he was hearing from the crowd right also frowned and her frown quieted the crowd again.

"Because the act of her betrayal has led to the impending birth of a child, who through no fault of it's own, will be a burden upon this village until said child can care for itself she will spend the remainder of her days being shunned by one and all. No honorable work will be offered to her. Nor will anyone offer her food or shelter. Let her find both as best she can since she did not think enough of her teammates, her fiancé, his clan, this village, or the consequences of her actions to do things in the appropriate manner. Nor will she be allowed to leave the village to start a new life elsewhere. She does still possess the skills we taught her and I do not wish for her to simply take her betraying heart to another village to further betray those who succored and trained her."

Before she continued the smith indicated his branding iron was ready and she turned the mike over to Aburame Shibi, the head of Shino's clan and his Father. "For her despicable act against the honor of my clan, and my son and heir, we have been given the right to choose her brand as well as it's placement upon her body. We could have chosen a private location in the hopes that one day she would discover the falsity of her nature and take steps to correct it but we do not feel she will ever do that. She not only committed her act of betrayal in full view of any who wished to witness it but she has not once expressed any remorse for her actions. She has not considered how her behavior has effected anyone, choosing instead to try and blame her teammate for the position she now finds herself in. All of you have heard the rumors of how she claims this is all the fault of Young Naruto because he has not yet kept his old promise to her. All of you have heard the rumors of how she has said if he had not been there she could have returned the Uchiha to the village long ago. But she had the entire time Young Naruto was gone on her training trip in which to return the boy if that were the truth. I and my son both know she has said these things however and we know them to be false. Naruto and the other members of her cell did not tell her to sell them out. They did not tell her to besmirch her own honor or the honor of my clan while she was on watch. On watch for the arrival of the Uchiha and his new companions no less. She not only allowed the traitor to walk into the camp she was supposed to be guarding while her team slept she kept quiet about what she had done for at least three more days while the team made their way back here. Most likely she would still not have said anything had she not been confronted by her teammate over this bad act. But my Son would have known immediately what she did as did both her team Sensei and the only other original member of her team and the Uchiha is still a missing-nin."

He paused to rein in his emotions. He'd meant this to be a logical explanation of the clan's decision but she'd hurt Shino and he was finding it very hard to keep his emotions out of things. He took a deep breath and continued speaking in a calm voice that belied the strain he was under to keep it that way. "Nor do we wish another young man to get caught in her snare of lies and deceit as she has proven so skilled at over the years. So we have decided, as a clan, she should wear her brand on her face and it should be done in a manner she can not conceal with either chakra or make-up. We have chosen the letter F for fugiri to be placed upon her left cheek. (Fugiri= dishonesty; injustice; dishonor; ingratitude) The smith stepped forward as did the two interrogators. While the men held her face completely still the smith applied his iron to her cheek. The smell of scorched flesh overwhelmed the crowd and most the audience missed Tsunade performing the handsigns that would seal the brand as well as make it uncoverable. In the crowd Naruto turned into Kakashi's chest and cried for her friend. Even Sai was unhappy at the disfigurement the Aburame's had chosen for her. Sakura's screams of pain reverberated through the air as the brand was applied and most the Rookie Nine winced in sympathetic pain. Yet all of them knew she did indeed deserve the branding. No one did anything to lessen her pain knowing that it was a part of the sentence as well.

Sakura's Mother was there in the audience. With a heavy heart and tears in her eyes, she stepped forward. "I tried to warn you, Sakura-chan. I tried to tell you to get over the boy but you would not hear me. I even tried to tell you, you were not ready to marry another but again you would not hear me. You have left me no choice now. I must honor those who have gone before us and the sacrifices they made for our clan's honor and reputation." She turned to face the crowd and the Hokage, sadness apparent in her own green eyes that so clearly matched her daughter's. "I denounce this girl as my daughter and strip from her the Haruno name. She has disgraced the memory of her Otousan and should no longer be allowed to use the name he gave her. Let her be known as Daremo Sakura from this day forward." She stepped back into the waiting embrace of Koharu and Tsume, who held her while other council members closed ranks around her so none would ever be able to say they had seen a council member shed tears. ( Daremo= no person; no name)

And so Sakura was stripped of her name and her rank. She lost her job not only as a ninja but as Tsunade's apprentice and a member of the medical pool. She was given lodgings in the hospital until the birth of her child but due to her status as shunned, other than basic medical care and food she was ignored in every way possible.

Author Note: Well, now she has received her punishment. Now it is time to begin the process of living a different life and finding her way back to normalcy and honor. . .if she can. Tell me what you think. Will she be able to climb out of the pit she landed herself in? . . .or rather I threw her into. (glances to the side with an evil snicker) By the way if you don't know what Daremo means it literally means not a person and though I am not positive I think a person called Daremo even would rate lower than a foreigner since they are still considered people. Just not 'The People' as most old world Japanese did consider themselves to be the only true people as so many races of the time did. But I could be wrong about that.