A/N Okay, I'm updating faster than most, I know I had the first four chapters in two days…Just read and review, please.
Chapter 5: Hinata the Hero
She was one of the few who didn't hate Naruto. After Sakura told her about the seal, she didn't care one bit. Naruto was perfectly innocent; even Sakura was crying and blaming herself! Hinata couldn't help but sob, knowing that the end was so near for Naruto.
The end couldn't be near! Surely nobody would consent! But Tsunade had already told her that the Council overpowered her. Once they had an excuse to kill Naruto, even for something as small as theft, they would kill him. Rage boiled through Hinata as she realized how much pain Naruto must be in, how much suffering he must of endured.
But nothing was as painful as what Hinata was experiencing. Nothing was as painful as the helplessness she was going through. The fact that she couldn't save Naruto.
That was the worst pain she had ever endured.
"You're death is today," someone said from right outside Naruto's cell. "You have an hour until you die." The man left.
An hour until you die, you mean, Naruto thought, closing his eyes and smiling.
The hour came. Sakura was sitting behind a fence, along with multiple other audience members who were cheering as Naruto was dragged up to a stone, where an ANBU member held his head down.
"Naruto Uzamaki has been sentenced to death for intentionally coming close to releasing the seal, and wounding multiple innocent people in the process," a Council Member announced.
"Innocent? The people who have and still hate me for practically no reason are innocent?" Naruto asked, a smile on his face. His eyes showed no fear and looked extremely calm.
Hinata, not knowing what else to do, blurted out, "Naruto's right! It's our fault! We provoked him! Let him go!"
"Shut up!" the Council Member ordered both of them.
Change of plans. Don't hurt Hinata either, Naruto told the Kyuubi.
Oh, all right… But please tell me you don't have anyone else to add to your list of 'do not hurt.'
Not that I know of.
"Do it," was all that was said. A man with a sword stepped up as most of the crowd cheered on.
"Finally, we rid this land of a monster," the man said loud enough for everyone to hear, including Sakura, Tsunade, and Hinata, who were crying. The ramen store owner was standing stiffly with his eyes closed, not wanting to witness the scene.
"You're right. We rid this land of a monster," Naruto agreed, smiling. "In fact, we rid this land of many monsters. But you're mistaken on who they are."
"Be quiet, demon!" the Council Member ordered.
"The real demons…" Naruto stated, lifting his head up, "ARE YOU!" The chakra tendrils slashed right through the man, and everyone around him. Naruto stood up and turned around, nails sharp as claws, eyes red and catlike, teeth now fangs. Chakra surrounded him in the form of a one-tailed fox.
"Naruto!" Sakura gasped as Naruto stared straight at her.
"My plan was to kill Mizuki first, but you'll do," he said, smiling and walking over. Multiple random people who had been cheering seemed to explode in an instant, the chakra tendrils invisible and yet deadly. Blood splattered everywhere, and those in the crowd gasped and ran away, though some who were too slow were killed.
Right as he was about to kill Sakura, Hinata stood between them. "No!" she cried.
"Get out of the way, Hinata. I don't want to kill you," Naruto said with no emotion.
"No! Naruto! Stop!" Hinata cried, tears rolling down her face. "Naruto! Many people have been feeling twice the pain you have! That's because the one thing worse than what you've been through is knowing your best friend has been through it! The one thing worse than dying is knowing your friend died! Naruto! Stop this madness!"
Naruto clenched his teeth and closed his eyes. "If you care…" he murmured, "Then why won't you let me get my revenge?" By that time the tears on the ground were not only Hinata's.
"Because I care about the village and its people, as well! And you should too!" Hinata whispered. "Half the people you killed didn't even know what they were cheering about, Naruto! They just saw their parents do it and copied them!"
"You would have let me die, then?" The aggression was back in his voice.
"No, Naruto… But you can escape without killing… I would have sheltered you! So would Tsunade! And so would Sakura! And any of our other friends!" Hinata sobbed. "Please stop, Naruto!"
"You obviously don't care about me," Naruto whispered, tears falling freely to the ground from a stream that came from Naruto's eyes. "None of you do! You've all been lying to me! Lying to me my entire life!" He paused, wiping the tears away. "But who am I to tink anyone would have accepted me as Hokage, even before this? No. I have no dreams now. No dreams except to live. No dreams except to get revenge on Konoha, and to do that I will not destroy it. No, instead I will leave the village and let you mourn your losses, detest me, and finally realize that the whole thing was mostly your fault in the first place." Naruto took his headband off. "I am no longer a part of Konoha," he whispered, taking out a Kunai and making a scratch across the Leaf-Village symbol before putting it back on.
"Naruto! Wait!" Tsanade sobbed. "Please understand, Naruto… We care about you!"
"Does someone who not even argues at the fact that I'm about to die really care?" Naruto asked, making Tsunade feel guiltier as he turned away.
"I tried to stop them, Naruto! The council overpowered me!"
"Nice story, Tsunade," Naruto said sadly, walking past the village gates without an attempt to stop him. The chakra faded away, his eyes turned normal, along with his teeth and nails. "But only a fool… No, only the old me… Would believe it."
"Naruto!" Hinata cried, following him, but Naruto knocked her to the ground.
"Don't follow me," was all he said before walking into the shadows of the forest.
Hinata stared at the pained figure. "Naruto…"