Chapter 1: The Trial

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"Naruto Uzumaki."

The blonde haired boy stood at the center of chamber bathed in light that seemed to ooze an assumed guilt. Normally he was boisterous and full of life, but in this moment he could not have seemed smaller with his shoulders slumped down and his eyes dull as though he were already dead. On all sides he was surrounded by cruel men and women in high chairs who looked down on him like a beast in a cage. At their head was an old man, battle scarred and crippled from years of service to his village. Danzo Shimura seemed to be savoring the moment for some odd reason, but nobody seemed to catch on. His two surviving teammates, Homura and Koharu were less subtle about it, but they didn't say a word.

"You stand accused of high treason. Your multiple crimes of severely injuring your fellow shinobi Sasuke Uchiha is in no doubt."

Tsunade Senju, the Godiame Hokage of the village interjected ferociously, "He was ordered to bring back that traitor dead or alive. He succeeded and you see fit to punish Naruto for completing a mission? Who are you to judge this as treason Danzo?"

Danzo looked down his nose at the Hokage. Sneering, he shot back, "You call the state in which the Uchiha was returned a mission success Tsunade?"

She had seen to Sasuke's treatment herself. Of course Tsunade knew it was a success. Sure Sasuke wasn't returned pretty, but it was almost all of it surface level damage. Nothing was really life threatening.

"I do. Given what I was told about the fight between the two of them, that the Uchiha runt was returned in such good condition is a testament to how much Naruto wanted Sasuke back alive!"

Danzo and Tsunade continued to argue, their voices becoming louder and louder until it devolved into a screaming match. The line in the sand was drawn. Meanwhile, Kakashi and Jiraiya maintained a level of quiet that seemed inhuman. Their heads were dipped low bangs covering their eyes from view, but anyone who could think and breathe at the same time could see the men fuming. They would not stand by and allow this injustice to pass. Their position was clear.

Another man felt the exact opposite. A civilian judge by the name of Tojo glared at the boy in the middle. The fox had taken his family from him. The boy as far as he was concerned was long dead, taken over by the demon when it was allegedly sealed. Tojo would see the monster slain, no alternative could be brokered.

The Court of the Damned as it was known had only one entrance. A door could be found at the bottom of a long stairwell that lead up to the gallery and forum. It was a tall room; the seats of the prosecutors were no less than three meters higher than Naruto's head forcing anyone who stood accused to crane their neck to look them in the eye. It had been built in the late years of Tobirama Senju's reign as Hokage, at the tail end of the first Shinobi World War where traitors of the village, spies, and all manner of other unsavory folk would be judged and executed.

Now it was Naruto's turn to face the black heart of the village he loved so dearly, but he did not suffer alone. The door into the court had long needed a repair to its latch, and it just so happened that on this day at this time it failed. A group of young ninja were at the other end of the long stairwell. Voices echoed loud and clear down to their level to ears that could scarcely believe what was happening to their friend.

Rock Lee was not someone who got mad. Ever. Yet now his face expressed nothing but rage and a profound sense of betrayal on behalf of his youthful friend. Fists were clenched with nails biting through the bandages on his hands leading to a small stream of blood where they had punctured the skin on his palms. Bones creaked beneath the sounds of the Kangaroo court echoing the stress he felt in his heart.

Shikamaru Nara had gotten off light as far as physical injuries were concerned on the retrieval mission. Yet like Lee, he had fists clenched so hard that blood seeped between his fingers effectively wounding him more than that flute wielding bint had in their fight. Naruto did not deserve this. As squad leader, Shikamaru believed it should be him there facing the fire. Now all he felt was guilt. He wondered if there was anything that could be done, but quickly brushed it off as troublesome nonsense that he couldn't affect until whatever happened in the damned court room concluded. That lasted all of two seconds before he snapped back to reality and remembered a saying his father would often tell him. All that is necessary for evil to succeed is for good people to do nothing. Shikamaru would not let evil succeed today.

Shino Aburame had not been on the mission to retrieve Sasuke, and he and Naruto had never been particularly close friends. Even so the injustice of it all would not sway his judgment. There is a price to be paid, but it would not be Naruto who suffered at the end of the day. Shino's Kikaichu buzzed like a nest of angry hornets mimicking the controlled anger of their master. They would move when he ordered it, and that was likely to be very soon.

Sakura Haruno was slumped against the wall cradling her head in her hands. Naruto had kept his promise of a lifetime to her, but at what cost? Sasuke had been returned to the village, but Naruto had almost died several times doing so. She saw the gaping hole in his chest where the chidori had punched through. Now Naruto was to be punished for winning? Absurd. She couldn't, no wouldn't believe it. Something needed to be done for her teammate, the one who had risked life and limb to accomplish his goal of fulfilling that stupid promise. Tears pooled on the floor beneath her head, but Sakura had never been so motivated to right a wrong as she got to her feet and glared with emerald eyes up a stairwell of darkness both literal and metaphorical.

Tenten like Shino had not been on the mission, nor did she know Naruto all that well. That said, she had an intelligent mind on her shoulders and she knew that this farce was about as far away from high treason as could be. Neji and Lee both had been greatly impacted by Naruto for the better. She would stand by her team and her fellow ninja. Anything less would be the real treason of the day.

Ino Yamanaka looked at Sakura with worry as she sat with her back to the wall. She couldn't fathom what must be going through her friends head at the moment. One teammate turning traitor only to be given a slap on the wrist while the other was sent to hunt him down only to be punished for success. Briefly, Ino considered what would be going through her own head if that was Choji or Shikamaru up there being given the punishment of a traitor. Her eyes widened in horror as the possibility became a reality. Both of her teammates were on the mission and Shikamaru was the squad leader. Could they face this brutal reality? Then Sakura stood up with purpose and glared into the dark abyss of the open door. She now knew her answer and placed a hand on Sakura's shoulder. Her friend met her eyes and they nodded in agreement knowing what must be done.

Choji Akimichi had never felt such anger in his short life. He had been a longtime friend of Naruto. Now to hear that he was being charged with high treason was what he considered to be the real treason here. There was no other motive behind him really save for one that was honestly quite stupid. Who else could he challenge to an eating contest that wasn't an Akimichi? With that out of the way, Choji focused on the important part here. Friends stick by each other. This he swore until his dying breath.

Hinata Hyuga wanted to die. She couldn't take it. Naruto had long been her crush, and now he was accused of treason. Naruto of all people! He was such a kind and pure hearted person. No way could he be guilty. Yet the voices coming down from the court room seemed to disagree vehemently. Please just stop yelling! Stop fighting! Let Naruto go! Let him go! And then it hit her. She needed to be strong for Naruto in this time when he could not stand on his own. Thusly did Hinata steel herself. If they wouldn't drop this farce, then she would drop it for them. Sakura and Ino appear to have come to the same conclusion as they formed up at the base of the stairwell. She looked up ready to march into the depths of hell for her friend.

Kiba Inuzuka felt guilty. If only he had been able to beat that sound ninja on his own. He could have helped Shikamaru deal with his opponent and then they would have had a much better chance at getting Sasuke back unharmed. Kiba's loyalty was to the pack. Before this moment he had considered Konoha and all of its inhabitants to be pack. This was no longer the case as cruel people sought to punish Naruto for injuring Sasuke to bring him back to the village. In his youth, he had been a friend to Naruto. Now he would be more than a friend, because after all, Naruto was pack. It was said that the lone wolf dies but the pack survives. Right now, Naruto was the lone wolf. Kiba would not let this be the case, not anymore. His appearance grew more feral as he pumped chakra into his body. There was a fight coming, and he would be right alongside his pack for all of it.

Neji Hyuga had for much of his life lived believing in the cruel hand of fate. It had taken his parents from him and forced him to become a slave of the main branch of the Hyuga clan. Then Naruto had come in swinging and quite literally punched the asshole out of him. Never did he think he could even remotely repay the blonde for the service he had done him. That was until now. Fate had let loose its grip on Neji. He would never allow this to be Naruto's fate, for if he did that would be the real treason here. Neji's will became one of iron resolve. Naruto would be freed of this hell, one way or another.

The eclectic group of ninja began to look around at each other. No words needed to be spoken. Naruto had support. He would not stand alone. He had been alone for far too long already, and now they would ensure that he would never face this darkness again.

Shikamaru was the only chunin among them, and like it or not the rest looked up to him for leadership even if they didn't realize it. With his back to the dark staircase, he looked at all of his fellow ninja and said a total of two words.

"Let's go."

They marched, determined to save Naruto from the clutches of darkness at the heart of the great tree that was Konoha.

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This was going nowhere fast were Danzo's thoughts. The damn Hokage was just about the most stubborn person he had ever met. He needed to get the blasted jinchuriki ready for extracting the kyubi into a more… agreeable vessel. This show trial needed to end and his patience had run out.

"Enough!"

The room quieted, though several present glared at him with unmasked hatred. He cared not for the opinions of lesser ninja and ignored them declaring the ultimatum.

"It is decided! The jinchuriki shall be punished for his crimes and there shall be no further debate!"

"Like hell," Tsunade thundered.

"You don't get it do you child?" Danzo mocked. "If this is what happens when it is sent out on a mere rescue mission, then how can we, the people of Konoha be certain it won't harm us when the circumstances are even more dire? The village must stand strong, and to do so we shall cut away at the cancerous growths that infest our mighty tree. The kyubi is to be extracted from the vessel and its former host to be exiled should it survive the process."

Tojo roared, "Nay! It shall be hung from the pulpits of the wall with its entrails cut open for the sport of the crows!"

The room was silent as could be. The anger amongst all present was palpable. Then it came to a screeching unceremonious halt with the arrival of ten children.

"ANBU! Remove the intruders from the court and send them to the dungeons for interfering in this classified hearing," Danzo declared.

Tsunade for her part was stunned at the audacity of the genin and one chunin as the marched up the stairs positively murderous. Then several ANBU came down from hidden perches in the room, and they were certainly not in her employ.

There were 12 of them, all masked and unmoving from where they had landed. That was until the younger ninja entered fighting stances, save Sakura. She calmly climbed the steps to reach the prosecutors that were Danzo, Homura, Koharu, Tojo, and a smattering of others who really didn't matter in the long run.

Danzo for his part gaped at the nerve of the pink haired genin that now stood in front of him, far too calm for someone who had just heard that her teammate was to effectively be murdered. His ROOT ANBU were surrounding the others down below knowing full well that they were the threat here. That is until Sakura pulled a battle axe larger and heavier than she was from a scroll on her belt and lopped off his head in one single motion.

For the Izanagi to function as advertised, the Sharingan eyes in question needed to be ready for such an occurrence. Danzo for all of his time preparing contingency after contingency was not ready for the simplest attack of all, the frontal assault with no regard for subtlety. And so died the Shinobi of Darkness, with the swing of the blade that shattered Konoha.