So, so, so sorry it wasn't up yesterday. I finished it about 10:30 pm, went to upload and got the message "Login/submission area is temporarily down." Or something like that. I waited until midnight, but then I had to go to bed. Sorry! Sorry! Plz to forgive?

So, not much time for an AN today, gotta get to class. Lots goes on in this chapter, plot progression, another mystery/clue pops up, and emotional turmoil, oh my!

Be forewarned: it ends in a big-time cliffie. :P But since its out late, you won't have to wait as long, right? (My roommate has insisted I say that if any of you hunt me down to kill me, she was not involved in this and she sleeps on the right side of the room.)

Chapter 18

Tsunade took a deep breath and rolled over, glaring at her calendar.

June 1.

The day of Minato's hearing.

She rubbed at her eyes and considered the possible methods to disguise the dark circles under them. Makeup was always a good one, henge another. She toyed with the idea of strengthening her usual anti-aging jutsu, but that would only make her look younger, not erase signs of sleeplessness or stress.

"Makeup it is. Can't appear too weak today. Kami I hope Minato keeps it together," she muttered, throwing the sheets off and rolling over. Her visit with the incarcerated Minato came unbidden to her mind.

"LET ME OUT!"

"Minato, you need to calm down," Tsunade said slowly through the heavy wooden door. She started as the door shook violently in its frame; he had thrown himself against it in an attempt to break it down. It shuddered again as he repeated the process, continuing to howl and roar.

"Minato—"

"I can't stay in here!" he shouted through door. "Let me out!"

"Mina-chan, liste—"

"NO! It's too cramped in here! I can't fight! I can't hide or fight or run! They'll find me! THEY'LL FIND ME!"

He rammed the door again and Tsunade heard something crack. "Minato! There are guards out here! ANBU! They will protect you! Calm down!"

Minato's only response was frustrated noise somewhere between a snarl and a moan. She heard a softer thump and recognized the sound of his head hitting the door.

"Minato, you are safe—"

"'Scold," he moaned. "Cold and dark and too quiet! I can't—can't—"

"Yes, yes you can," Tsunade said calmly, resisting the urge to beat some sense into his blond head. It worked well with his son, but the elder Namikaze was a very different person. "You will be alright. You need to listen to me, okay?"

"My chakra—my chakra's gone," he said through the door. "My chakra . . ."

"We sealed it, Minato," Tsunade said, grateful he was calming down, or at least not risking injury by assaulting the wooden door. "Until your hearing."

"Hearing? What? Why?"

"Because you came back to life," Tsunade said. "We need to figure out what do with you."

"No . . ." he muttered. "No, there's something else. What else, 'Nade? What did I do?"

Tsunade hesitated. She had avoided mentioning the incident with Koharu for fear that he would get worked up again. "You killed someone, Minato."

"Who?" he demanded. "An enemy? Why am I in here if I killed an enemy? That's not a crime! Who?"

"It doesn't matter, Minato," Tsunade hedged. "You need to have a hearing. It's in three days. When it's time, the ANBU will escort you there."

"ANBU . . ." he trailed off. "I was fighting them . . . wasn't I . . . did I kill—no, no, none of them. Who . . ."

Tsunade glanced at the ANBU next to her and opened her mouth to steer him away from the killing.

"KOHARU!"

"Shit! Minato, your hearing is—"

"That bitch! She threatened Naruto! Where is he? Is he alright? Tell me! I have to get to him! What Koharu does, Homura does! He's in danger!"

Tsunade rubbed her forehead as Minato continued to rant and rave in his cell. He was focused on Naruto now, and she suspected nothing save the boy himself would be able to calm him. She stepped back and turned to the ANBU guarding him.

"Sprinkle this over his food," she ordered, pressing a small vial of sedatives into his hand. "It'll knock him out."

"Aye, Hokage-sama."

With that, Tsunade turned and walked down the dark stone hall, away from the once-proud Hokage.

"I hope he's not expecting to get a fair judgment from the council," Inoichi muttered. "Uchiha certainly didn't."

Shikaku didn't respond to his friend's angry mutterings; they had been almost continuous since the meeting about Sasuke—three days ago. Ino's condition and total lack of improvement had also not helped his peace of mind. Several times the man had insisted on trying to break the genjutsu himself, but nurses and experts had prevented him from doing so, saying that it was too dangerous and he could get caught himself. They had mandated that if he was in the room, so was someone else.

Which was why Shikaku was here, instead of relaxing before what was sure to be the hearing of the century.

"No, he'll probably get a nice, light sentence instead of what he deserves," Inoichi snarled.

"Don't blame Minato for the council's weaknesses," Shikaku said.

"Weaknesses?" Inoichi shouted. "Is that what you call it? The council is supposed to promote justice in Konoha."

"No," Shikaku sighed. "No, the council was created to protect Konoha."

"Yes, and as a traitor, he should have been killed! Desertion is unacceptable in a military, in Konoha," Inoichi snarled. "But apparently not if you're an Uchiha."

"No, Uchihas do have it special," Shikaku agreed. "Do you know how Orochimaru's attack would have gone three years ago if the Uchiha clan was alive?"

Inoichi shot his friend a glare and stomped over to the window. "Yeah—it wouldn't have."

"Exactly. As unfair as it is, Sasuke has things Konoha needs. The Sharingan is an incredibly useful tool, and only one other person in the world has it—Itachi. If Akatsuki were to attack, only Sasuke and Kakashi would even have a chance against him, and then probably only if they were to work together. He also has the ability to reign in the Kyuubi, should the Fourth's seal break. Did you really expect the council to sentence an asset like that to death?"

Inoichi grumbled and sat down next to him. "I don't know. These are people we know—we fought alongside. I thought I knew them."

"You do—as ninjas, but not as council members. Hyuuga, Senju, Morino, and Aburame are all practical and interested in the safety of the village. Tsume and Kurenai are too compassionate toward him, and you know how Chouza is. You know Tsunade wouldn't kill Uchiha—doing that would hurt Naruto too much, and she wouldn't risk it," Shikaku explained, watching a cloud morph from a blob to a bunny.

"And you are one of the practical ones," Inoichi agreed with a resigned sigh. "It still makes me sick."

Shikaku stood slowly and stretched, feeling his joints crack pleasantly. "Yeah, just wait until Naruto's the Hokage. From what Shikamaru tells me, he's already aiming to 'fix' the Hyuuga branch family system. Maybe you can get him on your side about the council, too."

"Huh. What makes you so sure the kid's going to make it?" Inoichi asked as they started to leave. "Ino's told me his skull's pretty thick."

"He's Minato and Kushina's kid," Shikaku responded with a wry smile. "Put their stubbornness together and do you think he'll not make it?"

The two Jounin and council members exited the building. Inoichi was upset but no longer fuming over the council's decision and Shikaku was wondering about the two people whose decisions didn't make sense to him.

Danzou and Homura were always interested in promoting the strength of Konoha. Yet they had been the most outspoken against giving Uchiha any clemency. One would think they would want the power of the Sharingan, and a ninja as talented as Sasuke.

Shikaku's eyes narrowed. Those two worked as he did: cost-benefit analysis. They must have decided that the risks of Sasuke continuing to live outweighed the benefits of his strength. The man devoted part of his brain to puzzling that out while he and Inoichi prepared for Minato's trial.

Naruto followed the guard down the hall. He was finally getting to see Sasuke. After signing multiple documents, undergoing a full-body search to determine if he was carrying any weapons, and being threatened numerous times that if he tried to orchestrate a jailbreak, he would be summarily hurt, maimed and/or killed.

Naruto made a face at all the regulations—did Sasuke really need that?

At last, they turned a corner and stopped in front of a cell. Naruto turned and saw Sasuke, standing at attention directly in the center of the cell. The guard stepped back and Naruto waited. Seconds ticked by and the blond became increasingly frustrated at the guard, who was just standing there. Sasuke on the other hand became ever more annoyed at the silent Naruto.

Just as Naruto was about to yell at the guard, Sasuke snapped, "Did you come down here to stare, idiot?"

"No," Naruto snarled back. "I came down here to talk, but the guard's being stupid. Why isn't he letting you out so you can talk?"

" . . . I'm in prison, moron."

"Yeah, but why can't you come out if you're guarded?" Naruto asked, frowning.

"You're an idiot."

Naruto scowled at his former friend and eternal enemy. "What does that mean?"

"Do you not know what prison means, Uzumaki?" Sasuke asked. "It means I stand here, right here, at attention, from 6 AM to 9 PM. I am allowed to move and stretch five minutes out of every hour, and sit when I eat—which is three times a day. I am taken to the showers at 6:30 AM every morning. From 9 PM to 6 AM, I am in the bunk. Unless I have a visitor, I am not allowed to talk. Unless you go on a mission, I am not allowed out of the prison," Sasuke finished. "This is my condition for the next six months."

Naruto stared blankly at Sasuke. "Why when I go on missions?"

Sasuke stared to the left of Naruto's ear. The only indication of his annoyance was the tiniest twitch of an eyebrow. "Because I can suppress the Kyuubi. When you go, I will go to keep an eye on you to make sure you don't lose control."

"But, how are you supposed to fight if you can't train in here?" Naruto wondered.

"I'm not there to fight. I just said it," Sasuke snapped. Naruto frowned, knowing he had hit a sore spot. "My sole purpose is to prevent the Kyuubi's escape. I cannot leave your side, nor can I harm or intend to harm any member of Konoha without suffering intense pain."

"But what happens after—"

"Did you come here to talk about my sentence, moron?" Sasuke interrupted. "Or just stare at me like the window-licker you are?"

Naruto bristled. "Window-licker?"

"Or are you looking for distraction from the family troubles you are currently having?"

"How do you know that?" Naruto demanded.

Sasuke snorted. "I have good hearing."

"Yeah, right!" Naruto shouted, getting close up to the bars. "Don't lie to me!"

Sasuke smirked. "How do you know I'm lying? You wouldn't be able to detect a lie if it slapped you in the face."

Naruto glared at Sasuke. "Maybe you're not as good a liar as you think. I know you actually cared for team seven when we were genin."

Sasuke raised an eyebrow. "I never said I didn't. I said those bonds were a liability, and that I had to sever them."

"Why?" Naruto asked. "Why did you have to?"

"I needed power," Sasuke said, as if explaining it to a very small, stupid child. "And to get that power, I had to go to Orochimaru. You were trying to stop me."

"You were—"

"Have you ever considered the fact that you left as well, Naruto?" Sasuke suddenly said. "You left Konoha to get more power."

Naruto stared at Sasuke through the bars. "Yeah, so?"

"How can you condemn me for leaving when you did the same thing?" Sasuke asked, his dark eyes focusing on Naruto for the first time since he entered. "Why do you fight so hard to bring me back when you left this village you love so much?"

Naruto rolled his eyes. "It wasn't the fact that you left Konoha. It was the fact that you left us. Team 7. You, me, Sakura, Kakashi. I . . . I thought we were a family, but you threw that away for power. That's what I was trying to stop. And the fact that Orochimaru was going to kill you, dickhead."

"So, the main reason wasn't for me. It was to protect yourself, to protect the bonds you'd created," Sasuke reasoned. He smirked. "The first ones you'd really had, right?"

Naruto scowled. "Do you not understand the concept of a family? You try to protect the people you love because—"

"You hurt when they hurt, right?" Sasuke asked. "Again, trying to protect yourself. And did that hallucination of a family teach you that?"

"Don't even—"

"You can't seem to hold onto a real family, can you, Naruto?" Sasuke demanded, tilting his head up so that he was looking down his nose at Naruto. "First you try to create a family out of team seven, then you try with people that don't even exist. You are pathetic."

Naruto clenched his fists, his rage building. "I'm pathetic? Do you know whose fault it is that you don't have a family right now?"

Sasuke's eyes narrowed fractionally. "Don't go there."

"You are, Sasuke!" Naruto shouted, stepping up and wrapping his fingers around the bars.

The dark eyes changed at that. They changed from confident and assured to enraged in an instant. "Naruto—" he growled.

"By the gods you are stupid!" Naruto roared. "Yeah, it's Itachi's fault you lost your clan when you were seven, but it's yours you don't have one now!"

"What are you talking about, Naruto?" Sasuke snapped. His hands were tensed and his jaw was clenched. In a normal situation, the avenger would have attacked Naruto by now for the sole purpose of shutting him up, but the bars, guards and seals on him prevented that.

Naruto took full advantage. "At the Valley of the End! I said, you were like a brother, you were part of a family! Remember? And what did you do? You tried to kill me! You could be a part of a family right now! And it's your fault your not!"

Sasuke sneered. "Is that all? I understood your offer, Naruto. It clearly never occurred to you that I simply didn't want a family."

"Why wouldn't you want a family?" Naruto wondered. "Why? We may not have been your first family, but that's no reason to reject us—me. Why would you?"

"Ask yourself the same question."

The statement brought Naruto up short. "Huh? What are you talking about? I've never—"

"From what I hear, you are," Sasuke contradicted. "You lost a family in that dream world you were in. Now, you have a father—one who loves you as much as the other. Yet, you reject him. You refuse to acknowledge him as your father, your family."

Silence reigned. Sasuke fought down a smirk as his words hit home with Naruto, who was staring blankly into the middle distance. The blue eyes turned dark, conflicted, and a small frown appeared between his eyebrows. Naruto's mouth curled in confusion, making him look like he's just drank sour milk.

"You dare to be angry at me for refusing the chance for a family."

Naruto swallowed heavily. There was a lump the size of an orange in his throat and something unpleasant lined his stomach.

"You hypocrite."

Blue eyes met gray.

"Naruto!" Tsunade called. "Come on, you need to get to the hearing room. It's about to start."

Naruto stepped back and turned slowly away, holding eye contact with Sasuke until the walls got between them. Sasuke smirked as the blond walked away.

I always did know how to get anything out of Kakashi.

The entire council was convened in the room, sitting in their designated seats. Two were conspicuously empty: Uchiha and Ukatane. Tsunade sat at the center, with Homura on her left and Danzou on her right. ANBU stood around all the entrances, guarding them from those who wanted to get in or out.

Naruto and Kakashi sat in the witness' section, along with Yamato and Shikamaru. The blond was fidgeting nervously, pulling at the new clothes he was wearing. His mind was half on what was about to happen and half on what Sasuke had said. He recalled the hurt, the depression he felt every time he lost Sasuke. Was that what the Fourth . . . his father . . . felt? He scrunched his face up and ran his hands through his hair. All this stuff—made his head and his heart hurt.

The doors opened and Minato walked in, escorted by four ANBU. Naruto shoved everything aside and set all his concentration on the hearing.

Minato was placed in the center of the room and the guards stepped back. The man scanned the room, his eyes landing on Naruto. He went to take a step toward him, but the guards stepped forward threateningly. He tensed and clearly wanted to fight his way to Naruto, but the teen flashed him a big grin and a thumbs-up sign. I'm fine, he mouthed. Minato stared at him for a moment longer before facing forward again.

Tsunade read off the formal files and charges quickly, and it was apparent to all that she just wanted to get it over with. Finally, she put the paper down and faced the man standing before her.

"The first issue is to determine who you are and what your intentions are in coming to Konoha," she stated. "What do you have to say to this?"

Minato blinked a couple of times, then took a deep breath. "I am Namikaze Minato."

A murmur ran through the council and he stopped to let it die down. "I am in Konoha because of my son, Nami—ah, Uzumaki Naruto."

"Namikaze Minato is recorded as KIA on October 10th, sixteen years ago," Homura interrupted. "What do you have to say to that?"

"I did die then," Minato admitted. "But I'm back now."

They waited for him to elaborate, but his eyes became distant and the man fell silent. Finally, he spoke again, at a prompt from Tsunade. "The seal I put on Naruto, the Shiki Fujin, demands a high price: the soul and life of the person who used it. When I performed the jutsu to seal Kyuubi, the Shinigami ate my soul. I stayed there for . . . sixteen years, fighting the other inhabitants of the Realm. I saw Naruto. He was flying through the air, because something had knocked him back. I used Hiraishin to grab him and get him to safety. We ran with Kyuubi—"

"Wait, what is this about Kyuubi?" Tsume demanded. "We were told that he was safe and sealed."

"Naruto, do you have an explanation for that?" Tsunade asked, cutting the flow of conversation instantly.

The blond nodded. "Uh, yeah. Since my soul is tied to the furbaaa—Kyuubi's with the seal, wherever I go, he goes."

"The Kyuubi is safely contained," Tsunade assured them. "As he has been for years. Please, continue.

Minato did so, and the council, though eyeing Naruto more suspiciously than before, didn't press the matter for the moment. "They took us to a place on top of a hill and Naruto said, 'There's no place like home.' Then, we were out of the Shinigami. The gods sent me here and I appeared in Naruto's hospital room."

After a moment with which to digest what Minato had said, Tsunade turned to Naruto. "Uzumaki Naruto, give us your version of events that led to the arrival of this man."

Naruto stood and swallowed. He and Tsunade had gone over what he was to say—nothing too detailed, just the bare bones of what had happened. He recited his story from the meeting chamber to the hospital room, leaving out the nature of the second test he had gone through.

"This is all highly improbable," Danzou said finally. "Do you expect us to really believe this tale you have concocted?"

"I might be able to help with that."

All eyes turned to the man who had spoken. He was standing in the door, flanked by two ANBU and followed by a younger man. Both strangers were dressed in the traditional robes of priests of the Fire country. Wolf ANBU stepped forward.

"Hokage-sama, this man claims that you have sent for him," Wolf said. "He demanded to speak with you immediately."

Tsunade hid a grimace—this was just what she needed. In truth, she'd completely forgotten about the priests she'd requested. Had they been anyone else, the two men would never have been allowed in, but their status demanded respect.

"Priest . . ." she trailed off, waiting for the man to give his name.

"Bishamon," he supplied, a genial smile spreading across his face.

"Yes, well, we are in the middle of a council meeting," Tsunade said. "A hearing, to be specific. And the services I requested you for are no longer required. Perhaps you could wait in my office."

"Hokage-sama," Bishamon interrupted. "I understand this matter has to do with the gods. As such, who is more qualified to give their opinion on it than I?"

"Hokage-sama."

Tsunade turned to Kakashi, who had stood up in the booth. "What is it?"

"I request that Uzumaki Naruto be taken back to the hospital," he said. "He has given his testimony in the matter of this man's identity and he needs medication—a metabolic stimulant to help him recover from the coma."

Tsunade's eyes narrowed, and she flicked them to Naruto. He didn't need any medicine and was going to be discharged later that day. But from all appearances, the boy was still sick. Worry filled her as she looked him over. His skin was pale and coated with sweat. He seemed frozen in his seat, jaw clenched, body rigid. His eyes were staring straight ahead and eerily blank. Tsunade nodded and ordered Kakashi to take him to the hospital.

The instant the door closed, Minato became more agitated. His hands twitched nervously and he shifted from foot to foot continuously, unable to stay still. With a sigh, Tsunade resumed the hearing.

Kakashi eyed Naruto carefully, having deposited the boy back in his hospital room. He had never seen Naruto this quiet while awake—hell, he usually wasn't this quiet when he slept. Kakashi ordered the nurses to keep an eye on him, and to get the Hokage if things changed. Reluctantly, he went back to the hearing. He still had to give his testimony, after all.

Naruto rolled over again and twisted his sheets in his hands nervously. He couldn't explain it—the sudden, gripping fear that had come over him in the meeting room. That had been six hours ago, but his heart still pounded when he thought about it.

He had to stay still. He had to stay quiet. He had to follow orders. He had to . . .

Naruto shivered. It had something to do with the priest, he knew. When he had heard that man's voice—that's when it had started. His clothes felt constricting, unnatural on him. Not too tight, or uncomfortable, but wrong, as if he wasn't supposed to be wearing them. He wasn't supposed to have clothes—he'd get in trouble.

Why won't you answer me, you dumb fox?

Several times since he had been able to move, talk, think without fearing punishment, Naruto had demanded of Kyuubi what was going on, but he refused to answer.

Naruto knew what was wrong. He had it somewhere in his head, but it was locked away, just out of his reach.

He flopped over to the other side and his eyes landed on the folded-up red and white cloak. It had been in his room since Minato's—his father's . . . his arrest. Naruto wasn't sure who had brought it in, but whoever had had done a nice job stitching it up. Acting on impulse, as if he knew another way, Naruto threw the sheets off and grabbed the cloak, slipping out the door.

"Can you let me in?"

The guard stationed outside Minato's room looked Naruto up and down. "Have you gone through the security checkpoints?"

Naruto nodded.

The guard glanced around and leaned in. "Technically, no. But I was there during the trial. They're going to decide he's the Fourth, there is no way not to. I'll let you in as long as you get him to eat something."

"He hasn't been eating?" Naruto wondered.

The guard shook his head. "Or sleeping, as far as we can tell. Anyway, I think he's the Fourth. And as such, he's a hero, one Konoha needs. You seem to be the only thing he cares about, so help him out, okay?"

Naruto nodded again. "Yeah, sure. Just open the door."

The heavy wooden door swung open and Naruto stepped inside. Minato was leaning against the wall, arms folded, eyes staring.

"Hey, uh," Naruto said softly.

Minato snapped his eyes up. "Naruto!" He made to come to Naruto, but the teen stopped him.

"I'll give you a hug," he said. "But only if you eat something, deal?"

Confusion entered the blue eyes. "Eat? I haven't eaten in . . ."

"Yeah, that's why you need to now," Naruto said, scooping up the plate that was left on the floor. "You may not have needed food in the Shinigami's stomach, but you sure do now. Eat!"

Minato eyed the food as if it was going to attack him. "It could be the Cloakers."

"It's food," Naruto snapped. He grabbed the fork and shoveled some into his mouth. Minato's eyes widened and he tensed, but when the food didn't morph into something else or burn Naruto's face off, he slowly relaxed. The younger blond chewed and swallowed. "See? Just food! It's good for you. Not as good as ramen, but hey."

He held the plate out to Minato, who took it carefully and clutched the fork indelicately. The plate rattled in his hand, and his movements were painfully slow, but after a while, all the food was gone.

"You might wanna sit down," Naruto advised, peering closely at the man and seeing for the first time how bad he looked. The dark circles under his eyes indicated lack of sleep, and his cheeks were looking sunken from the starvation. The man was shaking almost continuously, but imperceptibly and he swayed slightly where he stood.

The two sat down on the bunk, where Naruto made Minato drink some water. Minato was taking small sips when Naruto decided to say what was on his mind.

"You know, I'm sorry about the way I've been treating you," he said softly. "You might not be the father from the other world, but—"

Naruto was interrupted by a heavy blond head hitting his shoulder. He stared down at Minato, who was sleeping and starting to drool on him. "Uh, hello? I was talking to you! You think that's easy for me? Come on!"

The guard called in from outside. "Tsunade ordered us to put sedatives in his food. I guess I forgot to mention that, sorry."

Naruto made a face and shoved the dead weight onto the bunk, placing the pillow under his head and covering him with the blanket. After a moment's hesitation, Naruto sat down on the floor next to the bunk, leaning against it. He covered himself with the cloak again and listened to his father's deep, steady breathing.

The sound of the door clanking open startled him out of his sleep and Naruto rubbed at his eyes. A figure stepped in and he scrambled to his feet, the Hokage's cloak clutched in his hands. The person was obviously a woman, but her head was covered by a traveling cloak. He blinked a couple of times, thinking he was imagining the familiar patterns and symbols sewn into the cloak.

"So the rumors are true. You are alive."

Naruto stared blankly and was still half asleep when the woman hauled back and clocked him across the jaw. He staggered and ended up sprawled on the floor, now fully awake and in pain. He rolled over, ready to confront his attacker, but stopped and gaped.

Uzumaki Kushina threw her hood back and glared at him.

"You son of a bitch."

--

PSYCHE!