A/N: Ok, you guys. I've had some pretty good responses to the last chapter, even though for some reason people think that there will be a happy ending of some sort...pft! I can't say that there will be, but I can say that it isn't going to be the "everybody dies" ending. Though that would be interesting...Anyhow. This is not the last chapter, so don't worry. Have fun with this chapter, guys. Lots of tension...my favorite. Warnings? Duh. OOC abound! Anyway, enjoy the show!

Last time…

Naruto rose quickly, walking purposefully to the door. "Raido!" He yelled, and the other jounin came running. "Lemme out. I gotta go and talk to the Hokage." The man smiled, his scar twisting. As he turned the key in the door, he leaned close to the man's ear and whispered something to him. Then, he took off at a run, making for the Hokage's tower.

Ino looked at Sasuke and shook her head. "He's not the old Naruto anymore, is he, Saskue?" The dark-haired man shook his head. It would seem that he was not the old silly Naruto anymore…or at least not entirely. The woman smiled, nodding. "I guess that Risa is a good influence."

"Tell me about her, Ino."

Chapter 8: Trial and Sentence

"What!" Tsunade stood, planting her hands on the surface of the desk. "What do you mean he's volunteering information? We're not even torturing him anymore."

Naruto rolled his eyes. Honestly, you'd think that she would be able to tell… "He's concerned, Tsunade." He had long since stopped using her honorific, and while she didn't seem to like it, she tolerated it, which Naruto was a little surprised about. "And if anyone here is qualified to make guesses as to what the Sound will do now, I'd say its him." He stood from where he had been kneeling, and leveled his gaze at her. "What do the ANBU you sent out have to say?" The woman fell back into her chair.

"Not a damned thing, Naruto. They haven't seen hide nor hair of that little bastard, Kabuto, and I don't expect that they will. We'll just have to double the patrols, and keep everyone on the alert. Now, is there any other bad news?" She seemed exhausted. There were dark circles under her eyes, and she kept glancing over at Sakura's picture. He thought she might not be sleeping.

"Well…" For a moment, he debated as to whether he should tell her about Ino. Naruto thought she'd find out sooner or later, and that it was better that he take the brunt of the Hokage's wrath than Ino, since she was in a delicate physical condition. "I guess, but it depends on your point of view."

Tsunade's slim eyebrow rose, regarding him cautiously.

Taking a deep breath, he sighed. "Ino is pregnant."

"Oh, now there's a piece of gossip…why should I be concerned about that? She's only a teacher at the Academy, which doesn't require her to do anything too strenuous." The Hokage's eyes rolled, and she started sifting through the mountain of papers on her desk.

"No, Tsunade. Ino is pregnant, which as you say is not a major concern. The father is, though." He watched as his words sank in, and she looked up at him curiously. "She's pregnant with the only heir to the Uchiha clan. Ino his having Itachi's child." Naruto felt like he was in the middle of a romance novel like the ones Sakura used to read. There was always some big cheesy revelation at the end of each chapter, whether it be someone being pregnant, secretly married, or someone everyone thought was dead.

She slowly rose from her chair and walked around the desk. As her hands took hold of his vest, he felt himself being lifted off of the floor. "What did you say?"

Through the choke hold she had on him he croaked, "You heard me. The problem isn't that she's having his kid, it's that she's in love with him, too." The woman lowered him to the ground, eyes widening. She was stunned. He pulled her hands off of his vest. "He's trying to atone for his actions. He knows that no matter what he does, it will never be enough, but he still tries."

"Naruto, can you leave, please? I need to have a conference with the Elders." She walked slowly and distractedly around the desk. He stood looking at her for a long moment, then complied with her request. As he turned to leave, she asked quietly, "What should we do with Sasuke?" She was still unsure about the trial. At first, she'd obviously wanted to just kill him. Then after Naruto had burst into the office making demands, she'd seen the fact that she was being inhumane.

He did not need to think about an answer. "I'd have a fair trial, just like we're doing. People who can be objective should be on the jury, like those from Sand. Did you contact them?" She nodded. "Are they coming?" Again, a nod. "Good. The Elders should not be on the jury. They're not exactly impartial, and neither are you, for that matter. In any case, I feel like he wasn't in his right mind, but that's for the jury to decide." Tsunade stared at him as if seeing him for the first time. He turned and left, Tsunade still staring after him.

Neji walked with Hinata through the street. In public places, they kept their distance from one another, since their engagement had not yet been announced. Hiashi-sama was planning a huge party, and the entire village was invited. Everyone was asking them what the occasion was, but they were sworn to secrecy. Any time someone asked, Neji just smiled slightly and told them they would have to wait until the party. Of course, there would be those that would sneer at them for their wish to marry. The were practically siblings. However, it was not uncommon in the old clans to marry one's cousins. In early years, it was a way to keep the clan blood pure. It was not a common practice any longer, however, because of some strange effects that this in-marrying had on bloodlines. Whatever anyone's objection, it didn't really matter to them, anyway.

The date of the party was set for the day after Sasuke's trial, and already, Yamanaka Flowers was pulling together all of their resources to find every purple flower known to man. As Neji and Hinata entered the shop, they saw Ino behind the counter, looking quite harassed. Hinata stifled a small laugh.

"You people will be the death of me!" Ino yelled as they walked in. She smiled. Her mother had been furious when she told her about her condition, and had decided that it would be a fitting punishment to have her work the shop alone for the entire day. After that, it was generally understood that she'd be ok with the fact that her daughter would be an unwed mother. She sat on the high stool behind the counter. "Don't tell me you have more orders, please?"

Neji sniggered. "No, Ino. We came to check on you. Naruto came and told us. He seems happy for you."

"He's trying to suck up. Wants me to name the baby after him." She snorted. "No way am I naming my kid Naruto." She smiled at them. "Is that all that brings you here?"

"Not exactly." Hinata said quietly. "I was coming to ask about Sasuke. We heard that his trial is next week." Neji still did not understand why she was concerned with him, after what he did to her. She had said that she was sure he was not himself, and that he never would have done that to her if he was in control of his faculties. He kept his face calm and free of his lingering anger for the Uchiha, if for no other reason than to keep Hinata happy.

"Yes," Ino's shoulders slumped. "Naruto's been visiting him every day, when Shizune goes to check on his health. He's obsessed. The other day, I heard him yelling at the Hokage." She shook her head, astonishment plastered over her features. "I can't understand how he's still alive. He told me that when he informed her of my…condition, she nearly threw him out of the window. She was calm when she came to talk to me, and even helped me deal with my mother. I think that she's still mad at me too." Her chin rose in defiance, and she smiled, clasping her hands over her middle.

Hinata nodded, and apparently decided to change the subject. "I went to see Tsunade-sama this morning to deliver her invitation to the party, but I couldn't get in to see her. Izumo said that she was closeted with the Elders, and that they were having a very important conference. I left it with him, and he said he would deliver it to her later." Ino shrugged. She apparently had no more information than Hinata had.

"Hold still, baka!" Kurenai had a white handkerchief, trying to wipe blood off of Kiba's face. He and Shino had gotten into a fight. The struggling young man stopped his squirming, and stood still for her to wipe away the blood. "What was the fight about this time?"

"Nothing, Kurenai-san. It was stupid. Just a stupid argument that came to blows." Kiba was not looking her in the eye. She hit him on the top of his head sharply. "Itai! What was that for?"

"Don't lie to me, Kiba. I can always tell."

He clamped his lips shut for a minute, but when she was done wiping away the half-dried blood, he looked at her, and admitted the cause for the fight. "Shino made a snide comment. He said something about you and Kakashi, and it was pretty gross. I thought it was a little much, and he disagreed." Kurenai's eyebrow rose. She had never thought of Shino as one to make such comments. She folded her handkerchief and replaced it in her pouch.

"Kiba, don't worry about what Shino says. I'm glad that you decided to defend me, though. It was sweet." She looked up at the now-tall young man. He blushed. She tried not to giggle, but failed miserably. "I was going to see about inviting you and Shino and Hinata over to my place for dinner, but now, I guess it's out of the question, huh?" Kiba snorted.

"Hey, why don't you and Kakashi come over to my house for dinner? Mom's making steak tonight." Kurenai nodded, and bid him farewell, walking back to her apartment. She wondered briefly how many people were making those sorts of comments about she and Kakashi. It didn't last long, becauseonce she was home, said jounin knocked on her door, and pushed all other thoughts from her mind.

The day of the trial had finally arrived, and Sasuke was led from the cell, handcuffed and shackled. Raido and Genma both had hold of chains that led from his waist, and Naruto walked ahead of them, Kakashi bringing up the rear. After they crossed out of the prison, a ring of twenty ANBU formed around them. It took them nearly an hour to get to the arena where the final round of the chuunin exams were held. There, the entire village was assembled. When they entered, the chattering crowd fell silent.

There was a platform in the center of the arena. On this platform, the Hokage stood, along with the Kazekage. Gaara's eyes fell on Sasuke. Naruto watched him for the long moment that he scrutinized Sasuke's face. Then, the leader of the Sand whispered something to Tsunade. Her face remained impassive. A loud crash came from a gong somewhere nearby, and Genma pulled on Sasuke's chains. Sasuke and Raido followed him to the platform. He was made to kneel at the front of the platform, the two men holding the chains to either side of him.

Naruto saw Tsunade jerk her chin at him, and he stepped forward, wondering what she wanted. He wanted to go and sit with Ino and Hinata in the stadium seating, but when he approached her, she said quietly, "On my left, Naruto." He was confused, but he complied. Well, I guess since this whole thing was my idea, I gotta be front and center…And he was. The Elders trooped out and sat in their box high above everything, then the jury came out to sit on a separate platform.

The jury was made up of members of both the Sand and the Leaf. Naruto hoped that they could be impartial. It took three hours of presenting evidence for and against the accused, and then the jury went into deliberation. Naruto moved to stand next to where Sasuke knelt, but Tsunade stopped him. "You have to try to appear impartial, Naruto."

"Why? Everybody knows he's my friend."

"That's exactly why." Tsunade was being cryptic, which was not like her, and he was already tired of it. He glared at her, but kept his place. It was one thing to yell at the Hokage in her office, but it was entirely different when the whole village and the Kazekage were there as well.

"I suppose that you have a sentence picked out for both outcomes?" He asked in a whisper as the crowd began to chatter again. Tsunade nodded. Naruto sighed. He hadn't really expected her to tell him what those were, and she met his gaze coolly. Her eyes were now focused on Sasuke's back. She seemed to be wrestling with herself, internally.

"Uchiha." Her voice was low. He turned his head slightly to see her through the corner of his eye. "Are you really sorry for what you did?" The kneeling man shut his eyes tightly, nodding. "Good." This was driving Naruto up the wall. Why can't she just speak plainly? That's how she usually is. Is it because the Elders are here?

Sasuke just nodded, and turned back to face forward. He slumped, and after a while, he seemed to fall asleep. The blonde man did not understand. He himself felt as if his heart was going to pound out of his chest. During the long hour that the jury was in their little room, he was in agony. His best friend stood on the edge of death, and there was nothing he could do to save him. It was all in the hands of those who did not know him. For a time, Naruto was very distraught, though he did not let it show. He thought of the Sasuke he found that day in the cell. He had been emaciated, and desperate to die. Now, he simply seemed resigned to it. The gong sounded again, and the jury returned.

Tsunade, Gaara and Naruto turned to face the jury. The tradition for such high-profile trials was not a verbal pronouncement of the verdict. Instead of announcing it, the foreman of the jury brought forth a black lacquered box. He opened it for Tsunade, and the crowd held its breath. If she were to draw forth a red scarf, he would be found guilty, and a white one would indicate innocence. She slowly put her hand inside the box. Drawing it out, she began to unfold something, and then let it fly in the breeze.

The white silk flapped in the wind, and the crowd seemed stunned. Then, from somewhere, Naruto heard Iruka. He was screaming, cheering. Then, he heard Ino joining in. He laughed. Others followed suit, mostly those who had known Sasuke best. The rest of the crowd merely applauded politely.

Tsunade stepped forward, hanging the white scarf around Sasuke's neck. Genma removed chains, cuffs, and shackles, and Sasuke stood, finally a free man, but not entirely. "Uchiha Sasuke, you do not get off without any punishment. You will be assigned duties, assisting a special jounin. You are to take orders without question, and eventually, when you have proved yourself, you'll be allowed to take the chuunin exam again."

Sasuke bowed formally to Tsunade, then the Elders, then the jury, then the Kazekage. He turned to the Hokage, and knelt once again. "Hokage-sama, may I ask who I am to work under?"

"You are to work under the Sixth Hokage of Konoha."

He looked at her, blinking in surprise. He, as well as the others on the platform, stared at her in astonishment. The Elders were suddenly on the platform, standing before Tsunade. One of them held up a hand to silence the crowd. When all was quiet, the other Elder stepped forward and announced to the crowd, "The Sixth Hokage has been chosen. Please, welcome to the office of Hokage, Uzumaki Naruto."

This seemed to stun the audience more than the trial's verdict. Then, the voices of his friends, starting with Ino, and followed closely by Kakashi, Kiba, and Iruka, rang out, followed by many others, like Lee and Gai, and the crowd applauded politely, until Tsunade bowed formally to him. After that, the rest of the people decided that he was worthy enough if she thought he was. They screamed and cheered.

Sasuke stared at Naruto, who stared back at him. Both of them were stunned. Sasuke stood, and bowed stiffly. "Hokage-sama." Naruto thought he heard a slight hint of mocking in the title. His eyes widened as his ears picked up a sound, and it sent chills through him.

"Did you hear that?" The others shook their heads. The ground then began to vibrate. The hair on the back of Naruto's neck began to stand on end. He turned to the newly freed Uchiha. "Sasuke, you take those two. Go and start evacuating the arena." He ran off with Genma and Raido. He turned to where he had heard Kakashi's voice. "Kakashi! Gai! Lee! Neji! Kiba! Shino and Kurenai! Get your asses down here!" He watched as seven blurs flew through the air, coming to rest in front of him, on their knees. "Get up, you morons. We don't have time for this. Kurenai, you take Shino and Kiba, find Hinata, too. Go and find out where the enemy is."

He turned to his former sensei, and smiled as he said, "Ready, sensei?" He could see his former teacher's dark eye sparkling. Nodding, he turned to Tsunade and Gaara. "This is going to get rough. You ready?" They both nodded, throwing off their ceremonial robes. Suddenly, both Temari and Kankarou were beside their brother. Shikamaru and Chouji appeared, as well. Naruto raised an eyebrow.

Shikamaru shrugged. "It would be troublesome if there was no village left." Chouji just stood there, downing a back of chips, fueling up for a fight. By this time, the arena was well on its way to being evacuated. Sasuke reappeared.

"Iruka, Ino and Shizune took over the evacuation. What else can I do?"

Naruto smiled. "You still know how to use that Katon?" Sasuke nodded. "That's good. We might need it. Might need your summoning jutsu as well. Try not to call Manda, if you can." Sasuke snorted. When the last of the people had been evacuated, they stood in a circle, ready for whatever might come.

Tsunade said, "Alright. I don't hear anything. Are you sure about this, Naruto?"

He nodded, squinting his eyes. It had been an explosion, he was sure. Sasuke agreed, saying, "When I was outside, I saw the ruins of the Hokage's tower. We have been attacked. I just didn't see any of the attackers. Kabuto is very shrewd. He wouldn't do anything to put himself in harm's way if he could help it. So we'll most likely be dealing with his flunkies."

"That's an encouraging thought." Naruto smiled, baring teeth. Suddenly, they came. There were a lot of them, all dressed in black, mostly rogue nins from the Cloud. They surrounded the platform. From their midst, a figure walked forward. It threw back the hood from a face that was familiar to many on the platform.

"Kabuto."

"Naruto. Or should I say, Hokage-sama?" The silver-haired man laughed. "I don't think I've heard a funnier joke in a very long time." His eyes leveled at Naruto, then at Sasuke. He pursed his lips. "Sasuke-sama, I see that you've returned to your old ways. Suppose that this means I'll have to kill you, too?"

Sasuke looked at Naruto. The young man held up a hand. "I'll take care of him. You guys deal with his morons." With that, he reached into his pouch, drawing forth a kunai, putting it between his teeth. Then he took out a shiruken and threw it at Kabuto's head, performing the Shiruken Kage Bunshin no jutsu. Naruto put a decent amount of chakra into that jutsu, and Kabuto was hit by five of the sixty cloned shiruken. Two had embedded themselves in his left leg, one in his back, and another grazed his side. The last one slashed open his right cheek.

Naruto rushed at him, and Kakashi helped. The masked jounin made a move to seem like he was going to take on two of the black-clad rogue nins, but instead grabbed Kabuto from behind, pinning his arms at his sides. He snorted. "Can't run now, can you?" Naruto hurriedly pulled the chakra beads from his pocket. When he placed them around Kabuto's neck, he performed his hand seals and then the jutsu took effect.

"Ok, Kakashi. He's all yours." Naruto ran to help the others. Kakashi had a good time pummeling Kabuto.

When he turned back to the fight, he found Gaara's sand and Sasuke's fireballs taking out ten men at a time. Kurenai returned with her former students, and gave the report. "It's not Kabuto who's in charge. I don't know who the man is, but he's really strong." She looked around, and saw Kakashi beating up on Kabuto some more. "Maybe he'll talk."

Naruto looked at Kabuto. He looked much weakened by the chakra beads. "I'll see." He walked over to where he could stand near enough to Kabuto to speak to him, but no nearer. "Ok, Kakashi, give it a rest. Now, Kabuto, who is this person you're working for?"

The young man smiled, but said nothing. "Take him to a cell, Kakashi. We'll talk to him later. Right now, we have to protect the village." The group ran from the arena and into the streets. There were rogue nins everywhere. The shinobi of Konoha were in the streets as well, fighting to the last. The rogues were having quite a time. Naruto saw Konohamaru and his friends cornered, and sent four clones to help them. They continued through the streets, running and fighting alternately.

Then, they saw the leader. He was tall, with long hair that was an odd shade of light blue. The man was dressed in black, with a long scar down his left cheek. His eyes were completely black. Tsunade gawked. "What is it, Tsunade-sama?" Kurenai asked.

"I know that man. No one go near him. He is very dangerous. All we can do for now is drive him back." Tsunade's voice had a note of fear in it.

Gaara smiled. "I don't need to go near him. Leave it to me." He walked forward, and placed his hands on the ground. They all felt shockwaves ripple out from where he stood, and the earth of the street began to wave and ripple as well. Soon, a wave of earth was headed straight for the man. It washed over him, inundating him in the sand that Gaara had drawn from the ground.

"No, Gaara! Stop!" Tsunade's shout was too late. Two hands had come up from the ground and pulled him into the earth up to his neck. His eyes began to glaze over. Tsunade ran forward and hit the ground near Gaara hard, causing the area where he was to rise. She yanked him up from the ground, and examined him. "He's only lost his chakra, but he can't stay here. Kurenai, take him and bring him to the tunnels."

The leader of the rogue nins had disappeared, and none of them could find out where he had gone. "Spread out. Take care of any of those crappy ninjas that you find." Naruto spoke, his command absolute. He looked at Sasuke. "Come on, teme. Let's go find that blue-haired guy." Sasuke smiled, and the group dispersed.

A/N: Alright, you guys. There it is. Sasuke has to obey Naruto...hehehe. I've always wanted to make Naruto the Rokudaime. He's all matured and stuff now. Odd isn't it? There is still more to come, so stay tuned!