Time Apart: Chapter 4

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To say that the council was stunned when Tsunade, the Godaime Hokage, walked in the chamber doors would have been a complete understatement. As far as they knew, she had been drugged and kept locked away, and those who supported her, concerning Naruto's treatment, were away on one mission or another. Their surprise was kicked up a notch when Hyuuga Neiji walked in right behind her. After he got trashed in the Chuunin exam so many years ago, they had thought he would be one of the most reliable people to bring Naruto in. Their version of reality was shattered when what was undoubtedly Uzumaki Naruto walked through the door, tall and lean, followed by a pet fox.

No one said a word as Tsunade walked across the room, her eyes never leaving the head of the council. The man was still nursing the wound Rock Lee had inflicted about ten minutes ago. A genin, a chuunin, three jounins, and the Hokage stood confidently in the midst of a collection of rebel jounin and ex-jounin ninjas. "Hit your head?" was all Tsunade asked to the head council member.

"Um, yes Hokage-sama," the man said, careful to keep his eyes from meeting Lee's. Before he knew what was happening, the Hokage used her formidable strength to punch him in the face. Sweat started to form on the faces of most of the people in the room.

"Hokage, please, you must see reason! This man is a danger!" one of the men in the audience said, pointing to Naruto.

"Yes he is," the Hokage agreed. They seemed to relax for a moment before she went on, "A danger to our enemies! A danger to this ongoing war with Sound! A danger to you perhaps if you don't start treating him with respect!" They all shrank back. "If you are worried about danger, then you should be looking at ME!" she finished shouting. Naruto stifled a chuckle. She wasn't done, "When did it become acceptable practice to drug the Hokage when you think you are smarter than her? If you thought that you could take control of this village long enough to do your dirty work and then just give it back, then you should think again!" she snarled. If they could have disappeared, they would have. If they could have ran, they would have. Neiji and Naruto were blocking the door.

"Hokage," one of the council members started. Tsunade shut him up with a glare.

"Hinata, go to my office and bring me the files on Uzumaki Naruto and Uchiha Sasuke," the Hokage commanded. Hinata nodded her head in affirmation and then ran off to get what Tsunade had requested. "Naruto, come here," she beckoned.

Naruto walked towards the front of the room, and, as he passed, the crowd backed away. When he got to the front, Tsunade gestured for him to sit. With a questioning look on his face, he complied. Tsunade returned her steely gaze to the crowd of rebels in front of her and continued her address.

"I am going to settle this once and for all, and this is how we are going to do it. Naruto is on trial for high treason, charged with forcing the last of the Uchiha clan to defect to Orochimaru. Everyone in this room is also on trial for high treason, the charges being an attempted coup against the Hokage. There will be only one guilty party." Everyone in the room squirmed in their chairs now, except for Naruto. They all knew who the judge was going to be.

"That's not fair Hokage-sama," one of the men shouted. "We already know how you will decide."

"Oh no," Tsunade said, "It will be fair. His peers will be the jury. Rock Lee, Neiji, Shikamaru, Temari, and Hyuuga Hinata will sit in judgment. They know nothing of his condition, so you can spin it however you want it. They will see the truth." Naruto started to sweat now. He had no desire for his friends to learn about the fox. However, if he was going to live in this village in peace, these people had to be convinced.

"Deal," one man sneered confidently. Just in time, Hinata walked in the door with the files that Tsunade had requested. After she handed them over, Rock Lee explained to her what was going on.

"Let's begin. I will now read Naruto's file." Tsunade said. She took a deep breath. The look of shock on the five youth's faces was understandable when she read the part about the most powerful demon in the world being sealed into a baby Naruto. Temari looked down at Kit a little more critically while he rubbed against her legs for the umpteenth time. When the animal winked at her she kicked it away. Kit narrowed his eyes at her before trotting over to Hinata.

Why are all my teachers perverts? Naruto wondered idly as he watched the exchange. He was more worried about how his friends were taking the news.

After the knowledge had a minute to set it, Rock Lee stood up and shouted, surprising everyone, "THAT'S AMAZING! You mean Naruto was saving our village even when he was a baby?" He gave Naruto a big thumbs up and smiled, teeth shining, "Good job!"

Well at least I know he is taking it well, Naruto thought to himself, grinning sheepishly and scratching the back of his head. He surveyed the other's faces. Temari was nodding, eyeing Naruto with a new hint of respect. Gaara had the same condition, and look how he had turned out.

The pieces were all falling into place now for Shikamaru. The shouts of the villagers, the reason the Anbu had been afraid of Naruto's fox, and the reaction of the older population to the news of Naurto's return all made sense to him. He turned his hands down in his customary position of thought. His opinion would matter most to the villagers, since his IQ was a well known fact among them.

Neiji's face was impassive, as usual. His cousin's was not though, and Naruto could see the tears falling from her eyes. Is she afraid of me now, or is she crying for some other reason? he wondered. The smile he had been carrying from Rock Lee's reaction faded for a moment. Her gaze turned from him, to the villagers in the room, and then back to him.

"Now that they have been informed, you may present your case against him." Tsunade smiled to herself. This is where they are going to make themselves look like paranoid asses. One man stood up immediately. With intense hatred and fury in his voice, he literally spat his accusation out.

"That man killed my wife!" his finger pointed viciously at Naruto. Shikamaru was the first to reply.

"When was your wife killed?" he asked quietly.

Lucky that he is here, Tsunade thought to herself. I couldn't think of a better person to ask the right questions.

"When the Kyuubi attacked of course!" the man spat back. "Didn't you hear what she just said?"

"I heard her point out that Naruto was a baby when the Kyuubi attacked, and that when the Kyuubi was defeated it was imprisoned in Naruto's body. I never heard her say that Naruto crawled out of his crib and strangled your wife, a capable ninja, with his bare hands." Shikamaru responded.

Temari smiled and thought to herself, he may be chauvinistic and lazy, but he's really got a brain. That council member must feel like a complete idiot. He did, evidenced by the fact that he sat back down stammering. All of the other people who had been planning on laying some other outrageous claim at Naruto's feet also seemed to back down.

Another man stood up, determined to offer proof that Naruto was a danger. "He is out of control. The demon inside of him has to make him unstable! He could snap at any moment." Most of the people in the crowd nodded. At least they should all be able to agree with that.

Neiji spoke up at this one. "Has he killed anyone in this room?" Obviously the answer was no, "If he was really so unstable he wouldn't have put up with this, and probably could have killed you at any time. Besides, he would have killed me when I taunted him in our fight during the chuunin exam. He must have been using the demon's chakra then, since I closed off his tenketsu points."

Naruto nodded yes, that he had be using the chakra then, and had been in complete control of his mind. One by one, the accusations of the villagers were put down by his peers, as they defended him time after time. It was starting to become obvious where this was headed. The only one who hadn't spoken up so far was Hinata.

Finally, she gathered her courage and stood up, tears in her eyes. "You should all be ashamed of yourselves. All I can do is remember all the hate you poured on Naruto as a kid and how he still managed to smile and try hard. His greatest dream in life is to become the Hokage so he can protect this place, and this is how you repay him! He has more courage than anyone else in this room!" She had more to say, but broke into tears in earnest now.

Tsunade stood up to her full height, "Enough of this." She turned and addressed the council. "I believe we have heard ample proof defending Naruto's character, and his love for this village. In front of me, I have the file on Uchiha Sasuke. During the chuunin exam that he participated in, Orochimaru marked him with a cursed seal. It's a miracle he even survived it. That is the reason he defected, his lust for power and revenge. These are traits he has carried all of his life, and you know it. Naruto tried to save that boy, not destroy him." She sighed, watching the expressions on everyones faces as they processed what had happened tonight. When they realized what they had done, one stood up, with his head hung in shame.

"We apologize, Hokage-sama."

"Sadly, sorry isn't going to cut it." Tsunade said. "All council members who were involved in the attempted coup are dismissed from their posts. Re-elections for the council will occur next week. You," she gestured at the commander of Anbu, "are also dismissed. Hyuuga Neiji will start tomorrow in your place. Since I can't afford to jail you in the middle of this war, all Jounin and retired Jounin will report to my office tomorrow at 1200 hours for team assignment. You are all getting pressed into double duty. If you don't feel capable of duty, you have my permission to pack up your stuff, and get the hell out of my village. Now get out of my sight, and go tell your friends at the monument what happened here."

The collection of ninjas shamefully filed out of the room, some truly sorry for what they had done, and some contemplating how to flee the village in the morning. None of them would be bothering Naruto again.

"You five," Tsunade said after they villagers had left, "are sworn to secrecy about the Kyuubi. Your other friends don't need to know." They nodded. "See me tomorrow morning at 0900 for new assignments," she paused for a moment, and then continued in a softer voice, "and thanks for the help. I'm glad you all saw enough of the truth to support Naruto."

"Thank you, Hokage-sama, for giving us the opportunity to help him." Neiji said, bowing low. The group waved goodbye to Naruto and left the room, chatting idly amongst themselves.

"As for you," Tsunade said, "where the hell have you been the last four years!" Naruto jumped in surprise, and opened his mouth to start explaining, before Tsunade stopped him. "No, not now, it's late. Go get some rest, your apartment is still empty. No one wanted it after you left. See me tomorrow morning at 0800. You can give me a full report on where you've been, and tell me where you found this fox." She walked out yawning and Naruto was left alone.

"That was a pain in the ass," Kit said after she had left.

"You can say that again. Nerve wracking too." Naruto left the building, with Kit hot on his heels, and followed the familiar path home.

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The door to his apartment was locked of course. He couldn't remember what he had done with the key, but he assumed he threw it away sometime in the last eight years. Luckily for him, he had left a window unlocked. Using his chakra to climb the wall, he walked up the three stories and slid into the window. Kit was waiting for him to unlock the door.

Only one of the lights worked, the others blew when he flicked the switch. After being idle for four years, the sudden surge of energy was apparently to much for them to handle. He walked across the small room and opened the door for Kit.

"It took you long enough," the fox grumbled. He walked into the room and looked around. "I can't believe you live here? It was nicer in your stomach."

"It does seem a bit small now, huh." Naruto replied. He walked around idly picking up random bits of trash he had left sitting in the floor. He hadn't been very clean when he was a kid. After about 20 minutes of cleaning, the place looked good enough, and he had uncovered his futon. That was about all he cared about right now.

"What do you have to eat in this place, I'm starving!" Kit said. Naruto looked at him in surprise.

"Getting lazy in our freedom?" Naruto asked. "There is a whole forest full of woodland creatures out there, you can't really expect me to spend money feeding you, can you?"

Kit growled, "Open it then," gesturing at the door. "You are going to have to install some kind of door for me so I can get in and out."

"Sure, sure, whatever" Naruto replied, not really paying attention. The mention of food had sparked his interest. As he opened the door to let Kit out, he realized he hadn't eaten since that morning. Good thing ramen never went bad. Or at least he thought it didn't.

After eating three bowls he decided it was time for some sleep. He was going to have to give his report tomorrow, and Tsunade seemed intent on assigning him a mission already. Konoha must be really short on help if that was the case. He took off his shirt and emptied his pockets, then laid down on the futon to rest. His eyes closed, and he fell asleep.

Unfortunately, it wasn't going to last. He was up and alert when he heard a soft tap on the door. I forgot Kit was still outside. I probably do need to install a door. He stood up and walked over to it, pulling the door open quickly while saying, "Whats the big idea, you could have slept outside for one stinking night!" His eyes widened when he saw who was really at the door. Yes, Kit was standing there with a grumpy look on his face, but above him was Haruno Sakura. Naruto was stunned.

"So it's true, your back." she said dully. Kit scampered in the room and settled in the corner. "I just reported back from my mission, and I heard some people talking. Is it really you?"

"Yeah," he replied with a grin. It's good to see you, he thought. As if the confirmation and smile was enough to prove without a shadow of a doubt that it really was him, Sakura rushed forward into a hug, weeping.

"I thought I had lost you. I thought you were dead." She punctuated each sentence with the smack of a balled up fist hitting his bare chest. "I thought I had lost you both!" Naruto grimaced at the thought of telling her about Sasuke. Last time they had seen each other, he was promising to bring Sasuke back with Rock Lee's "nice guy" pose. If he hadn't made that promise, he probably would have killed Sasuke instead of using the last of his strength to scratch his forehead protector.

"About that," Naruto started, intent on explaining what had happened at the Valley of the End. She interrupted him.

"No, it's my fault! I shouldn't have asked you to go after him, I knew you weren't strong enough to fight those Sound ninjas," her words brought up a brief flare of anger. She had no idea how strong he was. She never looked to see. Sakura stepped back for a moment and scanned him, eyes falling to the vicious scar over his right breast, where Sasuke's fist had impaled him. "Who did this?" she asked, regaining her composure at last.

"Well," he said. He hadn't wanted to start the conversation like this. He was going to work up into telling her that Sasuke was a traitorous bastard, intent on killing his friends so he could unlock some twisted ninja ability. He never got the chance.

"Was Sasuke hurt as well? We haven't heard anything since it happened!" It took all of Naruto's effort not to explode. He had been missing, presumed dead for four years, and still, all she cared about was Sasuke. He was going to say it gently, because he knew it would hurt her. He changed his mind for the same reason.

"I hope Sasuke is dead, honestly." The color drained from her face, and she took a step back. She searched his expression, trying to make sure it was some kind of sick joke. It wasn't.

"Why would you say that?" She asked, horrified.

"You want to know who did this to me? He did! He used the Chidori to stab me." She was crying again. "He wasn't kidnapped, Sakura, and he wasn't trying to slow me down. He said he was going to kill me, so he could unlock some new power for his Sharingan. He's gone, and I can't believe you are still pining for him after this long!"

Sakura was having a hard time controlling herself now. "Lies," she spat. "It was the cursed seal. Neiji's report said he was being carried in a barrel. It had to be against his will." This wasn't the way Naruto had wanted things to go.

"Sakura, the truth is, Sasuke was weak. He wanted power at any cost, and he took it, betraying us all. I didn't kill him then because of the promise I made to you, but I will kill him next time. He never like either one of us, and I don't know why you can't see that." Naruto knew that he had crossed the line. She wasn't going to want to speak to him for a while. Thats ok. She needs some time to think, and it isn't like she ever liked me or anything. Just because I had a crush on her as a kid doesn't mean I should coddle her now.

Sakura's anguish turned into anger at his last statement. "How can you claim Sasuke was weak? He was the strongest ninja I knew! You were dead last, and you couldn't even come back from your mission. He was marked by Orochimaru! You wouldn't know anything about dealing with an evil seal and staying sane!"

Naruto laughed out loud, which he immediately knew was a mistake. If she didn't hate him already she sure hated him now. Might as well seal the deal. "I know more than you think Sakura-chan. Go home, and grow up." He closed the door. Bet she never thought she would hear me tell her that. He wanted to laugh about it, but he couldn't

"Forget about her, kid," Kit said from across the room. "I always thought she was a bitch anyway."

Naruto didn't respond. He was numb from the exchange. He tried to sleep, but sleep wouldn't come. What time is it anyway, he thought. He had gone to sleep at around midnight before the interruption. Checking the clock on the wall, he saw that it was 4:30. I need to work off some stress. He put on the black t-shirt that was sitting next to his bed and headed out.

"I will be at the practice field," he absentmindedly called back at Kit. It's early in the morning. No one should be there. He walked through the empty streets, knowing the route by instinct. From his training with the Kyuubi, Naruto had learned one method that stretched him to his limits, and really got his mind off of things. He walked onto the practice field and was surprised to see Rock Lee.

"You are up early," Naruto said as Lee punched a log over and over.

"Yeah," Lee responded. "A ninja who practices hard will always prevail! One of Gai-sensei's rules to being an effective shinobi."

"Good rule," Naruto said. Rock Lee stopped for a moment and looked at him. Lee noticed the distress in his eyes.

"Are you okay Naruto?" Lee asked.

"Yeah," he responded. Lee could tell he was lying but he wasn't going to push it. "I'm going to warm up for today. If I accidentally get in your way, I'm sorry."

Lee nodded. What kind of warm up would have him in my way?

Naruto walked out to the middle of the field, put his hands together in a familiar seal and said, "Kage Bunshin no Jutsu." Beside him, three identical copies of himself appeared. They walked around him and took up their positions. Rock Lee couldn't believe what happened next. With lightning speed the three shadow clones attacked the real Naruto, who was defending desperately against them. Each clone had all the apparently formidable Taijutsu skills that Naruto had, the only difference being if any of them took a hit, they would explode into a puff of smoke.

Naruto's mind was instantly cleared of any thoughts he had been having about Sakura as he blocked attack after attack. It took a clear mind and fast reflexes to avoid taking any hits. Every now and then, he would see an opportunity to counter-attack, but the clone that was the target of his strike would duck out of the way. He had went to great lengths over the years to train his clones to dodge instead of block. In combat, it made them really difficult to get rid of, but in this practice it gave him only one advantage over them.

He could block, and they were forced to dodge.

It seemed like an eternity passed before Naruto finally scored a hit on one of the three clones. As his foot landed in it's face, the clone exploded in a bright puff of smoke. One of the other clones took the opportunity to get out a kunai, and swing at his face. Reacting quickly, Naruto ducked under the strike. Unfortunately, the other clone was prepared for that. With a quick slash, it cut behind his left leg, dropping him down on one knee. Naruto heard Rock Lee's gasp of surprise, and in the back of his mind, remembered that Lee hadn't ever seen his healing in effect.

Using his good leg, Naruto pushed himself up into a back flip escaping the two clones that were still trying for blood. Quickly, he drew his thumb through the blood on the back of his leg, and then sent his chakra to the area to repair the damage. Doing hand seals quickly, he called, "Weapon Summon no Jutsu!" When the smoke cleared, Naruto stood in a defensive stance with a long red Katana in his hands. With a grim smile on his mouth, he burst forward into action.

The Kyuubi had spent some time teaching Naruto how to utilize this particular weapon. While there was no scroll to sign, there was blood involved in the summoning, and the weapon could only be called with demon chakra. This meant that only two people that Naruto knew of would be able to summon the weapon, and the jutsu most certainly couldn't be replicated by someone with a Sharingan.

Many years ago, when the Kyuubi was still young and exploring the world, he would use a transformation technique to turn himself into a human and blend into the crowds. The Kyuubi made this particular sword himself, and used it often in his youth. Now it was Naruto's to utilize.

It didn't take him long to push the two clones back after he activated his weapon. The reach of the Katana was far superior to the two kunai's that the clones had been using. One of the clones leaped back out of the way, as Naruto swung. In a blur of movement, Naruto planted his foot and used the momentum of the swing to spin around on the other clone. Caught off guard, the clone could only try and block the attack with his Kunai.

Naruto then activated the special ability of the weapon. By pouring his chakra into the weapon, Naruto was able to increase it's reach and power. All of that chakra was channeled into an extension of the sword, almost invisible, but just as deadly as the real thing. Slicing straight through the kunai, the blade caught for a moment on the clone's flesh, before moving swiftly through the smoke. Prepared, this time, for any attacks through the smoke, he dropped into a roll sweeping his sword around.

The clone jumped over the attack, but Naruto was ready. Now one on one, Naruto was clear to devote all his attention to assault. The clone attempted to come at him with a couple of wild slashes, but Naruto blocked the first with his sword. When the second strike was coming around, Naruto abruptly dropped the sword. He grabbed the clones hand by the wrist, while his sword disappeared in a puff of smoke. He twisted himself into the clone's guard, and landed his fist right in his last doppelganger's face.

Drenched in sweat and panting for breath, Naruto limped over to where Rock Lee was staring at him, mouth gaping open. "Thats your warm up?" Lee asked him.

"Only sometimes," Naruto responded with a smile. The exercise had worked, and he was already too tired to think about what had happened earlier. "I better go get a shower and get ready to meet the Hokage."

Rock Lee nodded and waved goodbye as Naruto walked back to the village. He returned to punching the log, "1246, 1247, 1248 ..."

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There we have chapter 4! Hope you all liked it, and please review.

By the way, I don't mind if you leave a negative review, but if you are going to review with something like 'meh' at least tell me what you disliked/liked about it so I can improve.

Thanks for the support so far.