Whew...Here we go with the next chapter of A Fox's Angel! We now move on to Sasuke's punishment and the after math from it. Expect total upheaval.
AT THE BASE OF THE GEDO MAZO IN AN UNKNOWN LOCATION...
In a deep, dark cave far underground, the nine members of the Akatsuki were feverishly pouring their chakra into the Steel Angel, trying to awaken her. This practice had been going for hours and even Kisame, the one with the most chakra, was beginning to tire.
"Dammit...When the hell is this chick gonna wake up?" Kisame whined.
"I know, un...I'm nearly tapped out." Deidara agreed.
"Che...What a pain in the ass..." Hidan griped.
"For once...I agree with the idiot over here." Kakuzu added.
"I'm beginning to wilt." "Too bad we can't just eat her." Come on...You know who this is.
"Will you stop complaining like children and keep pushing your chakra into her?" Konan admonished.
"Yes mother..." Itachi grumbled.
Pain kept up a steady flow of chakra into the Steel Angel's body.
'This has to work...A world without war will be within my grasp...' The Akatsuki leader thought.
Suddenly, the girl jerked and grimaced on the dias they had her on. Almost in an instant, the flow of chakra was cut off and the winded members of the Akatsuki were catching their breath. The blond girl sat up and looked around at her surroundings, taking them in. Then...She spoke.
"Where the hell is this? Who the hell are you wierdos and is that a walking plant?" She asked with a raised eyebrow, gesturing to Zetsu.
"Greetings, Angel. I am Pain, the leader of those that have awakened you. We did thus so that you might aid us in our quest." Pain greeted her in a grandiose fashion.
"My name ain't Angel, pal. The name's Karinka and by the way...Don't all those piercings hurt?" She corrected and asked him.
The other members of the group paused for a moment before a few of them sniggered, Pain glaring at them to shut them up.
"Okay then...Karinka...We have awakened you to..." Pain started again until she cut him off with a negligent wave of her hand.
"Yeah, yeah, Quest, right...Now, where am I and when am I?" Karinka requested again, more forcefully this time.
"You are in our secret base and as for when, I do not know what you mean." Konan supplied.
"How can you NOT know what year it is and what's this quest you whackos are on?" The fiesty blond asked.
They all looked around at each other until Pain answered.
"We are working to capture the Nine Bijuu in order to end all wars in these lands." He stated.
"What the hell is a Bijuu?" She asked again.
"They are nine beasts with different amounts of tails according to their rank." Itachi replied.
"Them? Where are they? I have to stop them!" Karinka began to panic.
"Worry not. They are still sleeping, but we wish to capture them and imprison them within this statue." Pain said, gesturing to the Gedo Mazo.
"That's an ugly ass statue...So anyway, they're not out rampaging right now and they're alseep?" She asked.
"...Yes. We require your aid to wrest them from the grasp of the different countries that wish to use their power to wage war and keep them here, away from them." Pain explained.
"Is that all? Sure. Let's do it." Karinka agreed. Dealing with the demons was her primary directive and she hadn't forgotten.
"That was...easy." Itachi said.
"Yeah...I thought we'd at least get a fight out of it." Kisame agreed with his partner.
"You will need a handler, a guide to go with you. Itachi and Kisame will go with you and you will help them subdue the Kyuubi." Pain ordered.
"So...I'm with Emo Pants and the walking sushi buffet? Eh...Could be worse..." Karina shrugged while Hidan guffawed.
"Ha ha! I like this girl! She doesn't hold back!" He jeered while Itachi and Kisame grumbled.
"Like I said...Could be worse. I could have been stuck with the Grim Reaper wannabe and Raggedy Asshole over there." She sniped.
"You little bit...!" Hidan roared in anger before his mouth was clamped shut by a wad of paper.
"Shut up, Hidan. Besides, she's got a point." Konan chuckled a bit.
"Ugh...Itachi, Kisame, Karinka. You three will proceed to Fire Country and retrieve the Kyuubi." Pain ordered as they moved out.
"Come. Let us go." Itachi commanded.
KONOHA COURT CHAMBERS
ONE WEEK AFTER THE RETURN OF TEAM 7
The courthouse was packed to standing room only, people anxiously awaiting what they deemed the trial of the century. The village was clearly divided on the matter of WHO was on trial. The one on trial was none other than the village's prince, Sasuke Uchiha. Many of the villagers were on the warpath when he was dragged back to the village, bound and gagged like a common criminal. What had been released to the public was that while on a mission he had been accused of betraying his team and that it was a baseless accusation made by a former fangirl. They were quick to pass this off as a jilted fangirl wanting revenge, but they also heard that he was subdued by the Kyuubi Jinchuuriki and that his sensei let it happen. The Civilian Council raised a massive stink over his issue and demanded a trial for Sasuke. Sarutobi, who was sick of hearing them whine, relented and gave them what they wanted.
Some of the younger shinobi bought into the Uchiha hype and took his side, critisizing Kakashi for not protecting their precious Uchiha against the dangerous Kyuubi brat, while many of Sasuke's fangirls were calling Sakura a slut and many other nasty names for turning against their beloved Emo. Ino was present at the trial, but due to what happen a couple of days ago when Sakura and her team returned to the village, she was keeping her mouth shut, especially since her father was on the tribunal and she didn't want to shame him. She knew that he had a job to do.
Many of the more experienced shinobi may not have liked Naruto, but they would not question Kakashi's judgement on this situation. They knew that as shinobi, there was a certain standard that you were expected to uphold and that Kakashi, for all of his eccentricities, was a ferverent believer in loyalty to your teammates. Sasuke betrayed him, betrayed the team, and now he's paying the price, just like all traitors should.
All of the Genin teams were present at the trial, as many of their parents were on the panel and they insisted that they attend to see how traitors and disloyalty would be dealt with
Sarutobi looked over the volatile climate inside the large chamber from the next room with a grim expression. He knew that with this trial and the machinations of his former teammates, there was a very real threat of a civil rift breaking out within the village between the civilians and the shinobi, but serving justice was a greater cause and he had the support of his shinobi on this matter. He slowly stood up and banged his gavel against the stand.
"Order! Come to order!" Sarutobi called out, getting everyone in the room to calm down.
"This court is now is in session. Please rise for our honorable Hokage, Lord Hiruzen Sarutobi." The bailiff, Ibiki Morino ordered as Sarutobi marched into the room, flanked by Inoichi Yamanaka and the ANBU Commander, Tora.
"Please be seated." Sarutobi commanded.
"Please bring in the accused." Ibiki ordered from where he was.
The doors opened to reveal one Sasuke Uchiha, bound in chakra absorbant handcuffs and behind led by the shoulder to the stand. On their way through the crowd, the ANBU escorting him were showered with curses and threats from Sasuke's supporters. A couple of fangirls had to be hauled off to the lock up for obstruction of justice and comtempt.
"Do you solemnly swear to recant nothing but facts and the truth?" Ibiki told him, in a voice that was cold as ice. Sasuke refused to speak at first, so Ibiki repeated himself with a little more authority.
"I asked you a question...Answer it." He said, his cold stare chilling him to the bone.
"I swear." He growled out in defiance.
"Your conduct is being noted, Uchiha-san. You would do well to remember that." Inoichi reprimanded him as they continued.
"When you were on the mission with your squad, can you explain what occured at the bridge?" Shikaku Nara asked, in full business mode.
"Tch...Fine. We left the client's house to guard the old man after the dobe..."
"Please call all of those involved by their names." Shibi Aburame corrected.
"Whatever. We left the client's house to guard the old man after Naruto trained himself out the previous night and Kakashi-sensei decided to let him rest. When we got there, Haruno and myself fought Zabuza's apprentice while Kakashi fought Zabuza himself. Haku tried to take Haruno hostage and I tried to call her bluff, but it looked like she killed her anyway. While I thought that she was dead, I used her body to shield myself from attacks, but Naruto got in the way and attacked me without warning. He had some kind of evil chakra and looked like a beast." Sasuke told them, causing many of the civilians to start shouting in outrage before Sarutobi's fearsome Ki cowed them into silence so that the trial could continue.
"Are you sure about that?" Hiashi Hyuuga asked, his eyebrows arched.
"Why would I lie?" Sasuke replied coolly.
"Please send in the victim and witnesses." Sarutobi ordered.
Through the doors, came Kakashi, Sakura, Naruto, and Kurumi. Kurumi wasn't an official ninja, so she had to sit in the gallery next to Haruna while they took the stand. They were assailed by strings of violent curses and death threats from many, while the more senior shinobi gave them looks of understanding and tried to keep them at bay.
"Do you solemnly swear to recant nothing but facts and the truth?" Ibiki asked of them.
"Hai...We do." All three of them said at the same time.
"Now...We will start with Sakura-san..." Inoichi said as he asked her to recant what she knew and what happened to her. She told them everything, including her treatment of her teammate until the bridge incident changed her view of him.
"Now...You stated that when Naruto-san believed you to be dead and that once Uchiha-san gloated about what happened, he then went into a rage, trying to bring down a traitor and trying to protect the client at the same time. Then, when he was in the midst of the rage, your calling out to him snapped him out of it?" Inoichi stated.
"Hai...Even though I was so mean and nasty to him, he still cared enough to try to avenge me and try to protect me." Sakura admitted.
"The whore lies! Uchiha-sama is too noble to do that!" A woman screamed before she was dragged from the courtroom.
"Sounds like he regarded you as an important person in his life and that he took his being your teammate seriously. Kakashi...What do you have to offer?" Tsume Inuzuka said.
"Yes...The entire way, Naruto showed exemplary teamwork as well as willingness to work with his teammates. Sakura came along later on into the mission, after the bridge incident as stated by her." Kakashi comfirmed her story.
"Naruto-san...Do you have anything to say in your defense for utilizing your...special power?" Ibiki asked.
"No...Nothing other than trying to protect my precious people, my team. I promised Sakura-san's aunt that I would protect her even at the cost of my own life and when I saw her and thought she was dead, when I heard...him brag about what he did, he had to pay at all costs. I still protected our client and after he went down, we went on to complete the mission like Kakashi-sensei said." Naruto explained.
Some of the more hysterical people began to wail and rant that he was too dangerous to keep alive and had to be killed before he killed them all, but a surprizing person stood to reprimand them, Haruna.
"SHUT UP! Listen to yourselves! Do you hear this madness that you're shouting? If he really was the demon you all think his is, we would all be dead by now! Haven't all of you mindless sheep thought about that? Haven't you all learned to think for yourselves? He is possibly of the most loving person I have ever known, despite all of the hate and fear that you have burdened him with!" She raged at them in response.
Her heated words seemed to strike a chord with a few of the people, who looked down in shame. Those people began to really ponder her words. A demon would have let the girl die and not care for her, but Naruto, from their accounts, was heartbroken when he thought her to be dead and turned his wrath on the one that would have let her die. He simply did what any of them would have done in his situation, something they couldn't fault him for.
"That's enough! Everyone settle down!" Sarutobi roared, the crowd falling silent once again so the trial could continue.
"Now, I would like our mental specialist, Inoichi Yamanaka, to take the stand to present what he could find from investigating the memories of the witnesses and the accused, using the memory crystal so that we can all see for ourselves." The Hokage ordered.
"Hai, Lord Hokage." Inoichi said as he stood up.
"Now, as per regulations, I have examined the memories of those involved and have this visual evidence to present. Now, bear in mind that these memories have NOT been tampered with and are in their original state." He told the crowd as he turned to the memory crystal and performed a small series of handseals.
SHINSHIN NO MEI! (MIND'S EYE)
The crystal began to glow white for a moment, then it began to project the memories of all those involved for all to see...
FLASHBACK!
"Hmph. You look weak. I want a challange." Sasuke sneered, crossing his arms arrogantly.
"Be careful what you wish for, Uchiha-san..." She chided as she blurred from sight, only to reappear next to Sakura, senbon to her throat.
"You just might get it." She finished.
"Che...She's just a useless fangirl. I won't shed any tears over her." Sasuke scoffed, to Sakura's horror.
"S-Sasuke-k-kun?" She whimpered. He was going to let her die? Her life flashed before her eyes, especially back to all of the times she chased after Sasuke. She felt foolish for all that she had done and sacrificed for the selfish boy's attention. That also brought to mind her Aunt's warnings about people like Sasuke and the Uchiha in general.
'Auntie Haruna...I so sorry that I didn't listen to you...' She sobbed inwardly.
This also brought up how badly she treated Naruto over the years she'd known him. He was always being nice to her and trying to buck her up, but her obsession with Sasuke made her blind to it. Then, when Kurumi appeared and grabbed Naruto's attention from her, she was jealous but had no right to be. Her Aunt was right on the money as usual about missing out on something wonderful.
'And now...I'll never get to find out. Naruto...I'm so sorry. I hope that you and Kurumi will forgive me some day...' She sobbed once again as she braced for death.
Haku couldn't believe what she had heard from the Uchiha prodigy. He was willing to sacrifice his teammate, to let her die in front of him! Such arrogance and selfishness made her blood boil. She didn't want to kill the girl in the first place, so she put her in a death like state from whcih she could be revived by plunging a trio of needles into her neck, setting her down gently.
"Hn...Good, one nuisance out of the way. I just wish that Dobe Naruto was here so that you could kill him, too. Then, his wench will have no choice but to spread her legs for me." He laughed darkly.
Tazuna was sick to his stomach at what Sasuke had done. He let her die and even laughed about it. "That little punk will have hell to pay if we get out of this..." He growled in anger as he took cover.
"Shall we fight, Uchiha-san?" She asked, palming more needles.
Back at the house, Naruto got a chill up his spine and the cup that had his tea in it cracked. He normally wasn't a superstitious person, but he had a bad feeling something bad happened at the bridge. Kurumi and Tsunami saw his face and asked if he was alright.
"Y-yeah...I'm fine." He answered them, more to calm himself than anything else.
Tsunami bought it, but Kurumi knew him too well. She knows that he is a master at masking his pain and discomfort.
"Master...something happened, right?" She asked.
Before Naruto could answer, he heard a scream from the front door. He and Kurumi raced out to find that Tsunami and Inari had been captured by two of Gatou's thugs and were still trying to struggle.
The two thugs noticed the pair and scoffed.
"Heh...THIS is what Zabuza was so worried about? Some wench and a shrimp?" The one with an eyepatch sneered.
"Hmm...I wouldn't mind dominating this sweet little number...She's certainly more built than that scrawny little girl Zabuza's probably killed by now on the bridge." The second leered at Kurumi, making Naruto's hackles rise. His addition only served to increase Naruto's fears. Sakura may not be in his good graces anymore, he certainly would not let a fellow Konoha shinobi die if he could help it. He owed it to Haruna to make sure Sakura came back safely.
Before either one could make a move, they were both taken out in a near instant and both Steel Angel and Master hit them both at the same time, making sure they were sent to Hell for what they had done and were about to do.
"Kurumi, let's go. They need us at the bridge...It feels like something went wrong, really wrong." Naruto told her, his voice shaking.
With only a nod, she lept off after him, bound for the bridge.
Back at the bridge, Zabuza was doing well for himself despite not having his Kubikiri with him. He was managing to at least keep Kakashi at bay while Haku was picking the Uchiha kid apart. Although, the kid's tactics left a bad taste in his mouth and it was obvious that Kakashi wasn't too pleased with it, either.
'He just stood there while Sakura was slain and even encouraged it! He will have much to answer for...' Kakashi snarled inwardly as he and Zabuza clashed once again.
Haku had already called out her Makyo Hyousho, peppering Sasuke with multiple senbon while flying from mirror to mirror. Sasuke was helpless even though he had finally accessed his Sharingan, the Ice Maiden was still too fast for his vaunted eyes to track. Finally, he got tired of getting tagged and ran over to Sakura's still body and hefted her up into a makeshift shield.
Haku's eyes widened in surprize, then narrowed in rage. This was the ultimate dishonor to his teammate, even if she wasn't completely dead.
"How low will you sink, Uchiha? What right have you do you think you have to do such a thing to your own teammate?" Haku yelled through her mask until a massive burst of Ki exploded from the end of the bridge. Naruto had just shown up and heard what happened. And he wasn't happy at all.
'No...Haruna-Obasan...I'm so sorry...' He thought as he tried to fight back his tears. His rage was rushing to the forefront and along with it, the Kyuubi's chakra.
"Kurumi-chan...protect the old man." He told her, his voice laden with both sadness and authority.
Kurumi wanted to fight alongside her master, but obeyed his command loyally. She could tell that her master wanted to deal with this personally. Sakura may not have been the nicest person to them, but she was a teammate and that as what Naruto and Kakashi-sensei had taught to them. She had come to take Kakashi at his word since Naruto looked to him for guidance and wisdom, addressing him as sensei as well.
"What the HELL is going on here?" Naruto asked, his voice taking on a demonic timbre.
Haku looked down in shame as she lifted her mask to let Naruto see her face. She had tears in running down her beautiful face. Sasuke, who was holding up Sakura as a human shield, held a cocky smirk. His new arrogance was bolstered by the fact that he now had his Sharingan at his disposal.
"Naruto...I can explain..." Haku tried to say, but was cut off by Sasuke.
"This fangirl finally came in useful as my shield. She should be proud that she helped the Uchiha survive long enough to procreate. I might as well take this one. She looks like she could bear some strong children. Dobe, hurry up and help me subdue her and I'll let you watch as I take your woman into my bed. It's the least I could you for a common loser like you." He sneered.
Sasuke's answer was an explosion of blood red chakra that washed over the entire bridge, a wave of dread and malice following it.
"Sasuke...you bastard. How DARE you use her as a shield?" He roared in rage as he lept at the arrogant Uchiha in a flash.
Sasuke wasn't expecting this to happen, so he held Sakura in front of him to absorb the blow again, but he suddenly felt her weight vanish. Looking around, he saw Naruto, his chakra tail swaying behind him like a living appendage, gently lay her down next to his companion and asking her to keep guard.
Nearby, Kakashi and Zabuza stopped fighting when they felt the monsterous energy saturate the air around them, looking for the source.
"No...Naruto..." Kakashi murmured.
Zabuza caught that. "You mean...That blond kid is a Jinchuuriki?"
"Yes. He is the container of the Kyuubi no Kitsune." Kakashi answered solemnly as he jumped off.
"That chakra's coming from where Haku is...HAKU!" Zabuza realized as he followed Kakashi.
Kakashi and Zabuza landed just to the side of Kurumi, who was trying and failing to bring Sakura back around.
"Sensei! I don't know what's wrong with her!" Kurumi cried as Zabuza looked over the wounds.
"This looks like Haku's work. Don't worry, Ojou-chan. This is non-lethal. That girl is only sleeping." He told the fretting angel as he called Haku over to remove the needles. Almost instantly, Sakura was stirring again.
"Uhhnnn...What? I'm...not dead?" She asked.
"Sakura...what happened out there? Why are Naruto and Sasuke fighting?" Kakashi asked.
"S-S-Sasuke-k...Sasuke...Was going to let that girl...kill me..." Was all Sakura could choke out before crying, Kurumi offering her shoulder as support as she rubbed the younger girl's back comfortingly.
"Don't worry. Haku didn't want to kill you or you'd be dead by now. She only put you to sleep for a little while." Zabuza explained.
Kurumi took over and filled in the gaps of the story, Tazuna and Haku backing her up. Kakashi was filled with rage at what the 'last' Uchiha had pulled. This was considered treason and punishable by death, but he would have to take him back to be tried by Court Marshal first. His next thought went to why Zabuza was being so helpful? What would he have to gain?
Zabuza already knew what was on the Copy-nin's mind. "Haku would never forgive me if I attacked you now. As far as I'm concerned, I am no longer in Gatou's employ. She revealed to me that he was planning to betray us all along, so the old man and his family are safe from me." The Kijin no Kiri replied.
Back with Sasuke and Naruto, Naruto was ready to rip the Uchiha apart, but Sasuke's arrogance reared it's ugly head...and sealed his fate.
"Hey dobe...Why so angry? All I did was get rid of some dead weight. It's not like I would have actually given that pathetic fangirl my seed someday. The least she would have done was provide some entertainment. That female of yours is what I really want, so how about handing her over dobe? It's not like you can beat me now that I have my Sharingan." Sasuke boasted.
Wasting no words, Naruto flashed in and connected with a solid blow to the brooder's ribs, cracking a few of them and forcing Sasuke to his knees before him.
"Haruna-obasan...I love her like a mother...She's always been there for me growing up since I had no parents. She made me feel better when everyone else hurt me. I promised Haruna-obasan...that I would protect Sakura, her only living relative, with my life. Now, because of you...SHE'S GONE!" Naruto yelled out in a scream of unholy rage and with tears flowing from his eyes, pounding the proud Uchiha into ground chuck on the spot.
Sakura heard everything he said. 'He really sees Auntie as his mother? She always told me to be nice to him, but I didn't know about this...I so sorry Naruto. I can't let you do this and get into trouble for my sake.'
"TIME TO DIE, UCHIHA!" Naruto roared as he rasied his clawed fist to end Sasuke's time in this world.
"NARUTO! STOP, HE'S NOT WORTH IT!" She screamed out to him, causing him to pause.
"S-Sakura? You're alive?" He stammered out as his Bijuu cloak died down, letting Sasuke fall to the ground with a heavy thud.
"Y-yes...I'm okay now." She called out tiredly as Kurumi helped her stand.
"Good...That's good." He breathed out in relief as he made his way over to them, dragging a very unconscious Sasuke back with him. He stumbled a bit since using his Demon Chakra heavily taxes his chakra network, but he managed to make it over to them before falling to his knees in exhaustion.
FLASH BACK END!
The Shinobi council was less than pleased with what they just bore witness to. Sasuke had just betrayed his team while the Jinchuuriki tried to bring her assailant to justice. Naruto was in the grips of the demon he possessed, but he was able to control it's power and keep himself stable, plus in his favor, when Sasuke tried to use her to shield himself, Naruto snatched her away and set her down gently to be cared for while he engaged the traitor. Even the enemy nin were disgusted with the Uchiha's actions and after being betrayed by their employer, they joined forces with Team 7 to fight off the attacking thugs. The older girl, Kurumi, fought like an avenging angel and even Sakura, who had just been revived, performed her duty admirably and bravely, ending the battle with a complete victory and improving their reputation.
Sasuke's actions, however, were utterly and completely deplorable at best and at worst, treasonous. He intentionally used his own teammate in a poor attempt at calling an opponent's bluff, which failed miserably, and on top of that, he used her as a human shield and blatantly lied to them. That action alone completely sickened the judging panel so much that one course was blatantly clear as they finished conferring with one another, Hiashi Hyuuga standing to read their verdict.
"We, the judging panel, find Sasuke Uchiha guilty of criminal negligence that nearly led to the death of a teammate and a client, and of treasonous actions against his team commander, teammates, client, and all of Konoha. We move that he be sentenced to twenty years in the Konoha Maximum Security Penitentary with no possibilty of parole. Furthermore, all Uchiha clan estates, funds, and property will be confiscated by the village and will be parcelled off, with the central governmet seizing all jutsu and historical document, and funds going into the village coffers to be dispersed to several programs of the Hokage's choosing. Upon his eventual release, his chakra and Doujutsu will remain forever sealed. Should any children that he may sire come to wield the Sharingan, they will be closely monitored to ensure that the Uchiha of the past remains a memory." The Hyuuga head stated, speaking for his fellow clan heads and judges.
"WHAT? YOU CAN'T DO THIS TO ME! I NEED TO AVENGE MY CLAN! YOU ALL OWE ME JUST FOR LIVING IN THIS DUMP YOU CALL A VILLAGE! I'LL MAKE YOU ALL PAY FOR BETRAYING ME!" Sasuke ranted and raved until someone backhanded him back into his seat.
"One whims of one brat don't really matter in the face of the charges that you've been proven guilty of. Just be thankful that you aren't enjoying my hospitality right now." Ibiki growled.
The Civilian Council looked as if someone walked up to them and puched them in the groin then kicked their puppies. Their one last hope of gaining control of the village from the ninja and running it themselves was now forever out of their reach. Danzou was, however, oddly silent and calm about it. He was busy planning out how to get what he wanted without the Uchiha. He admitted that while losing his primary pawn was lamentable, he was not irreplaceble. He had been informed by one of his spies of the existence of the Steel Angels and of how Orochimaru found one and activated it, along with Konoha having their own Angel, but it's current whereabouts were unknown.
'If I were to find this Steel Angel, I would have the power to not only overthrow Sarutobi, but to also conquer all that stands in the way of Konoha's destined glory. Now...I just have to find the right place to start looking...' He thought as he left the Uchiha to his fate and to begin his search for Konoha's lost treasure.
The civilians were in a complete uproar and a riot was threatening to break out if something wasn't done soon. Suddenly, one of the irate people grabbed Haruna and tried to get their hands on her, but she showed that person that while she was now a doctor, she was a fully trained kunoichi in her day as she decked him hard enough in the teeth that he would be shitting out his canines inside of a day or two. Kurumi lept to her defense by acting as a human bulldozer, using a bench that she ripped free as the dozer blade as she the ANBU used several sleep-inducing Genjutsu to knock out some of the more hostile rioteers.
After a few moments of pure chaos, the situation was back under control. A few people were hurt, but not too badly and the Rookie teams came though fine since they were near their parents and sensei, but the all had a vastly different opinion of their former classmate. They were all brought up to believe that their teammates were like a sort of family for them, that every Konoha shinobi was their comrade no matter what, but Sasuke's actions and words at the bridge set their anger ablaze. They felt thet he deserved the punishment that he recieved. Even Ino was completely disgusted by her former crush. He would would have done the same thing to her, but wouldn't have anyone to avenge her like Naruto did, since all she had been doing from day one was push her teammates away and alienating them.
'Oh my God...I'm so sorry, Sakura...I had no idea that really happened...' She lamented as she started crying.
"Eh? What's wrong with you?" Shikamaru asked.
"Would you guys...have reacted like Naruto if Sasuke did that to me?" She asked.
Shikamaru thought about it for a second, mulling the thought around before answering.
"Yeah...I mean, I was taught by my old man that no matter what, every shinobi of Konoha is my comrade. That applys to you, too." He answered.
Even thought the delivery was beyond lackluster, it still gave her a sense of comfort to know that her teammates still had her back should things go south.
After it was all said and done, Sasuke was led out of the courtroom and prison-bound, his many fangirls wailing and crying the entire time. The remaining civilians filed out of the courtroom in a daze and the shinobi followed, getting back to their respective duties.
TEAM 7 BRIDGE
Kakashi led his team plus Haruna out to Team 7's regular meeting place in order to talk about what just happened and to relay instructions from the Hokage.
"Now, since Sasuke will be...indisposed for quite a while, we will be needing a replacement teammate in order to take missions again. Hokage-sama has already seen to this and has taken the liberty of choosing that person for us." Kakashi told them.
"Who is this person, sensei?" Kurumi asked, surprized that what she got in return was a chuckle.
"You, Kurumi-chan. The third person is you." Kakashi informed her, reaching into his pouch and pulling out a headband just like the ones her master, friend and sensei all wore. He tied it to her forehead in the same fashion that her master had his and pulled back.
"You are now an official kunoichi of Konoha in all the ways that count. This was done so that you can take the Chuunin Exams in a months time. With how you all matured on this last mission, you've earned it. However, I will be training you all to the bone so that you will be ready to face the dangers of the Exams." Kakashi warned them.
"So, Kurumi will be able to accompany us on missions, now? Alright!" Naruto cheered.
"I'm soooo happy, master! I'll to be with you all the time, now!" She cheered, but she accidentally let slip with the 'master' bit that she was supposed to keep on the DL and Sakura heard it nice and clearly.
"Why...did she call him master?" Sakura asked, puzzled.
"I'm afraid that you've stumbled onto yet another one of Konoha's most closely guarded secrets." Kakashi sighed.
Sakura was beginning to get worried. She had known Naruto for years and there was still so much that she didn't know about her mysterious teammate. She didn't know how much more she could handle. From the look on her aunt's face, she knew as well. She couldn't fathom how her aunt knew so many secrets and knew so many important people. For the longest time, all she knew about her aunt was that she was simply a doctor at the hospital.
"Sakura, since you a part of this team and we will need to be in sync and trust each other, you will need to know. Hokage-sama has given Naruto the go ahead to tell anyone who needs to know about this and he's always been good about keeping secrets." Kakashi said as he nodded to Naruto, who nodded back, his normally cheerful face now dead serious.
"Now...This all started back before there were even ninja, over 700 years ago..." Kakashi said as he began to explain just what Kurumi really was, with Naruto filling her in on how he found her and activated her. The old Sakura would have berated him for how he...activated her, but this one was more understanding and she found it somewhat adoreable that his first kiss gave him a priceless gift and his first friend in his lonely life. She now understood why she meant so much to him and why he always got so upset whenever Sasuke made passes at her. A Steel Angel and her master share a bond that is so much more that just affection. They are bound together on a spiritual level that most couples could never hope to attain. Her dogged loyalty that was in her programming, but he was every bit as loyal to her.
'If I was one...I'd feel lucky if Naruto was my master. He wouldn't abuse me or my trust in him.' Sakura thought.
As she thought of this, she was also intrigued by the history that pre-dated their era, the era that created Kurumi and several of her sisters. That was another fact that surprized her, the fact that Kurumi was one of possibly hundreds of Steel Angels that were created to fight. From the strength Kurumi was capable of, she shuddered to imagine what a small army of her kind could do, what what kind of enemy battled them to a stand still. In fact, she voiced that very question and got a bone chilling answer from Naruto.
"I can talk with the Kyuubi within me and he is actually really polite. He told me about how he and the rest of his fellow demons came to this world. They were summoned here by a clan of humans to help them take over the world, but they ran out of control when they were placed under a spell to control them. He told me that the same clan was responsible for the Kyuubi disaster the night I was born, something about pinwheel eyes..." Naruto told them.
Kakashi's eyes widened at the mention of the eyes.
"Sharingan..." He whispered, but the rest heard him.
"What?" Haruna asked, completely gobsmacked.
"You can't mean..." Naruto said as Kakashi regained his senses.
"Those eyes and they way you said the Kyuubi was controlled...It had to have been an Uchiha that did it. They are the only ones that were capable of such a feat. The thing is...The only Uchiha that could do it was Madara Uchiha. He was supposed to have died over 60 years ago, but...This changes everything. If he's still out there...No one is safe..." Kakashi confirmed, his tone grave.
Kurumi knew what she was created for...To fight the Bijuu and protect humanity and to protect her chosen master above all else. Now...The truth was that the Bijuu were summoned by humans...The same clan as the awful Sasuke Uchiha. They were still around and trying to cause trouble. She felt her anger well up within her. Billions had died because of their arrogance and they nearly destroyed the human race and they were still as haughty and arrogant as they were before, if Sasuke was anything to go by. And to make matters worse...There's still two more out there, even worse than Sasuke could ever be.
The discussion dragged on for over an hour until they had to call the meeting to a close and get some rest. Kakashi told them to be back at the bridge at the same time tomorrow before he left to go take care of some other business.
"Well...We'd better go home now, kids. I'll cook up some..." Haruna told them until she saw a plume of smoke rise from a familiar corner of the village...around where she lived.
"No...We need to go..NOW!" She shouted as Kurumi scooped her up, Naruto, Sakura and herself leaping off for the Haruno house and fearing the worst.
HARUNO RESIDENCE
They made all haste to the Haruno residence, homing in on the plume of smoke to find...The house was engulfed in flames with a crowd of people watching and cheering.
"Too bad they weren't in there! They deserve to burn in hell!" A man shouted, holding a torch aloft.
"Burn those Haruno whores! Kill them!" An older fan girl screeched.
From a rooftop across the street, Haruna and Sakura saw their house going up in flames and no one was moving to help, so Haruna called on her old shinobi training and jumped down from the rooftop to confront the hostile crowd.
"Auntie! Wait!" Sakura yelled as she followed her only living relative down there in a last ditch effort to save their home. Naruto and Kurumi both hopped down to help them disperse the crowd.
"WHAT ARE YOU DOING? GET OUT OF MY WAY!" Haruna shouted at the top of her lungs as she tossed a vandal aside like a ragdoll.
"It's the whores and the demon! Kill them all!" They all shouted almost as one and advanced on the small makeshift family. Luckily, almost all of them were non-shinobi and those that were had little skill at it. Team 7 were all combat proven shinobi and Haruna was a retired Chuunin, but the sheer numbers were going to be a problem for them. On top of that, they couldn't kill them, plus they were trying to put the flames out and save their home. This was going to prove difficult.
Luckily, the ANBU team that had been escorting Sasuke to the prison were returning and spotted the trouble. Tora, the team leader, diverted their path to the house and upon seeing who was in trouble, he wasted no time in helping out, sending ANBU Shishi back to brief the Hokage of the situation. Kakashi responded at the same time they did and unleashed one of the most powerful Suiton jutsu he knew, chakra cost be damned.
SUITON : HAHONRYU!
A deluge of water was launched straight into the air and came down in a heavy rain, easily putting out the hellish flames. Sadly, most of the house had been completely destroyed by the fire, many of her most treasured memories now damaged beyond repair. While the ANBU dealt with the crowd, the small makeshift family tried to salvage anything they could from the ruins. Haruna came across the charred remains of her old dress that she wore to Minato's and Kushina's wedding and a ruined portrait of the wedding, along with shreds of Sakura's baby pictures and her spare glasses and her medical texts.
Sakura made her way into what used to be her room and found her burned out vanity and most of her clothes were gone, along with most of her ninja gear. Thankfully, she was also rid of her Sasuke picture collection that she had been meaning to throw out anyway. All of it was already in trash bags, ready to go. The fire hadn't reached the kitchen yet, but most of the furniture was completely destroyed by the vandals long before the fire, including their beds.
Haruna sank to her knees in despair. Her parents had left her the house as an inheiretance. She grew up there. She raised Sakura there and now...it was gone. The woman was embraced by her small family as they all stood up as one and a sympathetic Hokage and Kakashi walked over after the hostile crowd was dealt with. Many were executed on the spot and the rest were hauled away without trial to the prisons and labor camps.
"I'm...I don't know what to say, Haruna." The Hokage said sadly.
"If you guys want, I'll help you look for a new place." Kakashi offered.
"Hey...With the mission money and what I have saved, I'll buy out the two apartments next to mine. It's no problem, Auntie Haruna!" Naruto told her, trying to help.
Both Kakashi and Sarutobi both sghook their heads sadly.
"Naruto-kun...My child...The crowd that did this...They hit your apartment first. There's nothing left of the entire complex. It's all gone." Sarutobi informed the boy sadly.
Kakashi had never in his life felt the murderous rage he was feeling now. In one fell swoop, his student had lost their homes and there was nothing he could do. Naruto was in a similar boat. All of his worldly possessions, the few he had and his savings, they were gone. He was left with next to nothing but the clothes he had on his back and his mission pay docket. Kurumi felt her master's despair and was beginning to cry, because she was powerless to do anything to help him.
Sarutobi was cursing the ignorance of his council and the villagers that allowed this to happen. He was once again grimly reminded that the Hokage is all all-powerful like people seem to believe. However, he just had a an idea. Naruto's inheiritance included a house and Haruna had accepted Guardianship over him due to his Godparents going AWOL when he was born and not looking back. She could, by proxy, accept it until Naruto comes of age and they could live there! It was already fully furnished, and there were security seals that Minato had set up to prevent things like this from happening.
"I...have something that belongs to Naruto. It was supposed to be his once he turned 16, but I think he needs it now more than ever." Sarutobi said, breaking the silence.
"W-What do you mean, Jiji?" Naruto asked.
"I mean that you were left a house, amongst other things. Your Godparents were supposed to be the executors of your parent's will, but they have abandoned their duties, so I appoint Haruna, your legal guardian, to do so. Do you agree with me, Naruto-kun? Do you trust her enough for this?" The old man asked.
"Yes. Haruna-obasan took care of me when no one else would. I trust her." Naruto said, not hesitating for even a second.
"Haruna, do you accept the responsiblity?" Sarutobi asked her next.
"Yes. I'm...honored by the trust he has in me and will not fail him." Haruna declared, her steely gaze boreing into the old Hokage's.
"Very well. Come by my office and I will draw out the deed and keys. I trust that your funds were safely secured in the bank, Haruna?" He asked her.
"Yeah...It's still safe as far as I know. I'm just glad that I got into the habit of saving a little of each of my paychecks over the years." Haruna remarked.
"Auntie? We won't be homeless?" Sakura asked.
"No, dear...We'll live with Naruto-kun in the house that he inheirited. Is that okay, Naruto-chan?" She asked of him. He looked at her like she was an alien.
"What kind of question is that? Of course, you guys can live with me!" Naruto replied with one of his grins shining through once again.
Sakura gave her teammate a grateful hug as she packed up what she could salvage and slung it over her shoulder, Haruna doing the same. Together, they all set out for the Hokage's office and hopefully, to a better future together as a family.
A/N: Sasuke got what every traitor to home and country deserves. If you betray your oath to defend your people, you deserve to burn in the lowest pits of hell. To make matters worse, his most rabid supporters took the cowardly approach and torched the homes of the ones Sasuke victimized.
Sorry about that...I was just over at Tacos el Gurillo, a local taco joint, with my kid when some dirtbag and his loser buddies waltz into the place and started calling all military members murderers and frauds. This guy must have been stupid, because Lemoore California is a Navy/Marine Corps town like San Diego(Sand Dog, OORAHH!). Over 75% of the population is either Active Duty, Ex-military, or Retired Military. We threw that asshole out faster than he could blink, but his words still left a bad taste in our mouths.
Enough of that...Anyway, more truths come to light and it is now confirmed that the Uchiha were the ones responsible for bringing the Bijuu into the world in the first place, Madara trying to finish what they started. Now, his faction that he secretly controls is in possession of one of the Steel Angels, Karinka. Another is in the clutches of the mad Sannin, Orochimaru. I smell a three way smack down of biblical proportions coming!
