Alright, so who here is surprised at the speed of the current updates raises hand Yeah, apparently my KotS skills are improving or something, cuz I'm thrashing this stuff out my keyboard every night.

Well, hope you enjoy the newest chapter, next one will be much longer and will cover most of the people still in Konoha. Aaaannnd, OC's! Yes, everyone loves OC's

Standard disclaimer here... yeah.

Naruto: Keeper of the Seal

Chapter 9

Judgment

Naruto settled down in comfort, safe in the security of his mindscape, he looked out at the work of beauty which he had created. Massive oaks towered over the blond, blocking the bright rays of sunlight that shone from the midday sun high in the air. Naruto sighed and breathed in the scent of the forest, catching the slightest hint of pine emanating from the grove of evergreens about a mile away. Naruto sat on the edge of the forest, gazing out upon the rolling hills of his mind. Pure green grass rippled in the cool breeze, lending an oceanic appearance to the wide plain. Hills reached out of the earth, creating a majestic rising in the middle of the plain, and at the very top, a manor stood. The sturdy construct stood proudly above the plain, granting a splendid view of the nearby lake, which rippled with the disturbing of thoughts and ideas which dwelt within it.

The manor itself was of course orange, but only the trimming. The rest was a splendid white, playing the suns rays off it in intricate patterns, lending the grounds with an almost protean air, constantly shifting in appearance. Of course, Naruto knew that the manor grounds actually did change from time to time, depending on what his aspects were doing at the time, and his own mood.

"Naruto..." Prime asked, appearing beside him.

Naruto nodded, "I know, it's time to go back."

Prime put a hand on Naruto's shoulder, "Don't worry Naruto, it'll all be here when you get back, I'll make sure of that."

Naruto nodded, "Thanks Prime... It's just..." Naruto sighed, "I spent a lot of time getting it just right. Look, I even made a place for the Kaigan!"

Prime smiled, looking towards the area where Naruto pointed, "I think it's happy."

"It bloody well better be. Semi-sentient bloodlines these days are hard to please, and I spent a lot of time making that place perfect."

Prime snickered, "Careful Naruto, you're sounding fatherly, next thing you know you'll be calling it your son."

Naruto snorted, "Yeah, ok."

Naruto and Prime looked towards the area where the Kaigan resided. A maze of crystals rose out of the earth, each one creating a unique refracting surface, and others, a light holding mass which held the Kaigan itself. The Kaigan blazed brightly for a second, then went back to exploring it's new home. Naruto focused on the single white crystal in the middle of the cluster, searching, and finding, the small blot of red and black which dwelt within it.

"Kyojitsu seems to be doing fine." Naruto said

Prime nodded, "I will keep it sealed until you call upon it's power. But remember, it will become weaker as you use it more, so save it for later... I'm not quite sure that using it on Itachi was the best idea."

Naruto gave Prime a look, "I have my reasons for doing so."

Prime raised his eyebrows, "Oh really?"

Naruto gave a small smirk, "You'll have to wait and find out Prime, my mind isn't a safe place to say things, not while Itachi can overhear."

Prime shrugged, then moved in front of Naruto, "I'll keep watch over Kyuubi, make sure he adheres to the bargain."

"I see no reason why he shouldn't, I've given him free reign over a portion of my mind, and he even has access to the Kaigan. Speaking of which, have you made any progress trying to develop a Kaigan for Kyuubi, I don't want him messing with mine."

Prime shook his head, "I think the Kaigan is a life-form unique created by the binding of two souls, it can't survive without both of you, and creating another to dwell in your mind..." Prime shuddered, "I can only imagine the havoc that would cause."

"And Kyuubi's body?" Naruto asked.

"It's still too damaged. Now that Kyuubi has completely transferred his consciousness into your mind, it no longer has the ability to withstand the power of the Kaigan. Either that, or the Kaigan would take control of Kyuubi's chakra, essentially creating another bijuu in your body."

"Ah... that wouldn't be good, it's already crowded enough in here with the two of us, no more bijuus please."

Prime nodded, then took Naruto's hand, "Are you ready?"

Naruto nodded. The Kaigan flared to life in Prime's eyes, then he looked into Naruto's. Naruto felt the power of the Kaigan seep into his body, then he fell.

XXXXXX

Naruto's eyelids crawled open, and he stared at the ceiling of his shabby apartment. Naruto heard the scuffle of disturbed vermin as they realized his waking and scurried off to their holes. Naruto sighed and stretched out his arms, then settled back down. There was really no point in getting up at the moment. He knew that he was going to have to face judgment for the crimes which Kyuubi had committed while possessing his body, and he wanted a little peace before his life was once more thrown into disarray.

Naruto sat for a few more hours, then summoned up his reserves of strength and stepped out of bed. Kyuubi's outfit was folded on one of the chairs in his room, and he decided to stick with the change, donning the blue pants, black shirt, and combat boots. Naruto filled the holsters on the sides of the boots with kunai, then strapped his weapon holster to his right leg, at about wrist height, if he kept his arms slack. He walked over to the mirror and examined himself. He had to admit, his new outfit looked pretty good, that, and the fact that he was sure that none of his old clothes fit him anymore.

Naruto examined himself more closely, taking in the new body which Kyuubi had wrought during his brief time in control. Naruto could feel the unnaturalness of his body, the... alienness. He experimented with his new ribs, lifting his shirt and watching as the new ribs shifted when he applied certain muscle groups to a task. He also noticed the fact that his muscles were far larger and more sculpted than usual. Demonic chakra did have it's ups and downs. On that note, he also took a close look at his height, noticing that he had grown at least another four inches in the past day, also a likely result of Kyuubi's influence, and the fact that he was no longer exactly human. His face had lost all traces of baby fat, replaced by a chiseled jaw and regal features that were present on the face of the fourth Hokage.

In fact, without his forehead protector holding back his hair, Naruto was fairly sure that he would be the spitting image of the yondaime. He tried it out, then, finding the appearance to be quite formidable, strapped his forehead protector around his right arm.

"Alright... I guess it's time to go and face the day. KONOHA! HERE I COME!" Naruto yelled, letting his exuberance out at his new body.

Naruto stretched his tight muscles once more, then dove out the window. He landed with practiced grace on an outstretched branch of the tree next to his apartment, and sent himself hurtling through several dozen yards of free air onto the nearest rooftop. He rolled with the shock, then drove himself forward, dashing across the long roof and stepping from roof to roof on his way to the Hokage tower.

Of course, he didn't plan on the fact that there were ANBU watching his apartment under orders from Danzo, awaiting his awake and preparing to intercept him should he attempt to make contact with the Hokage.

Naruto found his forward momentum suddenly arrested, and to say the least, he wasn't happy about it. Several ninja wires were wrapped around his body, preventing him from moving forward, and cutting deep into his skin, sometimes even drawing blood.

"Naruto-san, we have been ordered to bring you in, any attempt to resist will be seen as treason, and will be met with deadly force. Will you comply?" Asked one of the ANBU.

"Who sent you?" Naruto asked.

"That is of no concern, all you need know is that your hearing begins in five minutes, and we must be there. Now, will you come peaceably, or will we have to force you."

Naruto let his muscles relax, "Yes, I'll come with you, though to what end I do not know."

The ANBU relaxed and gestured for the other two to release him, and they immediately escorted him to the Hokage tower, but not to the Hokage's office as Naruto had planned, but to a lower office. The seat of judgment.

As Naruto entered, he gazed up at the gathered elders and shinobi who represented each clan. Many of the looks given to him were in fear, some in hatred, and a small minority, mostly shinobi, in pity. Naruto could not find any kind eyes, and he was sure he knew why. The council had made it's decision long before this hearing had begun, now all they were going to do was discredit him, maybe even provoke him into attacking someone so that they could have solid proof that the Kyuubi was now in control of his body. Of course, if Kyuubi were in control, they would all be dead right now.

'Yeah, they would' Kyuubi interjected

'Quiet Kyuubi, there's a Yamanaka in here, they might be able to sense your presence if you don't lie low.'

Kyuubi snorted, 'Let me at them Naruto, it won't take long. Then we can really start to have some fun'

Naruto growled inwardly, 'Kyuubi, no. Killing these people would only send an army of ninja after us, and even you would have a hard time fighting that many men while still in a human body'

Kyuubi sighed then fell silent. Naruto also sighed, then drew himself up, prepared to face the abuse that was about to be hurled at him.

The head of the council stood, "Uzumaki Naruto, you have been charged with the slaughter of no less than one hundred innocent villagers, the injury of two hundred and sixty eight villagers, and the killing of three Konoha shinobi. What do you have to say?"

Naruto was about to open his mouth when a hand came to rest on his shoulder. He looked over and saw one of the ANBU pull his mask off to reveal Kakashi. The other two ANBU revealed themselves to be Kurenai and Asuma.

"What is the meaning of this! I sent my own men to retrieve Naruto, in case he resisted. What are you three doing?" Yelled Danzo, standing up.

Kakashi smiled, "It appears as if your men got lost on the road of life."

Danzo's eye narrowed, then he took his seat, done playing the villain for now. The fact of the matter was, Danzo needed Naruto to remain alive and within the village, and he had sent his ANBU roots to 'kill' him so he could secret him away in the ANBU roots HQ till things could settle down. However, those three meddlers... this would be difficult.

Kakashi took the stand in the middle of the council, and looked into the eyes of each member before speaking, "Honorable elders, honored guests, and my fellow shinobi, you are all here for one reason. To accuse this boy of a crime he did not commit. A crime which he has been born to prevent, and because of circumstances beyond his control, was unable to stop. I can see in your eyes the conviction already falling, and nothing said here will make much of a difference. Our main purpose here is to change the manner of the punishment which is to laid upon him."

One of the elders rose, "Kakashi, you know the only acceptable fate for a traitor is of this magnitude is death. Anything less would result in a civil uprising, especially in this incident, where the return of the Kyuubi is at stake."

Kurenai stepped up to the center, "The Kyuubi has already returned, and in fact, never left us. It was imprisoned in the body of this child, and remains there to this very day. But, circumstances have changed. The four point seal is weakening, and the Kyuubi is beginning to take control of Naruto's body, what do you think it would do if you instilled execution at this point?"

The elder's face blanched slightly, and he took his seat, another elder stood to take his place.

"Kurenai, this threat does not do well for your case. How do you know that we won't just have him killed later, after pronouncing a pardon? What reason do we have for keeping him alive now that his use as a container is over?"

Kurenai bowed, "The fact that you would pardon him would give the Kyuubi suspicions, and cause it to break out once again and escape, as long as Naruto remains alive and well, he can prevent the Kyuubi from escaping. Not only that, but now that Naruto has contact with his tenant, he will be able to control the Kyuubi's chakra with an even greater precision, allowing him to become a greater asset to the shinobi of this village."

Many of the shinobi perked up at this. Many of them had faced the Kyuubi when it had come to destroy Konoha, and having it's strength at their command would be a valuable asset in the coming war with Oto.

Hyuuga Hiashi stood, motioning for the elder to take his seat, "Uzumaki naruto could be a powerful asset to us. Not only does he have the power of the Kyuubi at his disposal, but he has also developed a unique bloodline, who's limits have yet to be seen. Destroying, or losing such a marvelous technique would be a powerful blow to this village, considering our already damaged manpower. Every shinobi, and especially one as powerful as Naruto must be considered a resource, and exploited accordingly. I move to alter the punishment on one Uzumaki Naruto to a lesser category, reserving his strength for a time in which we need it."

Hiashi took his seat, only to be replaced by Danzo, "I second the motion, and should it be accepted, I would propose a punishment of my own."

Danzo sat, and silence reigned. Many were torn, they knew that they needed Naruto, but they also knew that having around was a potential danger. No one stood for a long time. Naruto could feel the weight of the air settle upon him, and he was fairly sure someone was using a tension jutsu.

One of the elders cleared his throat, then stood, only to fall back into his chair as the council doors flew open. An enraged Tsunade stormed through the doors, eyes blazing in fury and fists ready to pummel anyone who stood in her way.

"Ah, Tsunade, what an unexpected surpri-" the head elder began

"QUIET!" Tsunade yelled, planting herself firmly in the middle of the room, "How dare you call a meeting of the council without informing me! Danzo! What is the meaning of this!"

"I am not the one responsible for the inviting of people to these councils Tsunade, and if you'll notice, the letter you received was delivered by one of my ANBU. It is in my best interests to have you here honorable Hokage, so I took steps to make it so." Danzo replied from his seat.

The rest of the council gaped at Danzo, they all knew that he had been one of the strongest proponents for the killing of Naruto when he was a child. This sudden change was quite a surprise. Many of the elders were struck by this change, others felt betrayed. Many of the Shinobi began thinking of what use Naruto would be to Danzo, considering he was so eager to protect him. The three rookie nine sensei's were shocked to say the least, they had not had the time to warn Tsunade about the meeting, and had only just made it in time to intercept Danzo's men. Now they weren't so sure as to what was going on.

Tsunade interrupted all other speculation, "Regardless, I third the motion to have Uzumaki Naruto's punishment reduced, and have a suggestion of my own once you are ready to hear it."

Naruto and his three sponsors sighed in relief, then looked to Tsunade. Tsunade smiled at Naruto and turned to face the council.

"While Naruto has been indisposed, I have been making arrangements for Naruto to attend a training trip. He will be traveling with the Sannin Jiraiya, learning everything the man has to teach him, in addition to avoiding the group known as Akatsuki. I propose that as punishment, Naruto be forced to attend this trip against his wishes, and upon his return, depart immediately to return to the village the last Uchiha. Upon return of Uchiha Sasuke, Naruto will be expunged of all crimes, and will then be allowed to participate in missions as a Konoha shinobi. In addition, Naruto has been stripped of his rank as a Konoha shinobi, and will have to recomplete the proper amount of missions in order to attain the ability to advance to the rank of Chunin."

Many of the council nodded in agreement, then turned to Danzo.

"Although Tsunade's punishment is just, I find a need to place a harsher penalty upon a murderer."

"He's not a murderer!" yelled Kakashi.

"Silence Kakashi, you will have your chance to speak," Danzo spat, "Now, I have been conducting research into the caged bird seal used by the Hyuuga clan, and have found a way to replicate it's effects in a non-Hyuuga. I believe that the best choice would be to place this seal upon Naruto, making him subservient to the will of the council. After the placement of this seal, Naruto will be expunged of all crimes, and will become the tool of this council, a weapon to fulfill our needs. In addition, Naruto will be inducted into the ANBU roots, and will fulfill missions which will be essential to the maintaining of our great village. He may attend this training mission with Jiraiya as a way to make him more useful to this village, and he will be sent on a mission to return the last Uchiha to us. However, it will be at our discretion, not his."

An even greater number of the council nodded at Danzo's suggestion. Having the perfect weapon under your control would be even better than a loyal shinobi. Shinobi had a habit of turning against you, but a tool... a tool can do nothing without the master's hand.

"NO!" Tsunade yelled, "This is unacceptable Danzo! Once you seal Naruto, where will it end? Will we have every gennin become a tool, just a weapon for you to use?"

Danzo straightened, "If that is what it must come to Tsunade. You have lost sight of your goal. I however, will do everything in my power to make sure that this mighty village does not fall."

Kakashi stepped up, "But not at the cost of freedom! What do you think you'll obtain from this?! A village of slaves?"

The two other jounin joined him in protest, but were silenced by the head of the council.

"We must vote on this issue. All in favor of Danzo?"

A chorus of assent followed his words. Naruto could already feel the burn of the seal upon his body.

"Of Tsunade?"

The voters were fewer, but most were Shinobi, who let their outrage be known. Hiashi put his face in his hands, already knowing the outcome.

The head stood, "Then it is agreed, Naruto, you will accompany Danzo to his Root headquarters to have this new seal placed upon you."

Kakashi, Asuma and Kurenai drew weapons, unwilling to let their compatriot go. Tsunade also took a fighting stance next to the boy.

"This is madness Danzo, we won't allow you to start controlling shinobi, as hokage I hereby nullify your power as leader of Roots, step down." Tsunade declared.

"I'm sorry Tsunade, but only the council has the power to revoke my rights as the leader of ANBU Roots, and you don't see many of them preparing to force me from my position. Now, step aside or you will be dealt with." Danzo said dangerously.

Tsunade glanced at the three jounin sensei's beside her, they all nodded, putting away their weapons.

"Excellent, now, hand over Naruto." Danzo urged.

Instead of doing as he said, Kakashi kneed Tsunade in the back, sending her flying to the floor. Him and the three jounin sensei's formed a triangle around Naruto and formed a single seal. Before any of the shinobi in the crowd could react, Naruto and the three jounin disappeared in a puff of smoke. Most of the elders gaped, unwilling to believe that three of their strongest jounin had just betrayed the village for the Kyuubi brat. Most of the shinobi in the crowd sent a prayer of godspeed to them, hoping that Naruto would escape the torture of becoming a tool.

The council chambers erupted in shouts and yells. Danzo stood over it all, watching Tsunade get up with a slight smile on her face, which was quickly replaced by a look of rage and betrayal.

"So Tsunade, it begins. Well, you're playing a game with the best of them..." Danzo whispered before turning and leaving in silence.

XXXXXX

Naruto, Kakashi, Kurenai and Asuma appeared in a small clearing just outside the city walls. Tsunade had temporarily lowered the seals which prevented shinobi from body flickering in and out of the walls, and they had taken full advantage of it.

Kakashi turned to Naruto, "Naruto... I'm so sorry."

Naruto didn't look at him, "I knew this day would come. Kakashi, Asuma, Kurenai... you three, I'm expecting you to take care of my precious people. Your students, Iruka, Ichiraku... all of them."

The three nodded, then Asuma held out a scroll, "This is a scroll on learning to control your natural chakra affinity. I know you've already mastered it with Kyuubi's help, but this should explain the sort of things you can do with that power, and how to harness it even further." Naruto took it, "And take these, I have a feeling I won't be needing them for a while, they'll help you train." Asuma handed him his knuckle blades.

Kurenai looked him up and down, "They say you're more powerful than you look, and if that's so... well, all I can offer you is this scroll on genjutsu. It teaches you how to create genjutsu using your eyes, something that might do good for you." Naruto took this one as well.

Kakashi put a hand on Naruto's shoulder, "Naruto... of all my students, I can tell you will shine the brightest. You weren't the smartest, or the most powerful, but you had compassion. This above all is a skill that all shinobi should possess. Your kindness of heart will lead you through the darkness as you travel. I will protect your precious people Naruto, but it will be your faith in me that watches over them."

Kakashi handed him a scroll and a three pronged kunai, "That scroll contains many things, messages from your friends, jutsu they want you to learn. Above all though, it contains your father's work on sealing, and his most powerful technique, Hirashin. This is the last of the kunai that he used to accomplish the technique, hopefully you can make more sense of it than any of us."

Kakashi hugged him, "Goodbye Naruto. Remember, those who don't obey the rules are trash..."

Naruto tilted his head, but only slightly because of his new height, "But those who leave their friends behind are worse than trash."

Kakashi nodded, his eye crinkling into an upside down U, and he let Naruto go.

"I'll be back Kakashi-sensei, and when I do, this will all end. I'll become the greatest Hokage Konoha has ever seen."

Kakashi folded his arms, "Don't you already have the promise of a lifetime to fulfill?"

Naruto gave Kakashi one of his biggest smiles, hiding a tear that was forming in his eye, "All part of the plan sensei."

The goodbye was cut short by a sudden spike in chakra, and a rushing funnel of flame that careened down towards them. Thinking quickly, Naruto formed a Rasengan in a split second, then brought his hand up. His teachers, not even aware of the danger, had time to turn their heads and notice the pillar of flame bearing down on them. They moved to dodge, but it was already too late. But not for Naruto.

Futon Rasengan. KAI!

The spiraling sphere in his hand shuddered, then exploded. A tornado of wind erupted from his palm, lancing out into open air and impacting the fire. The flames that would have consumed his teachers met their match in Naruto's newest technique, and were blown backwards, instantly frying the user.

"Naruto, run!" Kakashi cried out, turning to face the oncoming shinobi, "We'll be fine, but you need to leave!"

Naruto hesitated for a second, then leaped away.

The last installment of Kakashi's notes... obviously because Kakashi won't be in the fic for a while, don't worry, they'll be back, and it's gonna be relabeled, so you'll still get your Naruto science for the day.

The Mindscape: So, in case any of you were wondering, Naruto has pretty much fixed up his mindscape, we may have some flashbacks to the actual process, but it's way to trippy to write right now. The Kyuubi has been 'uploaded' into Naruto's mind from it's own body which is still locked in the seal. Naruto's evolving Bijuu brain is able to hand having two beings trapped within it, as long as Naruto and Kyuubi don't come into conflict over something, they'll be perfectly fine... yeah, that's it. This comes from the fact that humans don't use all of their brain capacity, so Naruto just put some aside for Kyuubi to use, basically putting down some land markers in your own mind, divide and conquer etc. etc.

The Kaigan: Yep, it's true, the Kaigan is a semi-sentient life form. Sure, it's a truth telling, time traveling semi-sentient life form, but it's still sentient. It's basically like the bacteria that live in your body, they're living organisms, they seek to survive and carry out many natural processes, and they even have a slight amount of intelligence, but they're a part of you, and can't really exist without you. However, the Kaigan is more like a dog or cat in terms of intelligence, but a dog or cat that can fit inside your head... erm, well, that's enough of that. You could also describe the Kaigan as a sort of separate personality, but we won't get into that either.

Futon Rasengan. Kai (Wind Release Spiralling Sphere. Release): Probably the greatest power of the Rasengan is it's adaptability. The Rasengan is a sphere of pure chakra, often used as a close combat weapon which is shoved into the opponent's body, causing massive damage and sending the person flying. However, this basic level is just a platform which can be used in conjunction with other techniques to create a truly devastating attack. This property alone makes it probably the most powerful jutsu in the ninja world. This variation of the Rasengan merely adds in the wind element of a user to begin with. Then, the user creates a small disturbance in the Rasengan, causing the vortex to destabilize, unleashing a massive torrent of condensed, hyper-accelerated chakra in the direction which the user points. The user's wind element chakra creates cyclonic winds which can reflect all but the most powerful of earth element attacks. The most amazing thing about this attack however, is that it is not actually a ninja technique requiring hand seals, thus, it can be used in conjunction with any attack that would require a fan or other wind propelling object to use. This makes these types of attacks quicker, and exponentially more powerful than they are initially. Naruto's use of this technique combined with the fire technique being used and created a vortex of flame which could have melted salt (for those of you who don't take chemistry, that's really hot), and essentially disintegrated his opponent.

That's all for now. As always, I welcome all questions, and respond to those who would like to know. Also, if you would like any more clarification on anything you find in Kakashi's notes, don't hesitate to ask. Later!