Long(ish) author's note:
As many of you are aware, I have not been able to keep up with the bi-weekly updates that I once promised. My circumstances changed drastically since I said that. I know it's frustrating not to be certain how long you will have to wait for the next chapter, so I'm going to try—and try really, really hard—to have a new update each month.
Another option would be to have much shorter chapters updated bi-weekly, but I'm not a fan of 1,500-2,000 word chapters. It's like, you just start to get into it; then, it's over. Blah.
Disclaimer 1: I don't own Naruto.
Disclaimer 2: I have absolutely no background in law or government or anything of the matter. There are probably tons of holes in the story below. Please excuse them.
Curse of the Uchiha
White walls were the first thing he saw. They slanted, spun, and blurred in his vision, but when he blinked, they came into focus.
A figure was moving above him. Arms reached towards him, and Sasuke—battered, bruised, and befuddled as he was—reacted instinctively. His hand shot up to grab the approaching limb.
"Uchiha-san!" The shriek sent a spike of pain through Sasuke's head.
"Who'r'you?" he slurred. Strange that his muscles were working, but his mind was lagging far behind.
"Gomen, Uchiha-san. You surprised me. You're in the hospital. Do you remember what happened?"
"Hothspital?" Why was his tongue so heavy? He sounded like a drunk oji-san.
"Yes, you underwent mental interrogation. They are deciding your fate now, Uchiha-san."
"M'fate?" Damn. All he could manage to do was repeat her words.
"Yamanka-san has yet to wake up. They have to do something with you until then."
"Oh." Sasuke was having trouble keeping up. Mental interrogation? Was that why his brain was so damnably fuzzy? A sharp prick in his arm brought his attention back to the nurse. She was drawing blood from his arm. He remained silent while she worked, but when she brought out a third vial to fill, he asked, "It'n three a bit much?" Oh, goody. He'd managed a whole sentence.
"One is to test that the drug used in the interrogation is completely out of your system. One is to make sure that your body didn't produce a certain harmful protein during the interrogation—it's rare but if it forms we have to take countermeasures. The third is for your annual physical, which you are already four months late in getting, Uchiha-san. Naughty."
There was something funny about the nurse. Sasuke couldn't put his finger on exactly why—he blamed his scattered thoughts for that—but she was just…a bit off. For one, she didn't display the characteristic reserve around him. Two, she didn't seem afraid of him at all. Three, she was completely stupid not to be afraid, since the Council thought him dangerous enough to mentally interrogate. Four,—
"By the way, Uzumaki-san was here."
Sasuke promptly lost track of his thoughts.
"About three hours ago, I think it was. She held your hand and spoke to you. That's when you began to wake up."
Sasuke didn't have the energy to be embarrassed, but he accepted that he would have to do something about his involuntary reactions to Naruto. They might really get him in trouble someday. More importantly, she had held his hand, had she? That was food for thought, when he could think again.
"The Hokage came, as well. It seems they hadn't told Uzumaki-san about the interrogation. When she left, she had a murderous expression on her face."
At that, Sasuke's instincts yelled at him to jump up and find at Naruto before she did something unforgivable. But the nurse had jabbed a shot into his arm while he was preoccupied. The medicine was making Sasuke drowsy.
Don't do something stupid, Naruto.
He was asleep before the nurse left the room.
... ... ...
Nara Shikamaru lay his head down on a thick book, utterly spent. He was in the Konoha Archives—and had been since a certain blonde had kidnapped him from the market. Where had his perfect day gone? Why hadn't Chouji come to rescue him? Why did the world hate him? He idly pondered the questions as he watched a trail of golden blonde hair fly out the door from the Archives.
A fourth question sprang into his mind: When would Naruto ever catch a break?
Shikamaru closed his eyes. It was all so troublesome.
... ... ...
It was during the third Hokage's second reign that the Council, under Elders Homura Mitokado and Koharu Utatane, was granted greater power. The Sandaime had feared what might happen if the wrong shinobi came to power as Hokage. His fear was not uncalled for. Many shinobi became strong purely to satisfy their own ambitions. If one such shinobi took up the mantle of Hokage, it would be disastrous.
The Council was meant to support and guide the Hokage, only to interfere if the Hokage proved to be wrong for the position. It wasn't meant to garner power for itself. Somewhere along the way, the Council had failed in its purpose. Why Tsunade had allowed them to take control of the situation with Sasuke, Naruto could only guess. It hinted at Tsunade's own indecisiveness in the matter. Maybe, had the shinobi been anyone other than Sasuke, Tsunade would have ordered the interrogation even sooner.
Tsunade didn't know Sasuke as Naruto did. That's why it was up to Naruto to confront the Council. Only she had the conviction to combat their hatred.
Such were Naruto's thoughts as she barged into the council room. A dozen heads swiveled towards her. Eyebrows rose. Eyes widened. A few jaws even dropped.
Naruto looked around the room. There were Homura and Koharu, looking grim-faced and obstinate. Three members of the civilian population, elected by popular vote. Nara Shikaku, the jounin commander. Akamichi Choza, Hyuuga Hiashi, Inuzuka Tsume, and several other clan heads.
The only surprise was Yamanaka Ino. But, of course, she was clan heir, and with her father incapacitated, it fell to her to attend the meeting in his place. Her eyes were rimmed in red. She looked like she hadn't slept in days. Naruto could only imagine what she must feel—to have her father put into a coma by the love of her life. Still, at Naruto's entrance, Ino brightened. Naruto took heart.
"Excellent. Right on time," Naruto said cheerfully to the flabbergasted council members.
Outraged, Elder Koharu rose from her chair and pointed a finger towards Naruto. "You are not allowed to be here. You overstep your bounds, Uzumaki."
"On the contrary, not only is it my right, it is my duty to be here."
A hubbub of mutterings broke out at her words.
Tsunade banged her fist on the table, effectively silencing the commotion. "Naruto, you have one minute to convince us that you should be here. If you can't, you will incur punishment as a result of insubordination."
"Fine. But first—" In a sudden move, she walked around the table and bent at the waist, bowing low to the Hokage. "Gomenasai, Hokage-sama. I was out of line at the hospital. I think I had a right to be angry, but I should not have acted as I did. I should have questioned instead of yelled at you. Gomen."
Tsunade had difficulty making her mouth move. She had half-expected Naruto to interfere in the meeting; she had not expected an apology. "Y-you—ahem, you did nothing that cannot be put to rights." She fought against the incredible relief that filled her chest. "Thirty seconds, brat!"
Naruto smiled confidently. "Two years ago when you all voted to allow Sasuke back into Konoha, you did so under the stipulation that I would be held responsible for his actions. With the Hokage as our witness, Uchiha Sasuke and I signed this stupid form—" Naruto held up a document. "—and imprinted it with our chakra. By your order, I became Sasuke's patron, and this afternoon I read the fine print of the thing."
Many frowns made their ways to the faces of the council members. Two pairs of eyes widened in understanding.
"Blah, blah, blah…Under the mantle of patronage, the former shinobi of Konoha, Uchiha Sasuke, will be granted civil rights subject to vote by the Council of Konoha and in accordance with the patron, Uzumaki Naruto…blah, blah…for further information regarding the rights of patronage, refer to Volume XXXI of Konoha Internal Affairs." Naruto held up a thick tome and turned to a marked page. "Yada, yada…should the shinobi be accused of crime, the patron must be present for any and all legal proceedings to answer on behalf…blah, blah, blah. In summary, I should have been present at the preceding council session when you ordered the arrested of Uchiha Sasuke, and I am well within my rights to demand a voice at this one."
Naruto handed the book and scroll to Shikaku who glanced over the terms of Naruto's patronage. After a moment, he nodded and passed them to Homura. The council was silent while the elder read.
"What's done is done," declared Homura finally, as he rolled up the scroll. "Your vote would not have overridden our decision to have the Uchiha interrogated." He paused before continuing grudgingly, "However, under the aforementioned rights of patronage, we admit your presence into this council."
"Why thank you, Councilman Homura," said Naruto with feigned politeness as she took a seat in an empty chair. "As you said, what's done is done, but I'll be damned if I let you lock Sasuke up unjustly."
He ignored Naruto. "I now call this session to order. Godaime Senju Tsunade presiding."
Tsunade spoke, "Two years ago, we allowed Uchiha Sasuke conditional citizenship upon his return to Konoha. In light of recent events, we ordered interrogation, which occurred yesterday at 22:00. The interrogator, Yamanaka Inoichi, is in a coma for reasons we do not understand. We are here to determine temporary placement for Uchiha Sasuke under his rights as a conditional citizen."
"He should have been imprisoned the moment the interrogation was compromised," said Koharu. "The fact that he remains unconstrained in perfect position to escape is unacceptable."
"No," said Shikaku. "We can only imprison an ailing shinobi if he is a convicted criminal. Uchiha Sasuke has not been convicted. He should receive medical treatment in the hospital. We've posted a guard. That should be sufficient."
"That rule only applies in the case of full citizens, which the Uchiha is not. Orochimaru is more than capable of staging a break from the hospital. The more time we give him to plan—"
"Orochimaru's involvement has not yet been proven, let alone Sasuke's."
"History has proven that an Uchiha will take the fastest route to power. Uchiha Sasuke has been frustrated with his permanent genin status. He may have lasted two years, but I fear his patience has run out. We must take action now, or live to regret it."
Naruto, impatient to begin and not willing to hear slander against Sasuke, cleared her throat. "Permission to speak, Hokage-sama? I think I am the only one present with a third perspective."
Tsunade nodded her consent, curious to hear what Naruto would say.
"Thank you, Hokage-sama." The blonde stood, forcing the council members to look up at her. "First off, this whole session is bullshit—"
"Keep it civil, Naruto!" barked Tsunade.
"Second, if you imprison Sasuke, then you all will be committing treason. Again."
All shuffling of papers and subtle movements ceased. Naruto had the Council's attention.
"This afternoon, I had a friend and a few clones researching a some obscure laws—laws that you all wrote ages ago. It was wicked boring, by the way. You guys should really consider spicing up your vocabulary. Super dreary—"
"Get to the point," interjected Koharu.
"Ahem. For those of you who don't know, the patron system goes way back to when other clans began to join the Senju and Uchiha in Konoha. There was a lot of turmoil. They didn't know who to let in the village and who was only trying to sabotage the peace or destroy the clans. The Senju, Uchiha, and the other couple of clans who had already joined came up with a process for citizenship—"
"We know the history of our own village," interrupted Homura.
"I don't." All eyes turned to Ino. "Well, I do, but not the history Naruto is talking about." She lifted her chin defiantly. "I'd like to hear it, especially since it seems important to this matter."
"Thanks, Ino." Naruto flashed the other blonde a smile. "The process started with conditional citizenship. The clans—the women, children, shinobi, everyone—could move into Konoha, but there were certain restrictions. Under conditional citizenship, they couldn't hold positions of power in Konoha for a long time. They were allowed to buy land and build clan houses. They were allowed to open businesses and other stuff. But they had to show that they could live on good terms with the other clans for a period of two years with minimal incidents and—well, there's lots of other stuff, but I think we can skip that.
"A clan outside of Konoha either had to apply for admittance or be invited by Konoha to join the village. In both cases, the patron system was applied. The patron was sort of the guardian of the new clan. The patron watched over them, made sure they toed the line, made sure no other clan interfered with them. After two years, after a review by the clan's patron and by the Uchiha and Senju, they were granted full citizenship. As full citizens, they were subject to the full weight of the laws of Konoha with no patron watching over them or interceding for them.
"It worked in most cases. The Akimichis and Naras joined that way. But because of clan prejudices and competitions that went way back, some feuds threatened Konoha, and clans were denied citizenship. Some people from those clans were happy in Konoha and chose to break away from their clans and live under civilian status. Turns out the Harunos were one of those—"
"Naruto," interrupted Tsunade, "this is all very interesting, but try to keep it short."
"Right. Sorry. I didn't know all this stuff and thought it was cool." She cleared her throat. "Right. So, the feuds sometimes got new clans expelled from Konoha. It worked both ways, though. In one case, a clan in Konoha, the Satos, tried to set up a scandal involving the a clan that was trying to join Konoha—the Yamanakas."
Ino had tensed at the Sato name; a grimace crossed her face. It looked as though the Yamanakas had never forgotten the incident.
"Long story short. The Satos got the Yamanaka clan head—Inogo was his name—imprisoned on a charge of murder. The Shodai Hokage and the Yamanaka's patron, the Nara head, were away on a mission to see the Fire Lord. They had been mysteriously delayed for reasons that weren't clear. In their absence, a trial was held. Inogo was condemned by the other clan heads and sentenced to be executed. The Yamanakas were to be expelled from Konoha.
"It would have worked, the Sato's plot. But Inogo, turns out, was friends with some of the Akimichis. They didn't believe the Sato's claim or the evidence against Inogo. Then, two shinobi Akimichis actually traveled to the capital and found the Shodaime and the Nara patron—his name was Shikahan. Well, the Shodaime and Shikahan got back to Konoha in a jiffy. Shikahan had some dirt on the Satos, and he knew Inogo to be a good man. He smelled a rat. He couldn't get the charges dropped immediately, but he stopped the execution. Since then, the Akimichis, the Naras, and the Yamanakas have been allied. It took awhile, but eventually they found evidence against the Satos. Their leaders were kicked out, but lots of those people broke away from the clan and stayed here.
"After that, the Shodaime ruled that the patron had to be present for any and all legal and criminal proceedings regarding their charge. In fact, according to Article XXI, Section , paragraph III of the Founding Charter, it is illegal, even treasonous, for any ruling body of Konoha to arrest, interrogate, or imprison a conditional citizen without the full cooperation of the patron, unless the ruling body has solid, undeniable proof of a wrong. Furthermore, if a patron found that their charge was being treated unfairly, it was within their right to remove the clan from Konoha without fear of backlash or injury for either the patron or the clan.
"In such a case, the Hokage would have right and reason to strip the offending council members of their positions and even imprison them for perjury."
Several of the council members, who had not seen Naruto's point in telling such a long-winded story, had finally caught onto her scheme. Their eyes grew round. Ino wore a smile. The Elders' faces were stuck in a characteristic frown.
"That is all correct," said Shikaku, hiding a rare smile. "I had forgotten. The patron system hasn't been used since the days of the Founding."
Naruto kept speaking, "You used this system to bind me to Sasuke. It made sense. It reassured the civilians that I would be Sasuke's guardian. I was happy to take on the responsibility. But you never intended to remove his conditional citizenship status, did you? There was your mistake. You never made him a full citizen, so he was never removed him from my jurisdiction. You knew that he could rise quickly through the ranks, so you never even opened up the idea for discussion. You wanted to disable him."
"That is speculation and is not a part of these proceedings," said Koharu.
"Fine. Doesn't really matter. With Sasuke's status as a conditional citizen, you do not have the authority to arrest, interrogate, or imprison him without my consent, which I absolutely do not give. You have taken actions considered treasonous under Konoha's internal policy. You are all in violation of you own damn laws! I rule that this session is bullshit! Suck it, assholes!"
Tsunade coughed pointedly to remind Naruto just whom she was addressing, but even Tsunade couldn't keep a small grin off her face. There was silence around the council table. Those who leaned towards the Elders' point of view looked for an argument to stump Naruto, but they came up short. They had not known the law of patronage. When Homura cleared his throat, they looked hopefully at the Elder.
"Don't celebrate just yet. We cannot under Konoha law detain Uchiha Sasuke. However, with Sasuke's former status as a deserter, we can rescind our decision to grant him citizenship altogether. We can revoke your patronage. He will become a traitor to Konoha again, and we will treat him as such."
Naruto felt the world spinning underneath her.
Shikaku broke in, "That would take a unanimous vote. I assure you, you would not get it."
"It's not like you to be short-sighted, Shikaku. Soon, the populace will learn of what has occurred. When they hear that Orochimaru's most likely accomplice is not even behind bars, they will panic. They will question our judgment. But it's not only the civilians I fear for. The Five Nations will be outraged. Konoha will be vulnerable. We must take action now."
"You would really go that far?" asked Naruto in quiet anger. "You would make him an enemy of the Five Nations for your own stubborn pride? Lightning and Water Nations would be on him in an instant if he were cast out of Konoha."
"The safety of Konoha is our first priority. Having a dangerous spy in our midst is cause for such action. We cannot allow personal feelings to influence our judgments." Her voice was final. "If you want to spar with the laws, you have to know them front and back."
"Fine. I get it. Here's the ultimatum: You will allow Uchiha Sasuke to remain in the hospital until Inoichi can testify, or I as his patron will personally remove him from Konoha, as is my right by law."
"Until his guilt is proven."
Naruto spoke over him. "It won't be."
"Very well. You will take him from Konoha—"
"After he's recovered."
"—to a place where he lives in isolation, or with his master Orochimaru, until the end of his days. Very well. You will have successfully given the enemy the upper hand." Homura dropped the sarcasm and asked seriously, "And if he is guilty? We will hunt him down and have him executed. Will you interfere then? Will you rescue him and flee Konoha? Will your loyalty to the Uchiha lead you to commit treason?"
Naruto's eyes were in shadow, but her voice was unwavering. "If Sasuke is guilty, if he has betrayed Konoha again…then I will carry out the execution myself."
At Naruto's declaration, the fight left the Elders. There was no winning against the blonde. A tense silence followed her declaration. Ino was shocked by Naruto's resolve. Hyuuga Hiashi nodded his head, accepting Naruto's word. Tsunade wondered if the blonde could truly bring herself to do such a thing.
Koharu sighed, "You've made your point, Uzumaki. Uchiha Sasuke will remain hospitalized until such a time as he is proven guilty."
Tsunade looked around the room. "This matter has been resolved. There will be no vote. We will await word from Inoichi until further action is taken. Council dismissed."
"One last thing."
Tsunade was almost transfixed by Naruto's presence. The blonde had always had an unshakeable determination and confidence, but this was different. It was confidence back by experience, knowledge, and even wisdom. Naruto spoke only to Homura and Koharu, but every member of the council remained seated.
"This might be out of line, and obaa-chan might have to suspend me from my duties. But I have to say it."
Tsunade blanched, dreading whatever was to come.
"Call me crazy, but I don't think this is about Sasuke. You hate the Uchihas, sure. But you must know good and well that Sasuke, if he was a spy for Orochimaru, would never leave such an obvious trail. He would never allow himself to be mentally interrogated, if he was Orochimaru's man. It doesn't make any sense. No, your real target was me. You were using the situation to weaken me, weren't you? You wanted to show me that the Council still had power. You wanted me to fear you.
"Back when Sasuke returned to Konoha, you didn't make me his patron solely to comfort the villagers. You wanted him to try to escape. You hoped he would give me trouble and give you a chance to discredit me. I bet you laughed when you found this chance to make trouble for him and me. Guess you assumed I wouldn't be smart enough to look into the fine print of this patron thing." At that, Naruto paused and scratched her cheek. "Well, I wasn't, but I have a friend who was."
"You are, again, leaning heavily on speculation, Uzumaki, and boring us with unfounded accusations. Get to the point."
"You've been frustrated since the end of the war. I get it. You resent me because I stole your influence. Back then, we went head to head over Sasuke's sentencing. I won the citizens' favor and the Council's vote. People even said it was time for you to step down. After all you've done for Konoha, that must have stung."
"How dare you—"
"I never would have chosen that, you know. For better or for worse, you two have protected Konoha. In your time, three Hokages have fallen, yet you have survived. We've flourished under your guidance. For that, I thank you. But—" Naruto breathed deeply as her blue gaze sharpened. "You've rekindled the old prejudice against the Uchihas, which had finally begun to fade. You have rebelled against our new peace. I won't stand for it. We are living in a new age. It's time for you to join it."
Every eye in the room was fixated on Naruto. In her stance, in her eyes, in her voice, there was power.
"I'm a simple kind of guy—well, girl I guess—so I'll put it plainly." Naruto leveled them with a gaze. "Stay the fuck away from Sasuke."
... ... ...
Dead silence reigned in the council room.
Each person in the room had felt the weight of Naruto's words. The civilian leaders made a mental note never to look askance at the Uchiha again. The clan heads were dismayed but unsurprised by the extent to which Naruto would go for the Uchiha. Hyuuga Hiashi let out an imperceptible sigh. He had hoped that Neji would choose to court and wed the blonde. Those plans were dashed. Inuzuka Tsume would go home and boast to her family that they would have a strong alpha to lead them in the future. Nara Shikaku had long ago learned to trust Naruto; that trust was not shaken.
"Council dismissed," Tsunade repeated finally.
Another silence followed the pronouncement until a few chairs scraped across the floor as the council members rose. They filed out the door. No one felt at liberty to speak; the quiet was too heavy. The Elders remained seated, but as Naruto turned to leave, Koharu said, "Naruto."
Naruto's shoulders tensed as she looked back at the Elder.
"We wish to speak with you. Privately." Her tone dismissed the remaining council members. Most of them walked calmly out the door; some cast curious looks back at Naruto and the Elders, wanting to hear what would be said. Ino nodded and gave Naruto a tremulous smile. Tsunade lingered, uncertain if it was wise to leave them alone, until she remembered that Naruto was more than capable of handling herself.
"I'll be outside, gaki. I'd like to speak with you too."
"Hai, obaa-chan."
When the doors closed behind Tsunade, Naruto turned to face the Elders. They watched each other for several long moments. Naruto had no clue what was coming.
"You're wrong, you know." Elder Koharu's voice was surprisingly soft. She didn't appear angry, offended, or even defeated. "We weren't seeking to undermine you. We hoped to help you."
Naruto looked at the Elders uncomprehendingly.
"You are meant to become the Rokudaime Hokage," said Koharu.
Naruto, for just a moment, forgot her anger and stared in disbelief at the Elder.
"You are the best shinobi for the job. You proved your strength during Pain's invasion. You proved your diplomatic capacity during the war. You had every shinobi in the Five Nations on your side. Today, you proved your knowledge of the law and your unbending will in the face of opposition, even opposition from your allies. You will become a strong Hokage, the greatest that we have ever seen, perhaps. The world respects you. The world trusts you, as do we."
Naruto was steadily turning white. Astonishment, relief, anger, pride—every emotion she could think of was coursing through her. She burst out, "I don't get it! If you trust me, how can you completely disregard everything I've been trying to do? If you want me to be Hokage, then how can you stand there and sentence my strongest ally to imprisonment?"
"Tragedy follows the Uchihas. It is their curse. That goes double for Sasuke, the last Uchiha. He, who has lost everyone he loved but for one person, will bring that curse down on your head. You are far too close to Sasuke."
Naruto let out a strangled cry. "So, you—you've been torturing him because of some ridiculous superstition—"
"Indeed not," said Homura, silent up to that point. "We would not break the law intentionally. We, too, forgot your right as patron. That was a mistake. No, we wanted his interrogation because we are not convinced that he is not Orochimaru's man." He held up a hand to stop Naruto's protest. "Orochimaru has the Rinnegan. Assuming he was the intruder, he stole scrolls written by the last person to obtain the Rinnegan—Uchiha Madara. Everything centers around the Uchiha. You don't have to like that, but you have to accept it."
"But I don't have to accept that you broke into Sasuke's mind!"
"No, I suppose you don't. Be that as it may, Orochimaru's reemergence will somehow involve Sasuke, whether by Sasuke's choice or not. With Sasuke involved, you will throw yourself recklessly into the fray. And Orochimaru will be prepared for that. He knows you both. Inside and out. Naruto, when it comes to Sasuke, you are predictable.
"We fear for you. Naruto."
I don't think the Elders are evil. It's just that they're just such a convenient enemy that fanfics tend to paint them in a really bad light. That's why I tried to show a slightly different side to them.
The history of patronage isn't how it really happened in Naruto-verse. I had to make it up for Sasuke's sake. It dragged on longer than I had intended. Hope it didn't bore you!
Finally, this chapter was a royal pain to write. If you enjoyed it, please let me know!