A/N: Hello and welcome to the next installment...assuming there's any of you still reading this thing. Why the long wait? Writer's block on an epic scale. Took three rewrites, lots of alcohol, and far too much scowling at a blank screen for hours on end before I finally realized what was wrong. The verdict? I was trying to put something into this story that I hadn't planned or thought too much about, but many of you are excited to see-the Uchiha Trial. So after a frustrating third draft scrap and a hot shower it hit me; fuck the Uchiha trial, write your damn story. So this is it. You'll gets bits of the trial, but this arc is mainly focused on two people: Sai and Shino. Sorry to those of you who were awaiting the trial. You'll get some peaks, but my character and plot development needs to go in a different direction.

Quick shout out to the Guest who realized where Sai's 10 commandments came from. All hail the froggy warrior and Godfather of the Navy Seals-Demo Dick Marcinko.


Chapter 53: BOHICA

It took a moment of Tsunade slamming her gavel before she caved and unleashed her chakra over the crowd. The results were instant, and in the calm that followed she spoke, "You understand declaring 'Not Guilty' will make you ineligible for an appeal or plea for parole should things not go your way."

"I understand," Sasuke answered.

"We'll break for a twenty minute recess," Tsunade said. "When we return we'll proceed through the actual trial."

The gavel's slam echoed over the murmurs of the crowd, and Ibiki appeared with his entourage to escort Sasuke, Naruto, and Shikamaru to a holding area.

"Well she took that better than I expected," Naruto said once they cleared the arena.

"I'm sure she expected this much out of us," Shikamaru said. "The question is how will she take our argument?"

"Don't you mean the crowd and clan heads," Sasuke asked.

"Naturally," Shikamaru said. "But even if you're acquitted she could still make your life a living hell."

Sasuke grunted as they entered the room and sat. "What do you think the odds are my trail will end well?"

Shikamaru shared a look with Naruto and shrugged, "Honestly can't say. I'll have a better idea after the first session."

Sasuke's head bobbed and the room shifted to silence.

Naruto watched Sasuke—the calm exterior before him was an act. A twitch of the lip. The ever-so-slight narrowing of his eyes. Something was eating at him and it was only a matter of time.

"How's Sakura?"

Naruto's head dipped to hide his smirk and he folded his arms, "She's about how you'd expect—on edge and pissed off at everything."

"Have you talked to her?"

"Yeah, but it was brief. Gotta be careful."

He was talking about the plan they'd concocted—an all or nothing last resort to hopefully get Sasuke off the hook. Nobody knew about Sakura's pregnancy or Sasuke being the father. Naruto had suggested they get another doctor to verify the truth, but Shikamaru had shot it down. He'd argued the less people that knew, the better chance of it remaining quiet. The plan was to ask Shizune to examine Sakura just before she'd be called to witness. When she admitted to her pregnancy the prosecutor would no doubt call for an examination for proof, and that's when they'd call Shizune to verify.

Of course, that didn't mean Naruto was willing to leave it to chance with the jury and Tsunade. He was more than willing to play dirty if it meant freeing his friend, Jiraya had taught him that much. But the most important thing he needed to know right now was the motivations of the man sitting across from.

"Sasuke," he said, "before we go any further I need to hear it from you. Do you love Sakura?"

Sasuke's eyes shifted and squinted. His lips disappeared as the corners tugged down slightly. His folded arms tightened, but finally he said—

"Yes. I love Sakura. I want to be free so I can tell her myself. But more than anything I want to be there for the birth of my child…Our child."

The strained look on his face melted with the last sentence, and Naruto nodded, "Then leave the rest to us."


1010 hrs


"This is…team…enemy…aged…me nin…"

Sai frowned, ignoring the howling in his gut and activated his seal. "Say again."

"Thi…is…red team. Enemies…engaged…Ame shinobi."

Red team—that was Shindou's team who'd taken the northern point of Ame. The restlessness in Sai's stomach increased while his heart two stepped from the adrenaline dumping into him. He'd been right. The opening shots had been fired Ame was at the center of it. He opened his mouth to relay the news to Shino when Sojin spoke.

"This is Green…Confirmed e…emy sighted. They're using explo…" The transmission cut out as lightning and thunder echoed through the skies.

No. Not thunder. Explosives. Tendrils of cold stitched around him and this time it wasn't because of their high altitude. The weather reports were right, it wasn't thunder. But at the rate they'd thought they'd been hearing it…Sai's eyes strained to pierce the clouds while yelling, "All teams, confirm enemy's level of force."

"Red team—use of excessive force. They've leveled four by two blocks with massive explosives."

"Yellow team," the eastern border, "no sign of enemy activity in this sector."

"Green team," Sojin reported—the southern border, "use of excessive force here as well. Two blocks are gone."

"Blue team," Renai spoke, "Can confirm massive damage in this sector. Five blocks destroyed and the western bridge has collapsed."

"Red team again—northern bridge is in the water and the port is a lake of fire."

On cue Sai's bird passed through what he expected to be a thick rain cloud and was rewarded with burning fuel and soot invading his nose. More explosions erupted, and this time Sai was close enough to see the plumes of smoke and debris rise up through the atmosphere. The others needed to know about this.

"Control this is Vengeance, do you copy?"

"Affirmative Vengeance," Shino answered, "what's happening?"

"Be advised heavy enemy activity in Ame. Large scale, total war, progressing throughout most of Ame's border." Sai pushed more chakra into his bird and forced it to press on faster despite the thin air. With any luck, the fighting would give them a window to get in, get Konan, and get out with no one noticing. His thoughts halted when he realized Shino never responded back. "Control do you copy?"

"Sa…again…ver."

Sai glanced at his compass and then his watch.


1013 hrs


The radio seal linking back to Konoha was out of range. The final one was to be planted on tallest tower in Ame, conveniently the same one Konan lived and ruled in. Cursing his luck and a particular entity known for fucking things up, Sai switched seal channels back to his team.

"All teams, be advised there has been a change in mission objective. Rendezvous at designation white immediately after placing primary objectives."

A string of copies followed just as Sai glanced down to see the radio antenna only a couple hundred meters below his bird—Konan's tower. Pulling up on his bird, their carrier shifted into a tight loop that ended with a fast descent towards their objective.

"Be ready," Sai said.

"Yes sir," Torou and Hachibane said tensing.

Ten meters from the roof their mount threw its wings open halting their fall before bursting into a black mist. Through it, Sai and his team appeared with Windsingers up and ready. The moment the feet smacked the ground they were pumping their legs across the top of the building. The radio tower appeared before them, and without missing a step Sai dropped his Windsinger allowing the sling to catch, and scaled the needle while Torou and Hachibane took up guard positions. He was sliding the final radio seal out when Sojin started yelling.

"En…y conta…" the radio squealed between bursts of yelling and small explosions. "Came o…the w…er. Shit! Get ba… to…bird!"

The antennae rang from the force of his hand as he slammed the seal on it, activated it, and said, "Yellow team do you copy?"

More static. Just like the festival.

"Yellow team, come in."

"Bird…own," Sojin said. "On f…t by…bridg—"

A massive explosion cut through the air forcing Sai to grab on to the antennae it shook the building so hard. It came from the south. From the bridge where Yellow team had been.

"Yellow team, are you there?"

Nothing.

Sai's chest clenched as he switched links to Shino, "Control do you copy?"

Interference was his only response.

They were on their own, again.

Cut off, again.

Sai's feet slapped the ground with a wet splash, and when he looked up he was met with somber looks from Torou and Hachibane.

"We've lost contact with Yellow team and comms are dark," Sai said. They already knew it. But sometimes hearing it helped push you forward. "Once the teams rendezvous here I'll send a group to search for them."

They nodded and Sai's eyes narrowed, "Lock it up! I need you sharp. Hachibane, you're on point."

"Yes sir!"


1016 hrs


The world was spinning before he even opened his eyes, and when he did it was nothing but colors blurring together.

He was seriously getting tired of waking up like this.

Something heavy lay across his chest so he flexed his arms to push it off. A mistake. A very painful mistake. They hurt like hell. Belay that, everything hurt like hell. Like every jointed in his body had been dislocated and then popped back in. But he needed to move—they all did. The enemies couldn't have been too far behind, assuming the explosion didn't get them.

Sojin tilted his head up to find a chunk of concrete lay on him. Gritting his teeth he pushed it off, ignoring the burn in his arms and the throbbing pain. His vision shifted up only to fill with orange and reds smearing together with black and grey. He tried to speak, but all that came out was a cracked cough from his seared throat. Just how big was that explosion?

Chakra flooded to his eyes and his vision extended to tell him just how big it was. Big enough to take down the southern bridge leading into Ame. He retracted his telescopic vision and found his teammates not too far from him buried in the rubble.

With another groan he stumbled to his feet, working his mouth open and closed in a desperate attempt to rid the ringing in his ears which—with a quick check of his fingers—were in fact bleeding.

Great fucking start to the mission.

Mizo was closest to him, halfway buried under a collapsed brick wall. He came to with a few smacks, but pulling him out was a chore as much as it was a challenge.

"How do you feel," Sojin rasped.

Mizo stared at him for a moment, "WHAT?!"

"For god's sake, use your inside voice," Sojin's eyes darted around for any other movement.

"I can't hear you!"

"No shit," Sojin hissed and then pressed a finger to his lips, "Shut the fuck up!"

Mizo clenched his eyes groaning and working his jaw. Sojin left him there, moving to another who looked to be covered in a thick layer of grimy dust. Rolling him over revealed him to be Setsuna, who luckily awoke from the jostling.

"Need to move," he rasped to Sojin.

"Can you stand?" Setsuna nodded and grunted with effort. "Need to get the others. Hebitsu is near the alley intersection. I'll get Banno."

Despite his eyes telling Sojin his teammate was still alive, when he found Banno he could have sworn he hadn't made it. A large gash was open across his forehead and a piece of concrete lie across his lower back. Sojin gripped his shoulder in an attempt to wake him up, but had to fall backwards to avoid a Jyuuken strike.

That was Banno—tenacious to a fault.

"Hey it's me, Sojin! Can you hear?"

"Sojin," Banno said tasting the word. His brow worked together before he nodded. "I can hear. But my vision is shit, head is pounding, and legs are shot."

Sojin's stomach contracted, "Can you feel them?"

Banno nodded, but winced in the process. "Feels like a million torched needles are being jabbed into me."

Sojin nodded and moved to the side to hide the relief on his face. Feeling meant he'd be able to walk again after Tsunade or her apprentices patched him up. Assuming they made it home.

"You will never assume," Sai's voice echoed.

Sojin grit his teeth and pumped chakra into his arms and legs, forcing the massive rubble of his teammate and ignored the short cry Banno gave.

"Just leave me," Banno panted. "I can't walk and I can barely see even with my Byakugan activated."

"Shut up and climb on," Sojin said grabbing his arms and looping them around his neck. "Just cover my ass with your Windsinger."

The added weight nearly made Sojin fall when combined with his own shit orientation, but by the time they made it back the others were standing or leaning on one another.

"Who's in the best shape," Sojin asked.

"I am," Hebitsu said working his shoulder. "I was on point so I took the least amount of the blast."

"Well guess who's on point again," Sojin nodded.

"We breaking out the machinery," Setsuna asked eying Banno's Windsinger.

"Don't have a choice," Sojin said.

"What'd he say," Mizo asked managing to whisper and shout at once.

"Windsinger," Setsuna said again summoning his weapon and pointing to it.

Sojin eyed Mizo, who was leaning against the wall and frowned. "Is something wrong with his foot?"

"Busted pretty bad," Setsuna said throwing one of Mizo's arms around him. "Bone was sticking clean through his damn skin. Set it and splinted it as best I could."

"Perfect," Sojin said. That meant only Hebitsu would have free movement, and he'd be the one on point. "Banno and I will take the rear. We'll take the most direct route to designation white. Avoid contact unless it's to help out any Ame nin—with any luck they'll thank us before killing us."


1028 hrs


Shino stared at the pathetic excuse of a map before him, hating everything about the 2D image projected vertically over the table. Silently, he watched five dots in the southern most point of Ame slowly inch their way forward after being motionless for what seemed like an eternity. A sigh of relief pushed against his lips, but he refused to release it. The mission was off to a horrendous start, and god only knew where it would end. His logical mind endlessly processed the information presented before him, and he outwardly grimaced.

Pros: All team members were alive and had successfully entered Ame.

Cons: The list was long, the details varied, but the punch line was—telling Naruto was going to suck…A lot.

"How long until we reestablish communication," he asked Jihibiki. Levitating along the walls of the room was thousands of seal coding—utter gibberish to Shino, but to the Uzumaki only a matter of time. Hopefully.

The only indication Jibiki heard him was the finger being held up as he poured over lines upon lines of seal. "One," Shino asked. "One what? Minute, hour, day?"

"Just gimme a damn minute," Jihibiki snapped, his glare zipping back and forth. Finally, after several seconds a string of curses broke from him and he turned for the door.

"Where are you going," Shino asked.

"To get the only other person in this village better than me at Fuuin jutsu!"

"Your wife?"

"My granddaughter." Stopping in the door he added, "Tell Naruto what's happened."

A soft click sounded as the door sealed shut, and in the coming silence Shino frowned at the map saying, "Can't wait."


1030 hrs


"We have a problem."

Naruto and Shikamaru shared a look then dropped back from Ibiki's group escorting Sasuke to the arena.

"Define problem," Naruto said.

"Ame is under attack, cut off, and we've lost communication with the teams on the ground."

The two stopped, trying to process Shino's report.

"I thought you said we had a problem," Naruto hissed. "I hear problems!"

"We do have a problem," Shino said. "This mission is turning into a clusterfuck."

"As rare as this moment is, focus." Shikamaru cut in, "When did this happen?"

"Approximately twenty minutes ago."

"And you're sure of this," Naruto asked.

"Yes," Shino answered. "They managed to confirm the village was under attack and that two of the four bridges leading in and out of Ame were destroyed. I believe a third bridge was destroyed after losing contact from the position of one of the teams and their proximity to it when they were thrown."

A single finger of ice tapped Naruto's spine and trailed down it. "Casualties?"

"All alive and accounted for, but it appears two are injured."

"Injured and surrounded by enemy forces," Shikamaru muttered. His hand twitched for his pipe, but he resisted for the moment.

He was about to speak when Ibiki interrupted, "Uzumaki, Nara, hurry up!"

Shikamaru glanced at Naruto and felt his face morph to the same grim set his counterpart held. "She needs to be informed," he said.

Naruto nodded and a clone appeared only to disappear in a whirl of leaves.


1035 hrs


"Thunder," Hanshou said not giving the guards a chance to challenge him as burst through Konan's door. "We need to move. Now."

"Is it really necessary," Konan asked glancing at the red lines marking the battle fronts that had encroached over the past few hours. "The north and west parts of the city are holding—"

"It's only a matter of time," Hanshou said. "The Southgate Bridge has just fallen—the only bridge left is the eastern one. We need to get you across it before heavy fighting occurs there and we lose it as well."

"Are you saying what I think you are?"

"Ame is being cut off from the rest of the world. Any escape routes out of the village are being destroyed, and all ships capable of carrying large amounts of people have sank. This isn't a siege, Konan. It's a purge."

Konan placed a hand on the table for support as her legs numbed. An all out eradication of Ame? Did Madara's evil truly have no limit? Her hand fell to her belly where her child fussed, knowing nothing of what was happening around it, but feeling the anxiety from its mother.

"You can make it if we leave now. We could go to Naruto-kun, he could protect us." Konan's teeth grated at the sight of black smoke rising throughout the city and mixing with the clouds. Even the rain looked to have been stained by the fires. Was there nowhere Madara's taint couldn't reach? "He'll come for us in Konohagakure. He'll willingly attack there next for both us and Naruto-kun, and all we'll accomplish is wiping two villages from the maps. The army attacking now is only a fraction of its true size. There's nowhere to run—he'll find us either way."

"My lady," Hanshou's voice had dropped and his face had softened, "I know this is difficult, but for our sake and pride please leave to protect Nagato-sama's legacy."

"No." The power behind her response despite its softness froze the room. Such a quick answer—a simple, one syllable word—carried so much weight.

"I'll stay," she faced Hanshou. "I'll stay, and we'll fight to the last shinobi to protect this village. When Konoha's reinforcements arrive—"

"There are no reinforcements," Hanshou's calm façade shattered as he threw his hands out. "Konoha's team has either been killed or aborted their mission. We're alone on this, Konan. Ame has no hope for victory so we must get you to safety."

The room swirled with held breaths and the steady patter of rain. Hanshou's defiance would normally be grounds for imprisonment. During wartime—execution on the spot. But Konan also knew his reasoning behind it, as well as how selfish she was being.

"They will come, Commander." Konan's voice remained steady despite the burning in her throat. "Konoha will not abandon us. They will come to us in our hour of need—we only need to hold out until they arrive."

"What can twenty-one shinobi do against an army," Hanshou asked, frustration slipping into his tone. "Twenty-one shinobi whose objective is to get you out of the village, not integrate into our ranks."

"I trust Naruto-kun to send quality over quantity. They will make a difference Commander, you'll see. As for their objective—I'll convince them to stay."

"How?"

"I'll find a way."

Hanshou's shoulders slumped, and a sigh escaped him. After a moment he collected himself saying, "What are your orders, my lady?"

"We'll relocate to the eastern port's Chamber of Commerce. Have the citizens use the tunnel systems to move safely to the eastern part of the village. We'll make a tactical retreat on all fronts. Have our ninja hold the lines while ambush teams set up as many traps as possible before the retreat is made."

Hanshou nodded, "Newt."

A whisper of fabric and the same kunoichi that guarded the door appeared behind Hanshou, her short, light blue ponytail swishing in her wake. "Sir."

"Your team will escort Konan-sama to the Chamber of Commerce in the eastern port," Hanshou said. "Should anything happen to her or the child I'll have your head."

There was a pause, then Newt's mask dipped slightly, "Of course, Commander."

There was a lack of conviction normally held there to his orders, but Hanshou assumed it was due to the dire situation.

"Otter, Minnow, come with me," Newt said. "We'll scout ahead and secure a route."

More movement and the room filled once again with the sound of rain against glass. However it didn't take long for Hanshou to notice the look Konan gave him.

"You're too hard on her," Konan said.

"My lady?"

"It's nothing more than a debt of gratitude you feel, that's all. My only interests are the protection of this village and my child now. Let it go."

Hanshou's unreadable Commander mask slipped back into place, "We'll hold out as long as possible, my lady."

"That may be shorter than you think," Madara's voice said from behind Konan.

Paper sliced the air as a lance formed from Konan's hand and pierced through the back of her cloak and into his chest. Madara fazed out of existence, and in the second that followed white blurs sprang from Hanshou's person.

"Clone spores," Konan shouted as the entire room erupted into movement.

Beaver fell from the ceiling, a kunai rammed into his chest up to the hilt, and the clone fell beside him with its head removed by Koi. Hanshou spun, his sword slicing through three clones before they could land a blow and parried a fourth's attack. Loon sent a water bullet through two clones before a third pierced him through the shoulder and he toppled backwards. Piper managed to kill one before Madara appeared kicking him in the head hard enough to shatter his mask. He flew across the room, crashing over the desk where he didn't move. Konan's paper shuriken dispatched the rest of the clones in the room engaged with Mudskipper, Egret, Eagle, Crayfish, and Stork. But more clones appeared from more spores scattered throughout the room, and before she could take further action she heard Hanshou's voice.

"Konan."

The room ceased its movement, the collective hearts of those still breathing thundered through the room drowning out the fighting within the village.

Konan's eyes locked with Hanshou's, and she could see his pupils dilate as he registered the position he was in. What was left of his team stood frozen, each seconds away from Death's fingers in the same position as he.

Madara's kunai pushed deeper into Hanshou's neck. "Let me make this very simple for you Konan. Tell me where Nagato's body is, and the Commander and his team goes free. Don't, and well…"

The noise in the room dipped as Hanshou and his team tried to suppress their gasps of pain from blades burrowing into their skin.

"Don't do it," Hanshou hissed through clenched teeth.

"Ah Commander, I don't think you understand the situation you and your team are in," Madara said.

"Every member of this team is willing to lay down their life for Konan-sama and the village, as am I."

"Is that so? Shall we test your resolve then?"

The room groaned as eight bodies tensed their muscles at once waiting for the final blow, but Konan spoke. "That's enough, Madara. I'll tell you where Nagato is."

"M-My lady," Hanshou said.

"Silence," Konan ordered.

"You see," Madara said into Hanshou's ear. "You don't understand the situation at all." His Sharingan shifted to Konan, "Where are they?"

"In the Salamander's basement," Konan answered.

"Ho," Madara's voice thickened with laughter, "He must be rolling in his grave to have been put to rest there."

Konan's face tightened in time with her fists. "You have the information you asked for, let them go and leave us."

"I don't think so," Madara said nodding to a few of the clones standing near the window. They approached Hanshou and each held a blade at a vital point on his body effectively trapping his movements. "I'll be back," he said beginning to ripple. "And if you're lying then one of them will die."

Searing light filled the room followed by shattering glass. An explosion above knocked Konan to the ground, and through the dust and blurred vision she caught movements swarm down upon them.

Multiple soft whistles filled the air, followed by cries of death. Paper flurried around Konan protectively as she stood, her vision seeing triple as she tried to make sense and prepare for an attack.

But it never came.

Instead, white corpses lie scattered throughout the room, and her Anbu stood in a daze unintentionally rubbing their necks where blades had once been held.

"My lady," Hanshou said moving to her, "Are you alright?"

Her mouth opened, but a cried of pain fell out as her head yanked back by her hair.

"You Konoha nin are wearing on my last nerve," Madara snarled pushing his blade into Konan's neck. "Drop your weapons or I kill her and the child."

A young man in the front watched behind a blank mask, before slowly sliding a metal piece back on his contraption and removing a paper tag. "Let her go and I'll let you live," he said.

"Are blind, I'll kill and be gone before you even get a chance," Madara growled allowing his kunai to bite deeper. "I mean it."

Not breaking his gaze with Madara, the man placed another tag into his strange weapon and allowed the metal to slide shut. Raising his weapon at them he said, "You really suck at negotiations."

A whisper. The sound of flesh tearing apart and bone cracking. A surprised cry as Madara stumbled back and the blade fell away from Konan's throat.

The room erupted into sharp cracks as their rescuers fired their rapid projectiles at the masked man, and it took everything Konan had to not land on her child as she dove away. But out of the corner of her eye she caught Madara flickering out of existence, his Sharingan blazing with shock and hatred at the man attacking him. And just as disappeared, the arm holding the kunai to her throat hit the ground.

A moment of silence followed until another of the foreign shinobi said, "Gotta admit sir, you certainly have a way with words."


1045 hrs


"You seem tense."

Karin jumped at Neji's voice tickling her ear, and her cheeks tried to ignite. But she ignored it, focusing on the calm, stable aura beside her and basked in it allowing her heart to slow.

She'd have been lying if she said she felt fine. In the middle of the arena stood the man that had betrayed and tried to kill her. Beside him stood her brother at his defense. Her feelings most accurately represented the very clan symbol she wore on her sleeve. How could she not feel a little on edge? She'd come to support Naruto—sure—but the biggest reason was the emotional paper bomb sitting on her other side.

Sakura seemed one loud noise away from leveling the entire arena with one of her punches. Her eyes darted everywhere and her posture screamed defensive. Yet none of her other friends seemed to notice, and it took Karin the entirety of the recess to figure out why.

They were so focused on the trial they'd missed Sakura all together.

Leaning into Neji's shoulder Karin sighed, "The emotions in this place are a little high. Even without trying to sense them I'm still being bombarded."

"Do you want to leave," Neji asked.

"I'd love nothing more," Karin thought staring at the Hyuuga's lips, but she shook her head.

"Sakura doesn't need to be alone for this."

Neji raised an eyebrow, "Is that so?"

"It's not what you think it's about."

"I could gather that much," Neji said turning his gaze back to the arena where Naruto, Shikamaru, and Sasuke reentered. "It's clear there's something bigger going on between the two."

Karin smiled and wrapped her arms around his. The man was almost too smart for his own good, but she loved the idea of the two of them of them being able to communicate clearly with so few words.

Loved.

The word made her cheeks burn so intensely she thought Neji might feel the heat, and to her surprise he glanced at her.

"Is everything okay," he asked. Again, with his concern for her. She wasn't a pushover by any means, but the fact that she had him so in tune with her caused more than a few intimate thoughts fly through her.

"I'm fine," she said squeezing his arm. A sigh escaped past her smile, "I'm fine."

And she was. In that moment of realization Uzumaki Karin could've cried at how perfect everything had turned out. Until she felt the rapid succession of faint chakra pulses washing past her like a dying autumn breeze. Naruto and Shikamaru's chakra code, except Naruto was in two places. Her eyes averted to the balcony where Tsunade-sama was meant to enter, but she still hadn't arrived.

Unease rolled in her stomach and then stretched out, a feeling niggled in her mind telling her something was awry. The feeling continued to grow until the doors to the balcony slammed open and Tsunade strode to her place.

"Agitated. Angry. Worried."

The very description of Tsunade-sama's emotions practically appeared before her eyes. They shifted to Naruto-nii.

"Anxious. Sickened. Scared."

Scared.

Karin's heart began to slam, and she felt Neji shift again looking at her. "Karin-chan, what's wrong?"

"I don't know," she said as her eyes shifted to Shikamaru.

"Annoyed. Concerned. Overwhelmed."

Something was wrong.

"Let's get this over with," Tsunade quelled slamming the gavel. "On regards to the first accusation—abandonment of your village while active duty—and the second—associating with a known traitor—are dismissed on grounds of S ranked classified mission."

Silence permeated while processing occurred, and in that she continued. "On regards to the third accusation—associating with a terrorist organization—no records could be recovered of a sanctioned mission. We'll start with your defense there."

"Are you telling me the Uchiha was ordered an S ranked mission at thirteen years of age to abandon his village and join Orochimaru," Tsume asked from the jury box.

"Sarutobi-sensei's black log described such a mission," Tsunade answered.

Karin locked onto the feral woman, "Disbelief. Wronged. Untrusting."

"Then we would like to see this evidence."

"Of course," Tsunade answered, eyes shifting to Naruto-nii.

"Deferring. Expectant."

Karin's eyes followed, and though her nii-san said nothing she felt the chakra pulses emanating from him contacting the only other person not present—Aburame Shino.

"Dishonesty."

Her throat burned at the thought, but her attention shift along with the crowd when a hunched over figured hobbled into the arena from the opposite side.

"Is that…" Neji said activating his Byakugan.

"Hate ta interrupt yer meetin'," Jihibiki waved towards Tsunade. "But I need my granddaughter fer somethin' important."

Karin blinked. "He's frustrated."

"Karin!" Tsunade's voice caused the woman to jerk. "Where ever you are, please follow this decrepit…interloper out."

Those closest to her stared her way, causing a ripple effect of notoriety. Her body locked, but a calm aura touched her elbow and helped her to her feet.

"Let's go," Neji said. "The others can look after Sakura."

Karin said nothing grateful for the support, and with every step she took she gained her composure until she reached the front row and leapt down to her grandfather.

"The hell ya doin' causin' such a scene," she yelled smacking Jihibiki over the head.

"But Karin-chan I need yer help," he whined.

"Then come look fer me like a normal person!" Snickers echoing throughout the stadium reigned Karin's thoughts back into check and she pointed to the exit with a blush muttering, "Let's go home."

Jihibiki did just that, and Karin followed a short ways before realizing who was missing. She managed to turn halfway before he spoke just behind her, "I'm here."

Karin continued forward, head down, but a smile working its way across her lips. She made it a few feet before her hand twitched out and found Neji's, and in their wake the crowd began to chatter.

Undoubtedly this village would have more than enough to talk about today.