Kunai and Cellphone Chapter 11, a naruto fanfic

Hello every- PUT THE GUNS DOWN ! NOW !

Sorry for this absence but my translators abandoned me and my hard-drive disappeared. So I will translate all the chapters I have done until now directly. It means THREE new chapters after this one in the next two weeks. Happy ? ^^

Remember that I'm French, so my translation is limited ^^'

Okay so here we go

Chapter 11

Steven was afraid. He was terrified. Sitting against a wall in the dust, blood on the arm and sweat dripping from every pore, he was gasping and looking, exhausted, at the person who was in his light. This dark figure, supported by a wild beast whose fangs were still dripping with Londoner's blood, was holding a weapon firmly, and his eyes were showing that he was going to use it without hesitation.

The geek was on the verge of fainting. His last hour had come.

'No ...' He said, tears beginning to flow. 'I don't want to die ...'

The ninja raised his kunai and was going to cut his throat.

Flashback

A few hours earlier

Anko had obviously led the whole troop to her favorite Dango's restaurant.

At this moment, his stomach remembered how many of them he ate this last days. Steven thought.

"If it continues like this, I'll add Dangos to my list of sworn enemies. Right between ramen and the Nyan Cat's creator. '

The geek didn't had the energy to complain, because of the tense situation and how it could have irritated the psychopath kunoichi, he just ate what they served to him. Nobody really wanted to talk, which made the meal really calm and gloomy. Hana, Kiba and Akamaru were too concerned about their mother. Anko liked to eat quietly, but she also had the impression to be on the brink of failing her mission, even if, officially, it was only to supervise Steven.

This one must have felt the same. But actually, he could not help but think back to that strange man in checked shirt he saw in the street before. The message of this stranger was stucked in his mind as much as his disappearance and his too "modern for this world" clothes.

His geek mind found dozens of possibilities to explain this, from ghost to multidimensional being and alien hologram. But none satisfied him. Not that it didn't made sense to him, but he had no evidences that it was one of these.

When he seemed lost in thought, his Dangos half-finished, Anko asked him what was the problem. Not thinking it was a good idea to talk about this, Steven was tempted to not say anything. But he was the kind to act as if nothing happened. This kind of appearance was important in stories generally. And he had to admit he had a mental block in that case.

He simply asked a question he had in mind since this morning, but he had forgotten to ask early on because of the six months since the Hasaki case.

"Tell me, why did they not simply read into your mother's mind with that weird jutsu that can see in anyone's memory?"

Anko paused for a moment, she had an idea about this. The two children looked at each other's for a moment then looked down, a little ashamed.

"It does not work in that case ..." mumbled the Genin. "Our mother was drunk that night."

This surprised the geek at first, but he quickly understood. Memories of the murder's night must be scrambled for Tsume.

"Our mother used to drink when she had a fight with Dad." Kiba completed, a little sad.

It made sense, but was dramatic, for the young Londoner. The little ones would surely lose their mother because of a bottle of booze. It was probably the only thing that had put her in this situation. Strangely, this motivated Steven much more to solve this case. The Gamer refused to see a family broken because of such a stupid thing.

Then he asked them to guide him to the Inuzuka domain, claiming that it was now the best place to find clues. Both Inuzuka were quite disturbed by this. The Genin, therefore, thought that Steven was suspecting one of them to have killed their father, Kuro Inuzuka. The Londoner declared that it was not impossible, he explained.

"To make your father accept to meet someone away from everything, and turns his back to this person, he had to know him or her. So it was a person he trusted. There's more chance that It was another Inuzuka than anyone else. "

For the two young ones, the idea that their father could have been betrayed by one of their clan was simply impossible. Kiba cried a lot, refusing to believe it, and Akamaru growled simultaneously. Their mother had difficulty to be accepted, but clan members liked her more since they get on missions with her. Hana also could not accept the idea that a member of the clan could have done such a despicable thing. They were a family, damn it! A family a bit hectic but not cruel. This time, Steven thought.

'Poor children... If they had watched or read Game of Thrones, they would know that being of the same family does not prevent from dirty tricks. '

He kept this thought for him. The metal head simply retorted that if they had a better proposition, he was ready to listen. But the young Inuzukas had no idea. They had no clues leading to other suspects, no valid theories and time was running out for them. The trial was in a few hours.

The children finally accepted Steven's reasoning. Anko agreed with him since the beginning. So they agreed to take him to the Inuzuka domain.

Steven thought indeed that the domain was their last chance to find informations, it was perfectly logical. But if he wanted to go there, it was mostly because of the message of this strange guy. If he had not told him about this place, they would have perhaps not thought about it. Did it means that this man was trying to help them? If so, why?

There was only one way to potentially answer this questions, and it was to go to the domain.

At the end of the meal, the young Inuzuka therefore took the gamer and the kunoichi to their home.

Later, the Londoner found the famous Inuzuka domain, or rather its entry because it was surrounded by a wall that hid a small forest. In front of a large door, the group discovered that Gaku Inuzuka, little brother of the victim and temporary head of the clan, had indeed reinforced the security. A ninja that looks really cold and straight, with long alabaster hairs and a triangular face, was now standing guard with a large black dog with white paws, very muscular, with a messy coat. The two guards almost looked like statues, and their sole presence, which emitted an indescribable aura, was enough to discourage you to walk in front of them.

The group of investigators stopped before them and Hana greeted the shinobi politely but without sympathy.

"Hello Eiko-san."

The guard replied in a voice devoid of emotions.

"Hello Hana-San."

The Genin then saluted the black dog, whose name was Kamu, but this one simply growled and look at Akamaru, who backed away, intimidated. Hana indicated Mitarashi and Steven, explaining.

"These people are commissioned by the Hokage to investigate on my father's death. They would like to enter. Can you tell that to my uncle Gaku?"

The keeper and the animal casted a brief glance at Steven and the provocative kunoichi. Then he announced, still monotone.

"Gaku-san is not there, he went to answer a few last-minute questions for the Uchihas before the trial."

This seemed to bother the Genin and intrigued Mitarashi.

"So could you just, by chance, let us in?" Tried the young Inuzuka.

"I have no right." Answered the white-haired ninja. "My orders are clear: Nobody outside of the clan enters without authorization."

Hana, aware of how close her mother's trial was, already began to lose patience.

"So who do I need to talk to let them come?" She asked irritably.

The emotionless ninja told her that some members of the clan remained and may help inside the house, almost all others were going to the court. Hana had to leave her companions outside one moment to convince the Inuzukas. So she went, leaving Kiba with Anko and Steven. Under the supervision of Eiko and Kamu.

If there's two things that geeks hate more than anything it is to wait and be bored.

And Steven, in front of the Inuzuka's domain, unfortunately had to undergo both.

So much that he began to mumble a song.

The geek usually hated to sing, but muttering an air became one of his only ways to pass the time since he had been separated from his precious bag. He therefore hummed in his asylum's cell and acted some scenes he appreciated in films, series and Anime. He did it aloud, in a very low voice, only when there was nobody around him.

It had been almost half an hour since the Genin left them there in front of the door, before the empty gaze of Eiko and the aggressive Kamu. The trio was a bit aside to be a little less uncomfortable.

All this time, Steven mumbled in a loop the same tune. What gradually increased the pressure of the kunoichi. When the geek began his song again, Anko exploded.

"WILL YOU STOP THIS ANNOYING SONG ?!"

The Otaku replied.

"HOW DARE YOU INSULT THE SAINT SEIYA'S OPENING?!"

"THIS TIME I'LL KILL YOU !" She said, taking kunais from her jacket. This shaked the Londoner with terror.

"NOT AGAIN!" Kiba powerfully intervened, refusing to see again those supposed to help her mother lose their time like this.

The Geek and the berserk girl looked at the child then at each other, and subsided with a sigh, realizing that this was not the time to kill each other.

"You never stop fighting?" Asked the little boy annoyed.

"I am never fighting normally, little guy." Said Steven. "It is her who wants to skin me alive all the time."

"Because you're always saying things we do not understand!" Reacts Anko. "It is horribly frustrating!"

"Can't you be like the others?" Asked the geek, very angry. "To let this go, looking at me strangely, Or better: Ignore me completely and leave me alone"

"How anyone can do that with a guy like you?" Mitarashi asked, raising her tone.

"It's not difficult." Explained the teenager with chains. "Peoples do it all with me. You will have no trouble doing it too."

Anko looked surprised. Something in the tone and the look of Steven destabilized her. He said all this as if it was perfectly normal. But something in his voice showed he was not exaggerating a moment, and that behind its apparent insensitivity to say all this, it affected him.

She didn't know what to say. Steven's face seemed familiar at this moment. She had already see this mask of indifference cracked by angry signs. But she could not remember where.

She was, however, deconcentrated by Kiba. He was also surprised by the words of the teenager with pendants, but not with the same intensity. He asked with the tone of a curious child that does not understand, but felt that it was something serious.

"What do you mean? People dislike you?"

Steven looked at the child and lost his angry look. He seemed a little melancholic now, like he was thinking about something he had fully accepted, and against which he could do nothing.

"You can say it like that." Steven confirmed by taking a more relaxed air. "Anyway, I do not care when it is not serious."

Anko had another feeling of déjà vu seeing him scratching his hair carelessly.

"You must have friends where you came from, right?" Pursued the Inuzuka, taking Akamaru in his arms.

The stranger thought, looking down. Steven never had any illusions about this, he had seen enough stories to see how it was stupid and useless. He knows what a true friend was thanks to this stories, and he never considered the people with who he only discussed online, or play co-op on video games, as such.

The teenager took his casual air and answered.

"Not really."

The idea of a person without any circle of acquaintances seemed impossible for the Inuzuka, who always had his sister, his clan and friends. That's why he insisted.

"You must be exaggerating. There must be some people that likes you."

Steven thought again, observed by the intrigued kunoichi. He was not really used to think about it. No one ever asked him such a question. But he had no reason to lie, so he answered honestly, two faces come into his head.

"Who likes me? Well… There's Rhiannon and the Professor."

"Ri-a-no-nu?" Kiba tried, transposing the English name in Japanese.

"Just say Ria, that's how I call her. She's a good girl. A little angry at times but not a bad person. She arrived in my class in the middle of the year and the few persons were talking to her. They do not hate her but she was pretty lonely. We talked a little and I think we became friends. I even offered her a pendant of the triple moon for her birthday. I hesitated between that and a Sword Art Online collar. But that would have been too personal. "

Anko, always a bit baffled by the face of the young geek, did not even got angry when he made references to things she didn't know. Kiba continued with his questions.

"And who is this… Professor?"

"Mitchell?" Continued Steven. "He's my science teacher. It's been two years that I know him. He's a real genius. He worked for the army, if I remember correctly, before his career change. He knows everything in physic, electronic and a little about chemistry. "

Anko and Kiba could not notice the admiration in his voice, speaking about this man, or his more playful look.

"He is a great teacher." He added. "We talked sometimes at the end of the lessons. He said I was smart, and he did not understand why I had such average results. We even talked about Science fiction. We got along well. "

Steven lost his smile again, replaced by a puzzled concern. He did not know what to think about the Professor since he arrived in this world. It was he, with his strange box, that send him here after all. It seemed he did not know who the teacher was after all. He wondered where he could be now, what happened to him after his "journey", and what the hell this cubic gadget was.

Kiba was too innocent to understand that talking about the teacher was difficult for the metalhead, he asked him one last thing, still not understanding how it was possible.

"But you really don't have buddies? You're weird but, I must admit, you're a nice guy."

This naivety, despite the compliment, really started to annoy Anko. This child did not see it was rubbing salt in the wound? Steven was a little surprised by the compliment, understanding that Kiba didn't understand. He explained then, with a false smile.

"Little guy ... Unfortunately, There are people who are very lonely. People who have nobody, even if they are very friendly. As Naruto for example ... By the way, you would get along well. You should try to speak with him. "

This advice quite surprised Anko. Kiba said, looking down, not with shame but incomprehension.

"The clan say that we shouldn't approach him. They say he is a demon or something else."

Anko sighed. She knew why people were talking like this about the little blond. That annoyed her. But what could she do? Then Steven asked to the small Inuzuka.

"Would you say that ?"

"Sorry?" Wondered the boy with red marks.

"You met him this morning. Would you say that he's a demon?"

Anko seemed intrigued by what was saying the teenager with pendants. Kiba, a little lost at first, thought for a moment. Then he said.

"I would say he's a baka (idiot) ..."

"On this point we agree." Stated Steven.

"But he's pretty cool." Kiba finished.

"So that's all that matters for now."

The child didn't seems to grasp what he meant by that. Neither Anko. The teenager then explained with some common conviction, convinced he was telling a banal and universal truth.

"People are stupid sometimes, especially when they are in large numbers. Who knows, maybe what they say is true. But you have to check it by yourself before thinking what others think. You do not judge someone until you know him or her yourself. "

This greatly surprised the kunoichi, raising her eyebrows. Kiba looked a little lost, but he actually seemed to be thinking about what Steven just told him.

It was then that the door opened to reveal Hana, a roll in her hand. She gave the object to Eiko, saying they now had permission to enter. The ninja nodded and pointed to the trio that they could go. They all sighed, relieved that the wait was finally over.

Steven then passed near Kamu, the watchdog. At this time, the animal snorted, as if something suspicious had suddenly appeared. Then he turned to the geek, muscles tensed, and groaned on Steven with rage-filled eyes, as if he was ready to attack. This surprised everyone, including Eiko, but nobody could see it in his case, he was too much insensitive. The dog growled on Steven.

The Geek, used to not be appreciated by animals, didn't thought it was a special thing, although kamu's fangs scared him. He entered quickly in the domain, mentally calling the dog 'Nasty Animal '. The others, although quite perplexed, entered then forgot this incident.

But Kamu remained tensed, fangs in evidence. Eiko glanced toward the investigator's group.

Before the door of the Inuzuka's mansion, Steven could only be pleasantly intrigued discovering a true traditional Japanese house, especially as it seemed very large.

"So?" Anko called out. "What do we do now?"

Steven was a little troubled there. If what the man had written was true, the solution to their problem was here. But he had no idea what he was looking for. He had yet to find something. He then asked the Inuzuka children.

"Did you noticed some strange things recently?"

The two children pondered but their response was unfortunately negative. He asked the most basic and logical thing, in absence of better ideas.

"Well, I propose to separate. Now that we know that we must keep an eye on everything here, we probably will find something. You, the children, this is your home, you should search in the places that you know but being more careful. You surely will spot any abnormal thing. Anko, you're a real kunoichi, I need you to go to the places they have not, on the contrary, the right to visit. With your skills, maybe you will spot something. "

The kunoichi appreciated the consideration, and the fact that he was careful to not acting like he was giving them order. She questioned, however.

"What about you? What are you going to do?"

Steven looked at the little forest surrounding the house and announced.

"I'm going to explore in the area. I'm not used to buildings like this. I do not know well what is abnormal or not. So I'll look in the woods, I have more chance to notice something. "

The three companions approved with a nod and the two children went into the house. Anko remained a little behind and told to Steven.

"I'm supposed to keep an eye on you, you know?"

"Yes, but it is not really the time to follow orders to the letter." Informed Steven.

Anko knew he was right, she expected that answer, and it pleased her. So she told him with a smile, quite amused.

"If you have a problem, scream. I know you are perfectly capable of this."

The Gamer growled as she closed the door behind her.

'She I'm Ashley from Resident Evil 4 or what?' He thought grumpily.

After that, he went around the house. He looked for anything that might be an abnormality, a clue or an indication. He even hoped to see this strange guy. Whoever he was, why would he guide him?

Steven came to a small plain in which there were many dogs. It was there that visibly rested the beasts of the Inuzuka clan. Steven thought he couldn't be hated by all the animals, Kamu must be particularly aggressive. As he tried to walk very quietly beside them, not drawing attention. But it didn't happened as he hoped for.

Most dogs sniffed then faced the geek, growling. They showed all their teeth, especially a huge wolfhound with an eye patch which alone made him willing to run.

"You must be kidding ..." stammered Steven. "Now it's the Cerberus of the first Resident Evil."

Seeing a real rabid dogs army beginning to surround him, and obviously ready to bite. Steven began to back slowly, hands in evidence to show that he wanted to hurt nobody. But that didn't calmed the Cerberus. Fortunately, the animals did not seem to follow him. Steven ran for a moment to the trees, as a security measure, screaming and remembering.

'Rule number one of Survival Horror games: If it growls, RUN!'

A little further, he stopped and sighed when he saw that he wasn't chased. He ran his hand through his hair, avoiding well to not undo his Oz Vessalius strand. Then his gaze was attracted by a black shape among the trees. He observed carefully and, completely shocked, saw the famous man in checked shirt. This one stood in the shade of a big dead tree and was looking at the geek in the eye with a very inexpressive face that was visibly marked by a form of fear.

The strange figure heavily raised his arm and pointed a finger at the dead tree. Steven, eyes wide, did not know what to say. He observed this without flinching for a moment. And he started screaming when he felt a hand on his shoulder. Turning around, he discovered that it was Anko.

"Hey! Are you ok?" She asked. "I heard you screaming."

Steven turned quickly towards the dead tree. The man in shirt had disappeared. Steven, stammering a little, quickly questioned the kunoichi indicating where the unknown person was.

"You ... You saw that?"

Anko blinked, misunderstanding, then looked in the direction he pointed.

"What? The tree?" She asked. "Yeah, so what?"

It was not, of course what he was referring to. But it was impossible that she couldn't have see it if he had been in front of him, she must have looked in the same direction as him. But hearing at the tone she had, Anko clearly didn't saw the stranger. Steven was really mad for a moment. He rubbed his eyes with an anxious sigh. Anko stood next to him and repeated her question.

"You okay? Or did you officially lose your mind?"

"I wonder ..." he admitted quietly.

He suddenly remembered why he was here, it was because this strange man told him to do it. If he had returned and had pointed this tree, it must be important. Steven ran to the dead tree, surprising Anko who followed him. Once there, the geek looked carefully and found an opening at the base of the plant. He looked inside. He first noticed nothing, but looking closer, he saw that the floor was actually covered with a brown fabric covered with earth. Steven withdrew it under the astonished gaze of Anko, and discovered beneath a small box in a hole.

Fascinated by this discovery, Steven tried to open the box. He managed to remove the cover ... and what he found there froze him with stupor.

The box was filled with small yellow and black gears, the size of a hand, which Steven recognized as having seen it in many Crime Series. Like the Colt Python who threatened Naruto, the Londoner could not believe for a moment what he saw, but he could not do otherwise. He slowly took one of these devices, frightened by the idea that he could actually touch them, and then admit their existence. His hand then made contact with one of these black objects, heart pounding at full speed, and observed it closely. He could not deny anything when he read on the butt of the object: TASER X26.

Steven thought he was on the verge of fainting. How was that possible? First a Colt, now TASER? And there wasn't many of them in this box, maybe fifteen. But the worst was the small dusty box in a corner. After examination, the geek could read on it, staring wide-eyed: Ammo, Wolf Company, Made in Brazil.

It was ammunition for the weapons of the same type as the Colt Python, and the box was open and a little empty.

While Anko, intrigued by what she saw, draw the geek's attention to ask for explanations. Not knowing where to start, the English boy could only say what he was certain about.

He explained to the kunoichi that these devices enable anyone to knock out people by electrocuting them, and that was one of these machines that killed Kuro Inuzuka as it could cause death to a person with a heart condition.

Mitarashi could hardly believe it, she had never heard of such objects. To stop her doubts, Steven grabbed the TASER in his hand, pointed it to the ground and pulled the trigger. Two strings got out of the device and dug into the ground. The gamer then removed the needle box from the grip, to be sure to not get electrocuted, and took the projectiles on the ground. When he showed the two needles with their strings to Anko, she was completely flabbergasted. The needles they found on the crime scene looked like those from this strange object.

There she had to admit that Steven had surprised her.

"H ... How did you know about that arms cache?"

Steven was troubled, he still couldn't talk about the guy in checked shirt. It was a direct return ticket to the asylum. So he said that he had an intuition seeing that tree, he could have been mistaken, but apparently luck was on their side.

Anko, good specialist in interrogations was not completely fooled. She understood that he was not sincere. But before she asks him more questions, Steven quickly said they had no time to lose. He took a TASER loaded and put it in his pocket to present it at the trial as evidence.

He told the kunoichi that they should join Hana and Kiba. Anko, sensing the geek's eagerness, just shook her head then followed him.

Once in the house, Steven called the two young Inuzuka who joined him quickly. They hoped that the stranger had found something. Steven then asked them questions. First of all if they had seen someone approaching the dead tree outside, possibly with a box. Their response was unfortunately negative.

Steven, stressed by the lack of clues and too much assumptions growled thoughtfully. He considered each elements of the case, each suspects and he connected them logically. Eventually, he found two possibilities, but lacking clues. He asked to the children.

"What can you tell me about Eiko?"

This surprised everyone, but Hana answered.

"Uh ... He's a new member. Him and his dog arrived three months ago. It's our uncle who recommended him when he returned from a trip."

Steven's eyes widened. Did the pieces assembled at last?

"Your Uncle Gaku travel often?" he asked.

Hana confirmed.

"Yes, he's a little like a clan's ambassador. The Hokage even sometimes send him to diplomatic missions for the village."

"He often comes up with stuff that were offered to him." Kiba added.

One more piece fits into the puzzle. Steven asked, dreading the answer.

"And would you say your father liked Eiko?"

It is Kiba who answered this time.

"Not at all! Dad was suspicious of him. Besides, the other dogs didn't not like Kamu."

Hana said.

"He did not like the idea of making him join the clan. But Gaku insisted and it was mom who decided, as the clan leader, to let him join us. She thought he was strong enough and thought it would calm down some people to see her accepting a new one like him. "

Another piece fits. Only a few were missing now. Steven turned quickly and exclaimed to Anko.

"Anko-san! I almost resolved this case."

This surprised and intrigued the children and the kunoichi. Steven continued.

"But I miss some elements and we lack of time. You will need to do some things for me please."

Anko, in other circumstances, would have bitched about the idea that he would give orders, even gently, but here, feeling how urgent it was, she just asked him, a little confused, what he wanted her to do. Steven explained.

"We need you to quickly go to see a ninja with a fox mask, I do not know his name by cons. If I'm not mistaken, he should know about Naruto's attack. You have to ask him if it was linked to the Hasaki case and, if so, what were the other suspects and what he knows about the civilian who attacked Naruto. "

Anko remembered the assault, she was there after all. And she knew which ninja he was referring to. So she nodded to confirm she would do it and disappeared in a cloud of smoke, the famous Shunshin.

It startled a little Steven, it was the first time he saw one of this, but he had no time to wonder. He then asked Hana.

"You, you must go at Naruto's apartment. You must ask him where he put my bag and take a very strange metal object looking like this." Steven did some kind of "J" with his hands. "Then you will bring Naruto and this object at the trial, where we will regroup."

Hana did not understand everything, especially not why it could help them, but Steven's tone convinced her that it was of great importance. She nodded and ran as fast as possible out of the house. Finally, Steven looked at Kiba and Akamaru.

"You and I are going to recover the box that is there and bring it to the courtroom."

Kiba didn't grasp what he was referring to but understood that he would soon find out. So the trio ran to the trees, under the always worried gaze of the man in checked shirt, looking at them from the roof.

Kiba, Akamaru and Steven ran through the streets of Konoha for a while. Steven was carrying the box and Kiba was before him. But the boy stopped, with his puppy, when he heard the sound of wood on the ground. He discovered the geek breathing strongly, completely out of breath.

"What are you doing?" Shouted Kiba. "This is no time to take a break."

The young Englishman was no longer able to run. His physical capacities were still very low. However, he knew he had to not be a burden, as he said to the child.

"Take the box and go ahead, I'll meet you there. I breathe a bit and I'm coming."

Anko told him this afternoon where the trial would take place. Kiba growled a bit, but eventually took the box, which wasn't so heavy, and left in a hurry, thinking about her mother that he had to save.

The Gamer sat down for a moment, catching his breath. He was not yet exhausted, he would soon recover, but he had to avoid arriving dead tired at the trial. He said aloud.

"If there's one thing Shadow of the Colossus taught me, it is to manage my endurance."

He then heard footsteps stopping in front of him, and some grunts.

Steven looked up and saw something that he wasn't happy at all to see. Eiko, the ninja with long white hair, looked at him by his height, in the company of his black dog with sharp teeth.

Before the geek could say anything, Eiko seized a kunai and coldly ordered him to get up.

Steven did not understand directly. He just raise his eyebrows. Then the ninja repeated his order. The English metalhead understood what was going on, for his great misfortune. Eiko wanted to silence him. He was linked to all this.

Kamu grunted again and Steven stood up, terrorized by this beast. He looked around, but the street was deserted, it was the middle of the afternoon, everyone was busy somewhere. The threatening ninja indicated an alley between two buildings behind him. Steven didn't want to obey, he knew what this meant. Eiko just wanted a quiet place to hide his body. Steven trembled. He wanted to run, to run away. But what could he do against a highly trained ninja and his war hound? Him? With his thin muscles and mollusk's endurance? He had already fight once, with students from the elementary school, but it was many years ago and he never had won. So he did what the ninja wanted, entering into the alley.

The walk seemed horribly slow and difficult to him. He didn't want to be killed dammit. When he came to a crossroads in the dark alley, he decided to try his luck. He ran at full speed. But it was in vain. The ninja, in a single bound, was in front of the geek and hit him in the stomach. The punch almost made him vomit. The teenager couldn't stood over his legs and coughed, on hands and knees in the dust.

He looked up to see Eiko's cold stare, looking at him as an insignificant prey, or rather an insect that would be crushed before forgetting about it and quickly do something else. Steven remembered that he had a TASER in his pocket, he had hope again and quickly pulled the device from his pocket and pointed it at the ninja, but failed, shooting aside, when the watchdog savagely bit his arm . The pain was excruciating, to the point of making the geek yell and release the non-lethal weapon. But his voice was interrupted by a kick that the ninja gave him in the face, throwing him against the wall. Kamu had dropped his arm, but now Steven was in pain and bleeding.

The geek was on the verge of fainting. His last hour had come.

'No ...' He said, tears beginning to flow. 'I don't want to die ...'

The ninja raised his kunai and was going to cut his throat.

End of Flashback

"Mercy ..." Steven whispered.

The ninja replied, still without emotion.

"No. The chief does not like those who threaten his business."

Steven could no longer breathe. The terror was too great. The blade of the ninja whistled through the air. Steven closed his eyes.

Then he heard a big shock. Steven opened his eyes catching his breath, surprised to not be dead.

He saw someone he was so glad to see.

"Anko!" He exclaimed.

The kunoichi, a kunai in hand, gave a blow to the Eiko's face, projecting him a little further. Kamu jumped back and was in fighting position. She cast a glance to Steven to make sure he wasn't too messed up. He seems okay, he would recover. She ordered him to get away, what he immediately did getting out of the alley.

Eiko rose up and took up a position, his dog close to him.

"You did a big mistake." He said.

Anko frowned and jumped into the fray.

His enemies tried to attack by two sides. Anko jumped between them, landing with a roll, dodging Eiko's kunai and Kamu's fangs. She summoned a clone then started a fire jutsu.

"Katon - Ryuka no Jutsu (Dragon Fire Technique)!"

Flames sprang from the kunoichi's lips. Eiko responded with another jutsu.

"Suiton - Suijin Heki (water formation wall)!"

The two jutsu clashed, creating a thick cloud of steam. Eiko remained motionless, waiting for the next move of his opponent. Kamu barked and his master turned to block a blow with a kunai. The two enemies looked into each other's eyes before exchanging punches. A group of giant snakes came from behind the shinobi but Kamu shredded them with his claws and fangs.

Anko then appeared from the mist to give the dog a kick which pushed him against his master. Both fell down but got up with a pirouette while Anko and her clone summoned together.

"Sen'eijashu! (Hidden Shadow Snake Hands)"

The snake cloud came over them too fast. The dog was caught by several reptiles and Eiko, even if he dodged some of them, was bitten on the shoulder. He cut off the head of the snake that had bitten him and took it off directly, his face not expressing any sign of suffering, even for a second.

Anko and her clone had a smirk. One of the kunoichi laughed.

"That's all you got? Gaku really have very low standards."

Without flinching, Eiko tossed a kunai that Anko dodged, which made the weapon crash into the wall. Then she heard a familiar whistle. The Kunai was an explosive one. The kunoichi jumped quickly then the weapon exploded, destroying the wall, the clone and their snakes. Anko rose up quickly but then discovered that her enemy had fled with his animal.

Mitarashi sighed with frustration. His opponent would not go far away with ninja snake's venom in their veins. But she didn't saw where he could escape. She turned to a corner and saw Steven, eyes wide open. She approached him and asked if he was okay.

Speechless, the young man didn't answered. He looked terrified and impressed. What he saw was more stunning than a circus show or an American blockbuster. His mind didn't react. The kunoichi snapped her fingers before his eyes saying.

"Hey! Are you awake?"

The geek came out of his trance and felt again pain on his arm. He dared not touch bloody teeth's marks, they made him suffer more than he ever had in his life. The ninja saw the wound and told him.

"Don't worry, I'll bring you to a doctor. The trial will have to wait, I have no bandage on me."

Suddenly remembering this case, that the combat and fear made him forget, Steven remembered what was at stake. He had promised Hana and Kiba to help their mother.

"No." He spoke through gritted teeth, surprising Anko. "We go to the courtroom right now."

The kunoichi growled, with a disapproving look.

"You don't have to play rough." She scolded. "You're injured and must treat this wound. The trial will probably last for a while and ..."

"No!" Interrupted the geek viciously. "Everyone believes that Tsume is guilty, we're the only ones with the elements to prove her innocence and who the real culprit is. They'll probably finish this quickly if we do not do anything now. So we must go, NOW."

Anko saw in his eyes the same determination as when he spoke about his promises. She understood it was the reason why he was so angry. She was not going to knock him out, especially knowing he was certainly right about the trial. She huffed and asked what they would do about his injury. Steven told her to take a piece of her jacket, which she refused, screaming first.

"No way! You can die but you don't touch my jacket."

Steven replied.

"Oh come on! I'm sure there's fifty like this in your closet. You should have more clothes than feminine Mortal Kombat character."

Anko was on the verge of exploding, but the case came first. She resigned herself to tear a piece of her jacket and bandage Steven's arm, squeezing harder than necessary.

"Ouch!" Complained the geek. "Be careful!"

"Shut up." Rebuked the kunoichi.

The duo finally get away as quickly as possible to the courtroom. Along the way, Steven asked his partner what she had discovered.

"I spoke with Fox and went to the courtroom, but you were not there. I had a bad feeling and I followed the road that you and Kiba had probably taken through the roofs. I met Kiba who told me where he had left you and I arrived on time, but that was close. "

Steven thanked the kunoichi, but she was not in the mood. The mission was the priority for now. He then asked her all she had learned from Fox.

The kunoichi told him. And then, like magic, Steven had an almost predatory smile, which intrigued the ninja. The last pieces of the puzzle were in place.

"I have resolved this case Anko. This time I know what happened."

But Steven seemed annoyed. He thought as he ran, as if a detail was an unsolvable problem. He looked at the kunoichi and asked.

"Anko ... Do you trust me?"

She took a moment before answering.

"... More or less."

"Do not act like Nathan Drake! I seriously need your help."

Anko was not really sure of her this time. She didn't know Steven very well, it was a stranger oddly dressed, and he annoyed her more than anything. She had more than one time the desire to strangle him. But she thought back to their discussion, how he acted in this case, and how his conviction to keep his promises was strong. She had to recognize that he was a good guy. He really intended to solve this case.

She finally play it safe by requesting more information.

"What do you have in mind?"

Steven then explained what he expected of her and why ...

And she had to admit that it pleased her. On the sadistic and predatory air, face half in shadow, she said.

"You can count on me."

The courtroom was crowded. The suspect was guarded by two ANBU, and the five persons selected to judge in this case were finishing to discuss. Nobody had really talked to defend Inuzuka Tsume, not necessarily because they believed she was guilty, although many of them were, but because nobody, not even the Uchiha's officer, had any argument to defend her. Until the last moment, Hiruzen Sarutobi glanced at the door of the court, hoping for a miracle.

Many faces were visible in the meeting. Some worried, as Maito Gay, some expressionless, as Hatake Kakashi, but some were happy or purely indifferent, it was the case for the majority. All the important people of Konoha gathered for the trial. All clan leaders, including Nara, Aburame and Yamanaka were here.

The judges were at a large table facing the audience and the suspect standing before them. The five people deciding her fate were the Hokage himself, Fugaku Uchiha, Hiashi Hyuga, Danzo Shimura and Ibiki Morino.

The jury was ready to give his verdict. The majority prevailed in such cases. And unfortunately for the Sandaime, the majority thought that there was not enough evidence to declare Tsume Inuzuka as innocent. A dismissed case could have been possible, but Danzo oriented Fugaku and Hiashi's opinions. He thought that Tsume was certainly a formidable kunoichi, but a too unstable person to be a clan leader. Without being certain of her guiltiness, he thought that her sacrifice was necessary, Gaku being more predictable.

Hiruzen knew all this, but he could not talk about this without giving the impression to orientated this trial to the innocence of Tsume, while there was no evidence about that.

Therefore, the five turned to the suspect. The assembly silenced directly.

"Tsume Inuzuka ..." Began the Sandaime. "In view of the evidence we have ..."

The door to the room opened suddenly and a voice screamed.

"Objection!"

The whole room turned aroundand the five officials looked toward the entrance.

All seemed shocked and shaken by what they saw: A group with a kunoichi that nobody really liked, three children, one carrying a small box, and a young man a bit weird with a strange wolf tee-shirt, unknown medallions and three small chains at the belt.

'I was even better than Phoenix Wright this time.' Thought the gamer, smiling.

The group walked towards the heart of the room, under the incredulous eyes of the public. Along the way, Anko explained, whispering, who were the five judges. This pretty worried the metalhead.

'Damn ...' Considered Steven. 'The old man, the psychopath, two clan leaders, with one that mustn't like me, and a hyper-influential guy ... It's more like Danganronpa actually. If I do any mistake, I am dead ... literally. '

When they arrived near the suspect, shocked by her children's presence, Hana had to put a hand on Kiba's shoulder to keep him quiet. It was not the time to be sentimental. This group surprised the judges, including the presence of foreigner and the small Naruto, who seemed as determined as the others.

"May we know what this all means?" Ordered the Hyuga leader.

Steven let Anko talk. He knew that, to make them listen to his reasoning, he had to give the impression that she was in charge of the investigation. He used this opportunity to check out the public, he recognized no one except the doctor of Kuro Inuzuka. The kunoichi explained to the jury with a serious face.

"I am Mitarashi Anko. I have been mandated by the Hokage to investigate on this case, with the help of this man."

The judges' eyes rested on the stranger, who was quite uncomfortable. But he had to look decent to seem credible. So he bowed declaring.

"My name is Steven Ryan. Call me Rai-San."

Danzo had a gaze full of reproach on the Hokage.

"Sandaime, is that true?"

The Hokage replied still looking at the group.

"Yes, I thought that a second team would be a good thing."

"A good thing?" Interjected the Uchiha leader, quite outraged. "My men were already on this case. And you involved a foreigner?"

Steven thought he knew what annoyed the man. If he actually led the Konoha's police, his intervention at the request of the Hokage was like questioning his abilities.

Anko said, as calmly and respectfully as possible.

"Without trying to offend you Uchiha-sama, if you let us present what we discovered and take the time to listen to what Rai-San has to say, I think you will be interested and would see this case in a different light."

Steven felt that some of the judges did not appreciate that they interrupted them. Also, unable to restrain himself on this point, he says with maximum retained.

"And if I may be allowed to say this, it seems to me that nobody has really spoken to defend Inuzuka Tsume. And everybody has the right to be defended, right?"

Sarutobi appreciated his resolution. Not like Danzo and Hiashi, who remembered that rude young man who. But none of the judges could really argue with that. Some did not like Tsume, including a big part of the public, but she remained a kunoichi like the others. They could not condemn her right now, with someone ready to defend her. Not until hearing them at least. It would angered a lot of people and set a precedent which they would hear about for a long time.

The judges nodded toward Hiruzen, who then declared.

"All right, make the suspect sit."

The Ninjas keeping Tsume settled into a corner. She watched all this with surprise and a form of hope. His own children were with a stranger, and the famous Naruto, and they claimed to be here to defend her. She couldn't understand how, or why a foreigner would do it. She remained silent and waited to see what was going to happen, exactly like the assembly.

"We are listening to you." Announced the Hokage.

"Thank you." Replied the geek. "First of all, I have a question for Tsume-San."

He called Kiba, who deposited the box on the ground, surprising the public. The young man opened it, took an object inside and threw it to the suspect by questioning.

"What is it?"

Surprised, she caught the strange black gadget and looked at it with total stupefaction. She turned it in all directions and asked.

"What is this thing? I've never seen anything like this."

"Thank you for your answer." Declared the English boy retaking the object.

He then addressed to the jury, advancing towards their table.

"I think that, as a ninja, you saw that her astonishment was perfectly sincere."

Four of them looked at Ibiki, who confirmed with a nod. The young man then placed the object in front of the Hokage. The five judges were very intrigued by this device.

"This is a non-lethal weapon from a faraway country, capable of throwing needles, connected to the machine by iron strings, which can paralyze an opponent with a weak electric current."

This statement surprised the whole room. The judges had obviously difficult to believe it, but Steven continued.

"We found a needle from one of this devices on the crime scene, on which were the blood of the victim. And the wounds on the body corresponded to electrical burns. It's in the autopsy report, which you have probably read. "

The judges confirmed with silence, while Anko gave them the famous needle and the laboratory report confirming that it was indeed the DNA of Kuro Inuzuka on it.

"Before you ask anything..." Steven said. "Let me prove my statements."

He seized the TASER on the table, pointed to the ground and pulled the trigger. The needles propelled surprised everyone, also attracting the curiosity of some persons in the public. He removed the munition from the gun and gave it to the judges who looked at them and compared them to the one found on the crime scene. The Geek then explained.

"The person who found the body said he heard the sound of a Shunshin just before discovering Kuro-San. And I think a Shunshin is only a technique to move very quickly. This needle clung to a plant and the wire broke because of its user's speed. This is how we discovered it. "

Fugaku intervened with skepticism.

"But you claim that these weapons are non-lethal, the current they have is low. This cannot kill a shinobi on top form."

Steven, expecting this, let Anko respond with another folder.

"If Kuro had been healthy actually. But we found that the coroner, which happened to be the victim's doctor, had lied about the cause of death and concealed some informations on Kuro-Sama's condition. "

The doctor, in the public, bowed his head with shame. Anko clarified.

"Nobody except him, and Kuro-san himself of course, knew that the victim had a heart disease."

This time, the whole room seemed shocked, especially Tsume. Steven explained.

"He had revealed this to nobody, not even to his wife, and he asked his doctor to say nothing. You must know that it only takes a small electrical current to cause a heart attack to someone with this kind of health problem. "

The judges confirmed again by saying nothing. Incidentally, the Hokage had a disapproving glance toward the doctor, telling him they would talk about that later. Tsume was completely appalled. She didn't know that her husband was ill. How could she have miss such an important thing? Why did he not speak to her?

But Hiashi intervened to declare.

"Mr. Ryan, until now you show us what was the murder weapon and the cause of death. It's interesting, but it does not prove the innocence of Tsume Inuzuka."

Steven saw that the Hyuga did not intended to be patient with him. But that didn't surprised him a moment. They were obviously not going to be friends. The metalhead smiled saying.

"Straight to the point Huh? Let me explain: The way we have to prove the innocence of Tsume-San ... is to show you who's the real culprit."

The whole assembly was intrigued. The stranger had caught the jury's attention.

Steven whispered a question to Anko, who replied at the same volume.

"Front row, right half, third from the left."

Steven took a deep breath, took his courage in his hands, turned, located and pointed at the person Anko indicated saying, in a loud, confident voice.

"The culprit is YOU: Gaku Inuzuka"

The whole room seemed in shock, but the person pointed, Tsume and the children were the most surprised. Nobody could believe what was happening. The foreigner was accusing the victim's little brother. The Uncle of Kiba and Hana.

"Wh... What ?!" Exclaimed the new suspect, while voices rose from the assembly. "This is ridiculous! Hokage-Sama! You can not let this man accuse me like that!"

Sarutobi reached up and everyone silenced. He addressed to the young foreigner.

"These accusations you're making are serious."

"I do realize it, Hokage-Sama." Steven assured. "But if you let us continue, you'll understand."

Danzo did not like that at all. But Morino Ibiki announced calmly.

"I'm curious to hear what they have to say."

He was indeed interested and somewhat amused. He wished to see what one of his agents, and one of his former prisoners, had found together to accuse a respectable shinobi with such assurance.

"Me too." Signaled the Hyuga's leader.

He did not appreciate the young stranger. But he made him curious by showing this curious object, noting elements that nobody had found. And if, indeed, the one who was going to become head of the Inuzuka clan had killed his predecessor, he had to know it. There was no way for him to leave a Konoha's clan on the hands of an untrustworthy person.

The Uchiha uttered nothing and Danzo could only let the trial continue.

"So, please continue." The Hokage asked.

Gaku seemed angry, but even him knew that he could not oppose to a decision supported by the Sandaime, Morino and the Hyuga leader.

Steven explained, delighted to have captivated the right people.

"First, we must go back a little further in time. Six months ago to be right."

The judges frowned. Naruto clenched his fist, knowing that he would soon intervene. Steven had spoken to him before coming in, explaining that what was happening was important. The geek continued.

"At this time, I'm sure you know it, a civilian tried to attack Uzumaki Naruto."

They were actually aware of it. To attack this kid was something very serious for the leaders of the village. The news was unexpected, but not so surprising, for the rest of the public. Anko approached the judges table and put a bright object in the shape of a "J" which surprised them even more. The kunoichi explained.

"This is a weapon, lethal this time, from the same country as the first thing we presented you. With this weapon, the civilian attempted on Naruto Uzumaki's life. Is it not little guy? "

The judges looked at the child, who confirmed with a nod.

"A member of the ANBU with a dog mask was present." Steven added. "He would confirm this."

Knowing who it was, the judges looked from the corner of the eyes at Hatake Kakashi. This one made a discreet nod.

"Let's say we believe you Rai-San."

Steven was reassured and prosecuted.

"But you see, to be lethal, this weapon needs this."

Steven pulled out the box of ammunition and emptied it on the table, the metal bullets doing a strange melody. The Hokage took one of it and examined it while Anko continued.

"I spoke to the Anbu responsible of this case, Fox. He had questioned the civil but he refuses to speak and, shortly after he was arrested, had apparently committed suicide in his cell, while Fox was going to question him more. "

This information surprised Steven, but that didn't concerned him because it did not interfere with this trial. Mitarashi continued.

"But Fox could understand that he didn't get out of the village before, and that such a singular weapon, as described by Dog, would not go unnoticed in the village if it had been sold legally. So it was sold in secret. Fox had several suspect who could have brought this kind of object from outside the village. One of them was Akahiko Hasaki, but he was acquitted... "

The Hokage knew thanks to who it was. Steven completed.

"And another of his suspects was precisely Gaku Inuzuka."

New wave of astonishment in the public.

"He travels many times, often bringing diplomatic gifts and goods." Added the geek. "So he had brought the dangerous objects among his goods with little worried, because the guards trust him and searched with less attention. But the weapon used to attack Naruto is useless without the ammunition as I said. And that box, open and dusty, was with the same type of illegal objects that were used to kill Kuro Inuzuka. The deduction is simple, the one that brought these objects is one that also sold this gun to the civilian. The box was found on the Inuzuka domain and Gaku is the only one that had a real way to bring this kind of object, he automatically becomes suspect number one. "

Nobody dared to speak in the assembly. Fugaku Uchiha said.

"Then you accuse him of weapon trafficking. Will you finally talk about the murder?"

Steven said.

"We're getting there now. You see, Kuro Inuzuka died far from everything, and there was no sign of struggle. This added to the present injury on his back, we can conclude that he was with someone he trusted who had one of this electric weapons. But it had to be someone he trust enough to turns his back to him or her. Sick or not, he remained a well-trained ninja ... Certainly it could have been Tsume. But it wasn't because, as you have noticed, she has never seen such an object, she did not even know how to take it. And you've all seen his face when we revealed that her ex-husband had an heart condition, she was completely shocked. If she wanted to kill him, she would have not used such a machine. "

Everyone listened intently. Some were particularly surprised or captivated. Anko took over.

"We thought the culprit was this new ninja that Gaku introduced in the clan: Eiko and his dog Kamu But it was impossible…"

"Why?" Asked Danzo.

Steven had piercing eyes and a toothy smile. He raised a first finger and declared.

"Firstly: It happened three months ago, so he cannot be the one who sold the deadly weapon that threatened Naruto to the civilian. Now we have shown that the presence of this box, without which the weapon is useless, the one who sold it also was the one who was bringing electrical weapons and put them in this hidden box, which has been there for at least six months. "

Steven raised up a second finger.

"Secondly: We have clearly explained that Kuro could have been killed only by the hands of someone he trusted Only we know for sure, and no one can honestly say otherwise, that Kuro absolutely not appreciated Eiko. He distrusted him since he joined the clan. He would have never agreed to see him in the middle of the night far from everything. "

The public did not dare to say anything. The judges listened attentively. But a person arose screaming.

"This is ridiculous!" Gaku exclaimed. "You have absolutely not proved anything with your tall stories!"

But Steven didn't lost his temper. He looked into Gaku's eyes with his own half in the shadow and a sadistic air that worried Gaku himself.

"Oh don't worry." Pronounced the geek with a Machiavellian voice. "We saved the best for last."

The stranger held up a third finger.

"Thirdly ..."

He went back and Anko announced with one of her dark voices that only her knows how to do.

"After visiting the area, Rai-San separated from the rest of the group for a while. He was then threatened by Eiko which leads him to an alley to kill him. And you know what he said? "

The Inuzuka began to show signs of concern. Anko told him in the eyes, with a face of pure cruelty.

"He said: 'Gaku do not like people who doesn't mind their own business.' "

There, the suspect's eyes widened. The whole room inhaled with bewilderment. Gaku shaking. He stammered.

"He ... he's lying. It is obvious! Why would I ..."

"Kill your brother?" Interrupted Steven, who was again facing the Inuzuka. "I'll tell you."

He looked Gaku in the eye, raised his hands as if to state the obvious and declared.

"Actually, you didn't want to kill him."

This surprised even the public. The Geek explained, approaching Gaku as a predator to a trapped prey.

"You wanted to offer him to join your little traffic, that's why you had a TASER on you, to show your products. You brought him to an isolated place where you could do this discreetly. "

Steven dangerously approached the head of Gaku, making him sink into his chair.

"But he didn't agree with you. This whole thing did not pleased him. So he refused and turned your back on you. Why would he not? You were his beloved brother. He trusted you. And in a way, he was right, you did not intended to hurt him. You just wanted to silenced him, for example by locking him or something like that. So you used the stun gun to knock him out for a moment."

Steven pointed an accusing finger to Gaku.

"Except that you did not know that his heart could not bear it. You didn't know about his heart condition. So it is with terror that you realized you KILLED him."

Gaku's eyes widened more.

"And later, you were not very excited by the idea that your niece wanted to hire someone to help your step-sister. You even asked the Hokage, in a scroll, to not listen to her request. Because you knew that letting things going like this, Tsume, who you do not really appreciated, would be condemned, and you would become Clan's leader. So not only you killed your brother, and send Tsume to prison, but also you were trying to take the second thing he cared the most: the Clan. In fact the clan was perhaps your goal from the beginning. This is a story of empowerment. Is it not? All you wanted was to become Leader! "

Gaku was sweating. He was in a cold sweat. It was time to give the coup de grace. Steven turned and let Anko say.

"Right now, a ninja is bringing Eiko in a jail to interrogate him. You would better to confess before he gives a different version of the events."

The silence now reigned. Faces of stupor, amazement and even small smiles were visible.

'Interesting...' Kakashi thought.

Tears began to flow. Tears of anger, shame and sadness. They ran down the cheeks of the suspect. The judges, Tsume, the investigators and all the public were assisting to the fall of Gaku Inuzuka. It was over and he knew it.

He took his head in his hands trembling. He stammered, his voice full of grief.

"I ... didn't ... want ..."

Tsume had a hard time containing her fury.

"I didn't want ... to kill him..." Gaku repeated. "He was my brother dammit! It was an accident!"

All the eyes were on him. The only ones perfectly calm were the one of the judges. Sarutobi would almost smile, but it was a dramatic story, it would not be honorable to be happy about a man overwhelmed by regrets.

Gaku dared not open his eyes. He declared, in the nervous collapse.

"It's true that I killed him ... but it was an accident."

"And the gun?" Steven said, with anger. "You're going to pretend you did not know the civilian was going to use it to kill?"

"No ..." Admitted Gaku. "But I didn't know he would use it against a kid. If I had known I would have refused ... I swear ..."

Kiba was on the verge of exploding, he would have done if his sister wasn't holding him, eyes full of terror.

"I swear this is how it happened." Insisted the culprit. "I never wanted to hurt him. Everything else that Eiko would say is a lie."

Steven wanted to laugh. But he thought it was not fair. Even if he had killed someone, he was a man destroyed by regrets. Only he had to tell the truth now that this comedy was over.

"Eiko will not say anything." Informed the gamer "He ran away at the first difficulty."

Gaku looked up and mumbled, shocked by what he heard.

"But ... you said ..."

Anko announced almost proud of herself.

"It was a trick. He never talked about you. But now you admitted everything."

The Inuzuka seemed frozen, eyes wide open. His mind was foggy. All his life had collapsed.

The Sandaime said.

"I think we have what we need."

One of the ANBU guarding Tsume approached Gaku and made him stand up, taking him by the arm. There was no resistance. The ANBU took him towards the entrance of the court. Sarutobi said.

"You can take off Tsume-San's handcuffs."

The other ANBU complied. But the moment he took the bonds off, the Kunoichi ran upon Gaku and flattened him to the ground, before punching him, screaming with rage. It rained blows on his face with fury and hatred. Nobody dared to oppose to this struggle, or rather this wild animal attack ... Except a young man who had the impression of seeing all its efforts on the verge of being wiped out.

Steven grabbed one arm of the kunoichi telling her to stop. This was not enough to calm her, but his intervention managed to get her attention. Steven, carried away by an impulse he did not understood himself, said in a quiet but firm voice.

"Don't do that. Think about Kiba and Hana. They need you."

Tsume eyes widened and turned to her children. They were on the verge of crying. She dropped Gaku and joined her family, taking her children in her arms. Kiba and Hana began to cry, as much of grief than relief. One of the people they trust the most they had killed one of their loved one, but they had saved their mother.

Suddenly, more because of fear than hope of escape, Gaku got up and started running towards the door of the courtroom. But, not looking in front of him, he didn't saw that it was already open, and that a very authoritarian woman was there.

"You didn't had enough?" She said angrily.

This time, Gaku turned his head, he took a masterly punch that propelled him to the other side of the room at the speed of sound. Leaving the entire assembly in total bewilderment, including Anko, the judges, Tsume and the children. Steven, however, did not know how to react, it was cool and in total contrast to what happened a few minutes before.

Everyone looked toward the entrance and all, especially the five judges, open their eyes wide.

"I hope I do not interrupt anything." Declared the funny lady.

The Hokage stood up from his chair, shouting in surprise.

"Tsu ... Tsunade?!"

Steven did not fully understand. But given how people were surprised, or frightened, the woman was clearly someone important.

Then the geek heard a voice that seemed strangely familiar.

"Tsunade-sensei! What's going on?"

A young redhead girl in black sweatshirt with a strand of wooden beads, appeared in the doorway, with a worried face.

The girl saw what happened, but her eyes focused on the young with a shirt full of wolves.

Her eyes widened as if she had seen a ghost.

Steven's eyes widened as if he had seen an alien.

There was a moment of startled silence.

"STEVEN?" Screamed the young redhead.

"RIA?" Replied the geek.

Thank you for you patience and your loyalty ^^

Well… I hope actually you didn't abandoned my fic like a dead rat on the road XD

Maybe a little review or MP to see if you're satisfied and still there :P

I'm already translating the next Chapter. ;-)

List of references:

Game of Thrones, Saint Seiya, Resident Evil 4, Resident Evil, Pandora Heart, Shadow of the Colossus, Mortal Kombat, Uncharted, Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney, Danganronpa.