The Dark Tower

Chapter Two

The room was silent, all within simply shocked with the news told by each party. Tsunade simply stared at Naruto and this new addition from another universe. Naruto stared at the ground, his eyes shadowed but the anger radiating off him in malevolent waves left no doubt to his state of mind. Tsunade looked down at her desktop, a tear trailing down her cheek at the fresh memories she'd just recounted. The girl with Naruto sighed, her eyes sad for her lover, and moved to the window and looked out over the Village of Konoha.

"What can we do Tsunade?" The girl's voice is emotionless but filled with the same fiery determination Naruto was renowned for. Tsunade didn't answer, her mind running through everything going on. "I don't know child, things are more complicated now that Naruto is back…"

Naruto stands slowly, his cloak flowing around his body concealing his swords, and now she could see the sheathes were decorated with such intricate designs and seals she thought she'd never be able to follow one line before accidentally moving on to another. He moves to the window next to Yuffie and looks out as dark clouds begin to gather, one of the first storms of fall approaching like a messenger from hell. "We wait, and see what ka wants of us. These last few years I've spent in the Multiverse have taught me one very important thing. All do as ka commands…" He turns back around, a feverish looking fire in his eyes at the next words he says. "I'll be leaving soon though, I can feel it. My journey will not end here it seems…" Yuffie looks sadly up at him from her position at the window. A sadness so deep it strikes Tsunade's heart like a sledge hammer of pity as three words whisper past her lips so lightly Tsunade almost didn't hear them. "The Dark Tower…" Naruto nodded before pushing the window gently open. "I don't believe in fate anymore now than I did in my match against Neji, but ka is not like fate. Ka is an entity that shapes the multiverse for the best of the all. All the different worlds have things in common with others, but one world is more real than the rest, including this one. It was in that world that I learned that the true evil I am either supposed to conquer or die trying is in The Dark Tower, a place of such evil and power it could easily overwhelm and destroy all worlds, if not for The White Tower. Balance is crucial or all worlds fall, the previous King of the Dark Tower understood this, but he was overpowered and destroyed by the Anti-Existence. I have to correct this, it was what I was born for, what Kyuubi was sealed for…" Tsunade stares wide eyed at the affectionate tone in Naruto's voice, almost as if she was his mother. Naruto and Yuffie snap a salute before leaping out the window and flying towards their new home, his father's old mansion that Tsunade had moved them to after Naruto had disappeared.

The Hokage sighs before reaching under her desk and pulls out three bottles of hidden Sake. Man was she feeling like getting plastered after all this bullshit.

Hinata was beyond nervous at this point. She'd been so stuck on the fact Naruto was back that when he was called away for a debriefing she almost wouldn't let him go, just like Kurenai and Tenten. Difference was that she wasn't Naruto's before he left, though he had accepted her kisses and hugs as if she had been. Now, several hours later as she waited with Kurenai and Tenten in their house she was jittery with nerves. What would she say to him? What would she do?! Kurenai smiled and patted her hand knowingly while Tenten had a reminiscent look on her face and seemed to be simply spacing out.

No wonder she jumped when there was a sharp rap at the door before Naruto and this girl he had appeared with stepped through. "Hey little ones, miss me?" There was a wide grin and pure unfiltered love in his eyes as he looked them over. Hinata paled and tried to sink into her part of the couch while Kurenai and Tenten put their fingers to their lips and lightly shushed Naruto. Confused he steps forward, his feet not making a single noise over the carpet, his muscles flowing under his skin like some powerful animal, like a panther on the prowl ready to be released and cause monstrous damage in an instant. Hinata's face lit up like fire at the thought of all that power within this man she loved. An Image of him in his angelic form instantly flowing into, not hers, but everyone's mind as he crossed the short space.

Leaning down to stare into the blanket bundles on the two girls laps and his face first went pale then bright red as a he saw two babies wrapped up in their mother's arms. Both had red hair, Kurenai's a bright red with dark reddish stripes. Both babies were sucking on the ends of their Guardian tails sound asleep. A smile of such happiness spread across Naruto's face all three girls realized they'd never seen such happiness from this man before. He leans forward, gently brushing locks of hair from the babies foreheads and asked a question that shocked all of the Leaf Kunoichi. "Why are they still babies? They should be seven by now…" Silence permeated the air around them as they stared at Naruto, their gazes finally realizing the extra years on him.

Kurenai was the first to come out of her shock and asked the questions of each of the three Kunoichi's minds. "You've only been gone for two years Naruto-kun… How have you lived five years more than us?!" Naruto's eyes open in shock now at the realization, his mind trying to wrap around the implications of his extra years out of his own Universe. Hinata slowly moves towards Naruto, tears glistening on the edges of her vision as she sees the pain Naruto has suffered being separated by Universe after Universe from those he loves. Her arms wrap him tight in her protective embrace as she tenderly kisses his neck. "It doesn't matter anymore, he's home and that's all that matters now…" Naruto feels more arms wrap around him as the women more important than anything else embrace him, their love for him radiating like a flame of such brilliant warmth that he can do nothing but bask in its brilliance and warmth.

It's been a week since his return, a week of simply loving and living with his lovers. His eyes slowly open as he tightens his arms around the four women, two on each side, causing them to sigh in pleasure. In a move that didn't even shift the skin on their arms he was out of bed and replaced with a clone who held the girls tighter. He knew they wouldn't be angry with him, he had stuff he had to do today and, however reluctant he was about it, he had to get it done. He dresses and arms himself in under a minute simply moving at a relaxed pace. With one last look at the four women in the bed sound asleep, he lets out a sigh of regret and heads out, making his way through the house like he'd lived here for years. The second he steps out of the door he leaps hundreds of feet into the air, angling it for a landing on the nearest roof, which just happened to be the Hyuuga Mansion. He'd barely landed when he was surrounded by Byakugan ANBU, each throwing a Gentle Fist attack at his crouched form only to miss as he leaps lazily in the air, his lazy jump so fast and hard it cracked the shingles and pushed the attackers back from the force. He watches his strength and speed more as he land son less hostile rooftops heading towards the Hokage Tower. Today was the day of Uchiha Sasuke's trial, to see if he had left of his own accord or if it had been the seal forcing him into it.

He stepped up to the receptionist and asked which room it was to be held in, only to get a fearful/dirty look. He had been gone for seven years, to him anyway, and hadn't had to deal with this kind of thing in a while. So his anger went through the roof as the words left her mouth. "Keep your evil claws out of this demon! I won't have you corrupting the judges minds just to get your rival killed!" Now, in the past he might have hollered and screamed childishly, raising all kinds of hell. But it's been a long time since then and he did something that taught a lesson to all in the village about talking to him like that. He grabbed the skinny little Chunin by the neck and practically ripped him from his seat behind the reception desk until he was almost nose to nose with the smug little bastard. "Listen here you little piss ant, I don't know who the fuck you think you are but either I get that fucking room number or you get your own room in the fucking hospital!!" He flicks his wrist sending the man twirling backwards over his desk and into his seat which slides across the floor on its wheels before tipping over. "So which is it gonna be hmmm?" The dark and almost animalistic tone to his voice must have triggered some signal of self preservation instincts in this little peon's brain since he got off the ground grabbing a paper and, in a body shaking tone of fear, told Naruto Sasuke was to be tried in room 217. Naruto nods, bowing just a fraction at the waist in thanks before moving down the wide hallway towards the said room.

Meanwhile a certain damaged and bandaged man by the name of Danzo simply watched the young man head to the room, his eyes stern. A slight seed of fear so deep in his eyes it was almost invisible. He simply faded back into the shadows heading back to his headquarters of ROOT.

Naruto never glanced in the direction of the seconds worth spike of killing intent he'd felt, didn't twitch or otherwise give any indication he'd felt anything. But seven years of finely honed instinct can't be ignored and Naruto never did, someone was in Konoha that wanted to take over and hated Naruto with a passion, prolly cause he had somehow put this man's plans back with his arrival. He puts it out of his mind for the time being, if ka wanted it then he would kill this man sometime in the future, if not someone else would, of this he was certain. At this point though he had more important matters on his mind, namely Sasuke and him having a fair trial.

He steps up to the door and a blade of rage slashes its way through his mind as a cry of pain issues forth from behind this innocent seeming door. Chakra and ki flash through his body as he slams his fist into the door sending it hurling across the room. As the room registers in his mind his canines bare themselves, his tail unwraps from his waist and he slams into the room slamming his fist into a masked ANBU shattering the mask like cheap glass. He spins on the ball of his foot, his left leg spinning backwards through the air and breaking the mask of a another ANBU. Using the momentum from the kick he continues his spin and slams his right fist into the last ANBU's gut before his hands begin flashing forward in such speed he doubted that Lee or Gai would have seen his hands. Instead of flying back from the force of the attack the last ANBU simply falls to the ground like a puppet with its strings cut. This had all taken nothing more than literally a split second in the eyes of others who had been watching, others Naruto had not even registered, later this would shame him.

"NARUTO!" At the sound of a pissed Tsunade he turned and saw the entire Shinobi council with Tsunade in full Hokage gear. "What the fuck are you doing interfering with the interrogation?!" Naruto looked back at a badly panting Sasuke, two seals on his forehead that Naruto didn't recognize. Naruto's anger was quickly abating, though confusion was sweeping in to replace it. "What interrogation? I heard Sasuke scream like he was under attack! How is that an interrogation?!"

Tsunade shook her head, realizing that yes Naruto had grown more powerful, had even created and learned new things the world had never seen before, but his total Shinobi training was severely lacking. "We were using seals that allowed us to see into his mind, and to make sure he won't betray us again we have to force open all 'locked doors' within his mind. That can be very painful, especially if the things locked up are bad memories…" Naruto looks at her, she felt like she was being judged for some reason, before he nods and turns to Sasuke. "In that case, Hokage-sama, I'll interrogate him, and I won't be so much of a butcher with it either…" A white haze gathers around Naruto before he puts his hand on Sasuke's head, a screen like thing appearing above his head showing ten doors, each labeled after a different emotion or specific event. The haze around Naruto brightens for a moment as Sasuke's face looks peaceful and calm. Every door bursts open instantly without a twitch or word from Sasuke. Memories begin flashing across the screen from birth to now in fast forward, each member of the council hearing and seeing everything in his mind in almost an instant. After what felt like years but were only seconds every member in the room had a new lifetime of memories stored in their minds, yet separate and not interfering with their own memories and thoughts.

Tsunade leans to the left then right conferring with her two most senior council members. Naruto opens his eyes and shakes his head, Sasuke's innocence brazenly clear in his mind. He turns to the Council, giving his left hand to Sasuke as a support. Sasuke grimaces as he stands, completely ignoring the offered hand out of his sense of pride. He looks at Tsunade without any hesitation or regret, his mind already made up that he would accept any punishment, even if it meant death.

Tsunade nods as she finishes talking to her two comrades and looks down at Sasuke, her eyes blank and empty, the perfect non-biased judge. "Uchiha Sasuke, you have been charged with treason and the death of Konoha Shinobi. How do you plead?" Sasuke looks at her unflinching, his eyes hard but hopeful deep within their depths. "I plead not guilty on the grounds of a Seal's Influence..." Tsunade waits to see if he wished to add more before nodding and looking around at the Council. "The Uchiha has pleaded not guilty on grounds of outside influences. Does anyone wish to make a statement at this time?" She waits seeing a few Council Members start to speak only to close their mouth and stay silent. Feeling that sufficient time had passed she speaks. "Since no one wishes to make a statement it is now time for the Council Vote. All those who feel the accused is guilty say aye...." A couple members said 'aye', the rest of course stayed silent, he was their 'precious Uchiha' after all. "Innocent say aye...." Now Tsunade is used to being surprised, hell she had two hellacious surprises just last week when all Konoha's enemies had attacked at once and then Naruto's amazing reappearance! And the surprise she felt right now was almost on the same level as those two. Not ONE of the Council declared Sasuke innocent, not a single one. Now in a regular voting system Sasuke would have been sent off immediately with just the couple 'ayes' on his guilt, but this was the Shinobi Council and is a lot more complicated than that. Tsunade sighs and looks Sasuke in the eyes. "The Council has declared 'Time' Uchiha, you will be given One Year probation to prove your loyalty, after which you will be watched for the next four to insure your loyalty. During this time if your show any signs of treason in any form or fashion, you will be arrested and either sentenced to Life in prison or Executed, depending on the nature of any future offense. As such you are banned for life from ever being eligible for the title of Hokage and can only attain Captain of the ANBU forces as your highest rank after a Stricter than normal application process. Do you understand these tests and limitations?" Sasuke gulped audibly before nodding. "Hai, Hokage-sama..." Tsunade watches him for a few seconds, in that time Sasuke felt as if his very soul was under observation. "It is understood then, as Hokage I have the authority to place you under anyone's care I feel can do the job. As such I place you under the Custody and Observation of Uzumaki Naruto..." She waited for the uproar from the Council and Sasuke, expected so much she had already prepared herself to be on the receiving end. When no such uproar arose she buried her disbelief and nodded at Naruto and watched as he bowed formally before moving towards the door and motioning for Sasuke to follow in a way he knew would infuriate the Uchiha. Sasuke said nothing, his face tightening slightly but taking the blows to his pride with no other sign of anger or discomfort as he simply started following his once friend/brother.

Outside Naruto snapped his fingers and Sasuke could do nothing but stare in amazement as his shackles disintegrated into dust. He continued following the strangely silent Naruto, strange to him at least since Naruto had been gone so long and he couldn't tell if this was the new Naruto or just a spur of the moment silence. He twitched when Naruto's voice snapped through his thinking like a hot knife through butter, and it was just his damn name! "Sasuke!" Naruto spins on the young Uchiha who notices too late that they are completely alone and in some wooded area that still stands inside the walls. "I saw every memory you had Sasuke, filtered them to show those assholes on the council what they needed to see…" Naruto steps forward and Sasuke saw with horror that Naruto's eyes were flashing through blue, red, silver, and pure gold at thirty six flashes per second, and growing faster. "However I saw everything. I purified your very soul on the battle field Uchiha giving you a clean slate to start again with, however…" Naruto appears behind Sasuke, an image of Naruto fading from his previous position as the real Naruto slams a back fist across Sasuke's head. Sasuke thought that if he hadn't been off guard he could have blocked the attack, but he knew somehow that was seriously not the case. These thoughts ran through his head as he leaned against the now shattered tree, his muscles limp. Fear overwhelms him as he watches Naruto slowly start moving towards him, the light coming through the trees revealing something invisible moving behind Naruto. Fear turns to outright panic as the hazy light filtered image finally coalesces into something recognizable. There are eleven unseen and un heard tails waving agitatedly behind Naruto. "If you ever try to hurt my pack again I will bathe in your blood and eat your flesh Uchiha…" He spins around snapping his fingers again and Sasuke panics as unseen hands wrap around his arms and start dragging him after Naruto.

Sasuke struggles against his unseen captives. "WHAT THE HELL'S GOIN ON?!" Naruto ignores him, simply moving his finger over his shoulder telling whoever has Sasuke in their iron grips to continue following. After a few minutes of walking deeper into the woods Sasuke starts to notice things, his mind a true Shinobi's as he continues to struggle. Earlier the forest was wild, unkempt and obviously natural, now though trees were starting to appear into man made lines, bushes and underbrush low and maintained. Soon statues begin to appear of ancient gods with no worshippers, mythological creatures, and all kinds of heroes of old. His struggling slows, soon stops as his curious mind forces him to take his surroundings in with more detail. "As I'm sure you know this is no longer just the forest around and within Konoha…" Naruto turns his head to glance at Sasuke before looking forward again, their feet making no sound on the slowly appearing gravel road leading deep into this place of ancients. "We're heading towards something very precious in this world, something almost no one will ever see." Naruto stops making Sasuke immensely interested in what lay ahead. His eyes open as he catches sight of an ancient and well maintained castles, lights in the windows showing it to be occupied. "The Order of Wolves stay here, a castle from the olden times when the Tailed Beasts were Gods and were worshipped for their favor with different things, including the teaching of the first 'Jutsus'. Now no human worships the tailed beasts, but there are Hanyou who live here and follow the old ways…"

Fear creeps back into Sasuke's mind at the word Hanyou and he starts to suspect what these invisible hands are. "What are we doing here Naruto?" Naruto turns around, a mischievous grin slashed across his face. "We're here to take part in an old ceremony, a ceremony meant for you my friend…" He steps closer, a twinkle of his grin in his eyes. "This is a very special ceremony that will make you a faux-Hanyou." Sasuke starts to struggle again only to be stilled instantly as Naruto's features begin to change, his eyes turn gold, the once invisible tails slowly become physical as Naruto's ears become pointed and the teeth in his mouth become pointed. "When this is over you will have the power of a Hanyou as well as access to jutsu only Hanyou and Demons can perform, and you will be officially part of my pack, my brother…" Sasuke looks shocked at this revelation, and he is humbled. After all Sasuke had done, after all he'd put Naruto through even attacking one of his mates, he still wanted the Uchiha as his brother. He feels the hands release him and he takes a tentative step towards Naruto in his beast form. He takes a knee and bends his head, shaking Naruto's hands away when he tried to stand him up. "I've done you wrong, on so many levels, even tried to kill you and yours, yet you do this for me. On my eyes I swear my fealty and life to you. I will do all within my power to help you with any and all you see to do."

Naruto finds himself in Sasuke's shoes as shock locks his mind up. He knew exactly what Sasuke was doing and how serious his oath is, and he knows he can do nothing but accept. "Uchiha, I see you as your liege-lord and brother. I swear to help you and yours. Rise Liegeman and join my side…" He puts out his hand for Sasuke only to have the Uchiha kiss the palm of his hand and rise alone and move unconsciously to Naruto's left. A warm feeling suffuses Naruto's soul as he realizes Sasuke accepts him as his brother, now to make it official. The two turn and move towards the Castle where Sasuke can now see priests in their robes lined up on either side of them. One man steps forward, his eyes gold like Naruto's, his red robes flowing around him.

He opens his arms wide and bear hugs Naruto once he's within range. "Naruto-sama, you bless us with your Holy presence!!" Sasuke looks over at Naruto with confusion written on his face. Naruto shrugs with an embarrassed grin on his face. "I'm kind of their God…" His face becomes serious as he steps forward, his eyes on the Head Priest. The priest nods as he smiles and motions them forward. "Yes, the new Ten Tailed Wolf, we couldn't be happier…" Naruto nods, his face blank. "I'm sure you are, the Old One was mad, his mind snapped with Chaos's release. He was the last of the 'Locks' on Chaos's prison and when Chaos forced that lock open it drove him insane." He shakes his head with a cold pity. "Such a shame too, Kyuubi often talked of him. According to her he was more than just the most powerful, he was also the most humble and forgiving. The only tailed beast who refused the call of the Darkness during the Fall…" The Priest nods sadly. "Yes, it was so… But Lord Uzumaki found him in the Multiverse. He was insane, yes, but he still fought the Darkness, he never gave in…"

Sasuke simply stared at Naruto in amazement. "Did you fight him Naruto? Is that why you're the new Ten Tails?" They enter a Great Hall, the ceiling high and covered with old paint. Naruto looks up at the mural painted up there making Sasuke look as well. His eyes widen as he sees all the history of the Ten-Tailed Wolf from the beginning. His eyes widen as he sees the old paint depicting Naruto fighting the Ten Tails. The battle covered almost the entire right side of the ceiling. In the last scene Naruto is heavily damaged, one of his arms hanging at his side by a small flap of skin. Blood leaked down his face, his Saiya-jin power flaming around him as he slams his good hand deep in the Ten Tailed Wolf's throat, ripping a glowing gem like thing from its body as it howled in defeat. Naruto then swallowed the gem changing him into his current form. "That's basically what happened but something else happened when I took his power for my own, the gem merged all the power I'd gained into one power. It changed me into what I am calling my Ultra Form, the form I used to cleanse you on the battlefield…" Sasuke stared at his friend/brother, his mind reeling with each new thing he learns. Naruto looks at him and grins, his sharp teeth making the simple grin into something more sinister but harmless. "Now, enough with me, lets get this ceremony on the road shall we?"

AN-Well, that's chapter two, Read and Review, ciao!!!

Jon