Chapter 5
Morning found Naruto standing in the Hokage's office, waiting patiently for the extremely hung-over Tsunade to collect herself. One of the Godaime's hands clung tightly to a cup of bitter black coffee, while the other protected her eyes from the offensive morning sun. Shizune smiled nervously as she placed a messenger scroll in front of her, keeping her voice low as she said, "This is the document you asked for, Ma'am."
Tsunade groaned, leaning forward to take a swig of her coffee before leveling Naruto with a dark look. "First of all, I should say Happy Birthday once more. I hope you enjoyed your party, Naruto."
The blond laughed nervously. "Um, yeah, thanks Granny."
The Hokage nodded, taking another huge drink from her cup. She sighed as she swallowed the hot beverage; setting the cup down to unroll the scroll her attendant had placed before her. "Now, down to business," She began as her eyes traced over the document in her hands. "We received this message from the Hidden Cloud Village late last night. It seems like a faction, similar to the one that appeared in the Hidden Rain Village, has been making themselves known within the Cloud."
Naruto frowned, stepping forward to accept the scroll from Tsunade. "You mean that group from the Hidden Rain that was anti-alliance or whatever?"
"Yes, that's the one." Tsunade said. "However, according to Raikage, many of the confirmed members of this group have caused a fuss in the past. He suspects that they're jumping on any opportunity to create unrest. It seems that, a few years ago, they tried to replace Raikage with one of their own pawns."
Naruto shook his head. "So, what's the deal? Are they telling me to come and fix it, like I did in the Hidden Rain?"
"No, not this time." Tsunade replied, pointing towards the scroll in Naruto's hand. "They think that they can handle this themselves. Though they may request your support at any time, so be prepared."
Naruto closed the scroll, placing it down on Tsunade's new desk. "I'm surprised they told us if they don't need me to head out there immediately."
"About that," Tsunade said, glancing sideways at Shizune. "The Kage agreed to share all information about these rising factions and protesting groups, since it seems that they're mostly people stuck in the old world, where a Jinchuuriki would never be allowed to rise to such an important position. It's only fair that you should be fully aware of them, since it's likely that you will become a target."
Naruto processed this in silence for a while, only to smirk when Kurama snorted with laughter, his ears flicking back against his head. "Us, targeted by a group of whiny old politicians? This should be good, hey Naruto?"
Naruto found himself laughing too, glancing at the confused expressions of the two women before him. "Thanks for keeping me informed, Granny. But, I'm not really worried about them attacking me. Just tell me when the other villages need my help sorting things out."
Tsunade found herself smiling. "Fine." She sighed, shaking her head. "Now, get out of my hair. You have a lesson with Kakashi soon, right?"
"Yes, Ma'am." The Jinchuuriki said, smiling to himself as he bowed his head. He turned and left the office, Kurama's monologue about the stupidity of humans continuing uninterrupted as Naruto made his way out to the street.
A heavy fog clung to the chilled morning air, dew sparkling on the fiery autumn leaves. As Naruto passed through the streets of his beloved village, it began to awaken for the new day. Silently upon the rooftops, the village's shinobi were on the move, their various assignments calling them away from their warm beds. Paperboys scampered through the streets, eying Naruto with awed and fearful recognition. Shop keepers and teahouse owners prepared for the day's business, opening their doors to the sunlit morning.
Naruto smiled to himself, the warmth blooming within his chest unrelated to the blazing chakra of the demon fox, who had worked himself into a frenzy now. The blond pointedly ignored his continuing rant, knowing from experience that it was best to let Kurama tire himself out.
As he turned a corner in the road, a familiar sheet of midnight hair caught his eye. Immediately, warmth found Naruto's whiskered cheeks and the smile fell from his face.
Hinata.
Kurama stopped midsentence, sniffing at the familiar chakra. After a moment, his mouth pulled up in an enormous, fanged grin; his tone oozing with satisfaction as he said, "That was sooner than expected. I hope you've got some good lines prepared."
Naruto felt his eyebrow twitch in irritation. Deciding to save his retort for another time, the blond forced a smile back onto his face, calling out to the timid kunoichi.
"Morning, Hinata!"
The Hyūga heiress whipped around to face him, her face an alarming shade of red and her eyes wide open in surprise. She immediately clung to the front of her violet sweatshirt, knees meeting in nervousness as she lowered her gaze.
"So damn cute." Naruto thought, sighing inwardly at the realization that he would be the one responsible for hurting such a delicate creature.
"N-Naruto-kun!" Hinata stuttered, glancing up from the fall of her bangs. "I didn't expect to s-see you here so e-early in the morning."
"Yeah, I had some things to talk about with Granny before heading out to train with Kakashi-sensei." Naruto explained, rubbing at his spiky locks.
Hinata nodded, suddenly becoming very serious. "Of course, Naruto-kun is a very important person now. Even though it was your birthday only yesterday, you've already resumed fulfilling your responsibilities."
Naruto blinked a few times in surprise before blushing, laughing despite himself. "Well, I'm a ninja of the Leaf, you know? It's my duty to be responsible!"
Hinata's eyes glistened as she smiled, her face becoming an impossibly deeper shade of red. A slight breeze began to pick up, the currents of northern air playing with the abundant fabric of Naruto's red cloak and the smooth ends of Hinata's hair. A heavy weight settled in the pit of Naruto's stomach as he muttered to himself, "Responsible, huh?"
He stepped forward quickly, closing the distance between them so he could place one warm hand upon the kunoichi's shoulder.
"Please listen, Hinata. I know I've done something terrible to you, by not responding to your confession for so long. You can thank Kiba for knocking some sense into me. I want you to know that I'm sorry. So sorry. I never meant to disrespect you like that. And I want to say thank you. Thank you for believing in me. Thank you for saving me. And lastly, thank you for loving me, when everyone else refused to see me as anything other than a nuisance. Thank you, Hinata. I'm in your debt."
Naruto let his hand drop, sky blue eyes never leaving pale lavender ones as he inhaled deeply, settling his nerves. Hinata stared in open-mouthed shock, her face now completely drained of colour.
"Please don't faint." Naruto thought warily before continuing his speech. "Hinata, you deserve better than a man who's kept you waiting for so long."
The seconds ticked by into minutes as Hinata continued to stare up at him in shock. Then finally, gradually, a beautiful, sad smile found its way to her lips. A slight blush returned to her cheeks as twin tears fell from each eye. Her voice did not shake as she spoke, and to Naruto's shock, and immense joy, she looked directly into his eyes.
"If anything, Naruto-kun, I am in your debt. You have saved me in more ways than one, on so many different occasions. You helped me find my nindo. You helped me find my courage. Thank you for acknowledging me, now and in the past. You've changed me, Naruto-kun. You've changed this entire village – no – this entire ninja world. It's true that I've loved you for a long time, but I think I'll be happy just being able to stay by your side as a comrade and a friend. I won't be sad, Naruto-kun, so please don't worry about me."
A few more delicate tears fell from her pale eyes, and as she reached up to wipe them with her sleeve, Naruto Uzumaki started laughing. His face beet red, Naruto leaned back and laughed with joy. Then, just as suddenly as he had begun to laugh, he pulled Hinata into a strong embrace, filled with all the warmth that spilled from his heart like the tears from her eyes.
"N-Naruto-kun?" Hinata whispered breathlessly, her tone making it quite clear that she was concerned for his health.
"Don't ever stop doing that." Naruto said as he pulled back, placing a hand on top of her head. "I want to see you speaking your mind like that, all the time. You are a powerful kunoichi, and a kind-hearted person. Hinata, you're one of my beloved comrades, whom I treasure above all else. Don't you ever forget that! And don't ever, ever, look down to anyone!"
Hinata positively beamed. Fresh tears fell from her eyes as she laughed, nodding vigorously. "Yes!" She cried, reaching up to take Naruto's hand between both of her own. They stood like that for a while, simply laughing, until people began to gather at the ends of the street. Suddenly realizing that they were close to the Hyūga residence, Naruto deemed it wise to take his leave before the cold, protective eyes of Neji Hyūga were boring a hole in the back of his head.
Gently, he pulled his hand away. Smiling down once again, his declared in his booming, gravelly voice, "A fine lady of the Hyūga clan shouldn't be wasting her time on a loser like me, anyways!"
After flashing a devilish grin, Naruto vanished in a gust of wind. Hinata laughed again, holding down her hair until the sudden gale subsided.
"I know, Naruto-kun." Hinata thought as she activated her Byakugan, watching his chakra is he moved away at a startling pace – barely even a blur in her vision. "I know that you have someone else that you love. And you know, I don't really mind. Somehow, I always felt like I had no right to love you. No right to try and tie you down. That's because, Naruto-kun, you've always been just like the wind."
Her Byakugan faded as she turned, wiping her eyes as she broke into a jog, heading towards the location where her team was meeting for an early morning training session. Kiba jumped up as she came into view, for a moment sighing with relief, until he picked up on Naruto's scent. Hinata continued to smile as he gripped her arms tightly, concern finding purchase on his features as he began to console her.
"Yes, you're just like the wind: everywhere and nowhere at exactly the same time. You need someone who stirs you. And you've found that person, haven't you Naruto-kun."
When Naruto's feet hit the ground a few seconds later, he was already many kilometers away. Kakashi had called him out to the clearing where he had done a large portion of his training in the past, and yet, as Naruto looked around Kakashi was nowhere to be found.
"Weird," Naruto muttered, "I definitely felt his chakra a second ago."
"In fact," The Sage thought as he slipped into a defensive position, his eyes closing. "His chakra felt a little too strong. Usually, even when he's in the village, Kakashi-sensei conceals most of his presence. Was he attacked? No, that can't be. There aren't any signs of a fight around here."
"In that case," Naruto said, his eyes yellow as they flashed open. "This is a trap, and you're not alone."
He jumped into the air as a thousand daggers of wood erupted from the ground, twisting into thick columns as they followed his movements like demented snakes. Making the hand sign for his trade-marked jutsu, Naruto created a dozen clones, each of them working quickly to create the technique of his own invention: Rasen-shuriken.
"Now!" Naruto cried. At his command, his clones threw their chakra weapons in unison towards the twisting forest that was rocketing towards them. The giant branches were shattered in an explosion of wood splinters and dust.
Kakashi, who was watching from behind a near-by tree with a rather bored expression, jumped in surprise when he realized that not only the clones, but the original Naruto as well, had disappeared. He peered through the dust and falling debris, stepping forward as two figures slowly appeared. As the last splinters of wood clattered to the ground, Kakashi found himself gazing in amusement at Naruto, who held his former team Captain, Yamato, at the point of his kunai. The Captain held his hands up in surrender, laughing nervously as sweat dripped down from his temple.
When he noticed Kakashi standing before them, Yamato blushed. "I was so easily defeated, even after I had gained power from being fused with the First Hokage's cells once again. Forgive me, senpai."
Kakashi waved off his apology while Naruto laughed, putting his weapon away before hauling the Captain out from the ground with one arm.
"Listen up, Naruto." The silver-haired ninja said, cocking a hip as he slotted his gloved hands into his pockets. "I woke up with a screaming headache today, thanks to your little party last night. So I'm not really in the mood for a formal lesson, since trying to teach you always gives me a headache anyways."
"Don't blame me; you drank that much all on your own, sensei." Naruto grumbled.
Yamato snorted.
Kakashi sighed. "Anyways, Naruto, that's why I asked Yamato to come and help me out. We'll have an all-out battle today. But, you'll be at a disadvantage: you are not to use either your Sage powers, or the Kyuubi's chakra. This is a test, to see how well your lessons with Shikamaru, Tsunade, and myself have paid off. Let's begin!"
Kakashi and Yamato both froze as Naruto's hand flew up to halt them. His yellow Sage eyes focused on something unseen in the distance, a deep frown forming on his face.
"What is it, Naruto?" Yamato asked, glancing nervously at Kakashi. "Do you sense something?"
He nodded. "There's a lot of unusual movement in the village, and I can't figure out why. Everyone seems to be heading towards the same place."
His voice faded away as his eyes shot wide open. Naruto's raised hand suddenly balled into a fist as he whispered, "Those bastards. Those goddamn sneaky bastards."
"Naruto?" Kakashi urged, stepping forward cautiously, prepared to restrain his student.
The Jinchuuriki's head whipped around, his eyes blazing with a terrible anger. His explanation came in the form of a single word, which reached their ears after Naruto had already vanished.
"Sasuke."
There were rough, unfamiliar hands guiding him through what seemed like an endless maze of silent hallways. No one spoke a single word, only the sound of their footsteps and the rattling of Sasuke's chains breaking the silence. They had tied a black blindfold tightly around Sasuke's head as a precaution against the sharingan, even though his chakra was sealed so tightly that he didn't have enough power to activate it. The hands on his arms tightened as they guided him around another corner.
"Forget about your pride."
Sasuke smiled faintly, content on distracting himself by thinking about Naruto, until he sensed the presence of a large group of people. For the first time since he had been retrieved from his cell, Sasuke spoke. "Hold it, what's going on?"
"It's your trial, Uchiha. Didn't anyone tell you?"
Sasuke frowned, silent as they stopped and someone formed a hand sign to open the sealed door. Finally, the raven-haired ninja shook his head.
"Oh," The guard replied, sounding entirely unremorseful. "Well, I guess it was really last minute."
Voices reached their ears as soon as the door opened. They made their way down another short passage until they stood before a second door. This one was guarded by two ninja, who both made blood seals to remove the heavy metal barrier that blocked their way.
The noise hit them like a tidal wave. Even with his seriously diminished senses, Sasuke knew there were hundreds of bodies crammed into the courtroom; many of which possessed chakras that he recognized. He realized, however, as they guided him to the defendant's chair and began to chain him down, that there was one chakra that he couldn't sense at all.
"Where are you?"
Once they had finished securing him, the guards moved away. His blindfold remained in place, and Sasuke found himself relieved. It was cowardly, but he was glad that he wouldn't have a face a room full of cold, hateful glares.
The loud buzz of voices faded almost immediately when the sharp tapping of wood on wood resounded through the room. A voice, which Sasuke identified as belonging to one of the elders called the court to order. As soon as Sasuke realized who the owner of the voice was, a cold and familiar darkness began creeping out from the deepest crevices of his heart.
"Where are you, Naruto?"
The judge wasted no time in calling the court to order. "We are gathered here today to determine the fate of the rogue ninja, Sasuke Uchiha, who has gained the right to a trail only through the efforts of our dear Hokage. His charges are as follows: military defection from Konoha, fraternization with rogue ninja, several accounts of murder, attacking the Kage in a neutral country, and fraternization with an enemy organization. The defendant pleads guilty to these charges. I open the trail to the council and the jury."
"Hold on for just one minute!" Came the voice of an old woman. "Do not forget that this child infiltrated the village of the Cloud, killing several of their shinobi and causing the brother of the Raikage, the Eight-tails Jinchuuriki, to disappear."
"I believe it should also be mentioned that he and his group took the lives of many of the samurai guards during the Kage Summit." One man called out, his booming voice echoing around the chamber.
The buzzing of voices rose in a crescendo, the crowd joining in on the declaration of crimes.
"He has attacked his fellow ninja of the Leaf!"
"All the Uchiha's are traitors!"
"He's part of the conspiracy! He was in it with Madara from the beginning!"
The judge slammed down his hammer, but the courtroom would not be calmed. In the balcony overlooking the courtroom, members of the Konoha Eleven watched in utter silence. Ino and Sakura watched with blank expressions, only the tightness of their laced fingers giving away their emotions. Hinata sat beside them with her hands covering her mouth, tears rolling down her cheeks as she shook her head. Sai stood behind them with Shino, his ANBU mask in place and his arms folded rigidly over his chest. Lee and Tenten entered hurriedly, still cloaked in a sheen of sweat from their training session. Shikamaru, Kiba, and Neji sat in the front row, leaning on the railing as they watched with rapture. Even Choji was sobered by the gravity of their mood, his large hand resting on Ino's shoulder gently.
"Where the hell is Naruto?" Kiba suddenly muttered under his breath. "Shouldn't he be here by now?"
Behind him, his comrades nodded silently. Shikamaru rubbed at his temple, his sharp eyes following everything that was happening below. "I have no idea. But one thing's for sure: things really aren't looking good for Sasuke unless Naruto shows up."
The minutes ticked by and the amount of noise continued to grow. Irritation hung heavily around the shinobi on the balcony, like an ominous dark aura. Eventually, Sakura started visibly shaking, muttering a single name under her breath like a summoning mantra. "Naruto. Naruto. Naruto!"
"Where are you?"
A cloud of chakra smoke exploded around the chair where Sasuke was chained. A deathly silence fell over the room as the smoke slowly cleared, and a familiar, brightly coloured figure came into view. Naruto was perched atop the back of the wooden chair; on arm resting on his raised knee while the other adjusted his headband.
"Sorry I'm late," He said in a forcibly calmed tone. "My invitation must've gotten lost in the mail."
A sigh of relieved laughter broke the silence before the judge slammed his hands down.
"Naruto-sama, what is the meaning of this? How did you even get in -"
The look the Jinchuuriki shot the judge was potent enough to silence him. He turned to level the council, the jury, and the audience with the exact same glare. His friends watched the collective recoil of those who had been so bold only seconds before with satisfied smirks from their seats on the balcony.
Sakura sighed softly, slumping forward in relief.
"I could ask you all the exact same thing." Naruto's voice cut into them, sharp and powerful. He jumped down from his perch, folding his muscular arms over his chest. "Last I checked, this was a trial for Sasuke Uchiha, not for the entire Uchiha clan. Sasuke is as much a victim of the choices made by his clan as we are. Don't use him as an outlet for your anger against their betrayal. And keep your speculations and accusations out of this. He's committed enough crimes without you inventing some for him."
"Also," Naruto continued, this time in a softer tone. "You all know that Sasuke doesn't even have enough chakra to activate his sharingan, let alone use it. Allow the man some dignity, would you?"
A shiver ran down Sasuke's spine as Naruto's surprisingly gentle hands slipped into his hair, untying the tight blindfold. By the time Sasuke opened his eyes, the blond had already turned his back to him, the thin strip of cloth dangling from his clenched fist. Sasuke was shocked by how much this simple gesture stung him.
"Look at me, idiot."
"Tsunade-sama!" The judge cried out, pointing his mallet in the direction of the Hokage. "I was told that Naruto Uzumaki-sama had been summoned to the Cloud Village!"
The Godaime folded her arms, leaning back in her chair. "Is that so?" She muttered. "I must have forgotten to tell him about that."
Tsunade smirked as she lifted her lashes to reveal deep, amber eyes. "What I would like to know, Naruto, is how you got in here. The barriers around this courthouse should make it impenetrable to any jutsu."
Naruto blinked in surprise. "Oh, that. I've been learning some of my Dad's jutsu. Like his teleportation jutsu and stuff. I put one of the seals on Sasuke after he'd been captured, so I would be able to go to his exact location if he ever escaped, you know."
Sasuke stared at the back of Naruto's head in disbelief. "When did he put one of the landmark seals on me?" He wondered. The answer came to him in a flash of heated memory. He could almost feel warm fingers ghosting along the back of his neck as he realized, "I didn't even notice. Damn."
"Listen." Naruto said, once again adopting a tone of authority. "My most trusted comrades, those who will be the future of Konoha, are watching this trial. If they think the trial is in any way biased or unfair, I will not hesitate to act."
One of the council members, the son of a Lord, leaned forward with a smirk. "But Uzumaki-sama, now that you have arrived, it is impossible for a fair trial to occur. The jury will doubtless be influenced by your presence! Also, is it not fair to assume that if a verdict which is not in your favour is reached, you will act regardless?"
Naruto sighed. "I knew someone would say that. Think about it. If I had no intention of letting Sasuke get punished for his crimes, why would I bring him here in the first place, you know? But I can see your point. I'll leave. I'm just a clone, anyways."
As the clone raised his hands to form the sign that would trigger his disappearance, a low voice cut into the silence. "Hey, Naruto."
The Uzumaki clone turned his face towards Sasuke, though he kept his focus towards the audience. His voice was soft when he spoke. "Just tell the truth, Sasuke. That's all you can do, and I think that's enough."
He redirected his voice to the entire room. "I stand behind everything Sasuke says. And, if you need me, I'll speak on his behalf, you know?"
With that, the clone vanished. Immediately, the courtroom was buzzing with excited voices. However, on the balcony, a shocked silence filled the air. It was Kiba who broke it first.
"Oi, Shikamaru! Is he really just going to leave, and just trust these guys to do the right thing?"
Shikamaru shook his head. "Naruto understands the difficulty of the situation he's in. Sasuke has to fight for his freedom on his own. But-" he paused here to pull a small slip of paper out of his vest pocket, reaching past Neji to place it on an empty seat, "-he'll be right back, actually."
As if on cue, another Naruto clone appeared in the seat beside Neji. In an attempt to mask his presence, the original had fed the smallest amount of chakra possible into the clone, so that its form occasionally wavered. The clone leaned forward, blue eyes intently focused on the scene below them.
"Hey, Naruto," Shikamaru whispered, "Where's the original?"
The clone didn't even spare him a glance. "With the Fourth."
When Shikamaru looked at Neji questioningly, the Hyūga activated his Byakugan. After a moment of searching, he nodded. "Yes, it's as I thought. The original Naruto is standing on top of the Fourth Hokage's figurehead with Kakashi-sensei and Captain Yamato."
The rapping of the judge's mallet called their attention. He furrowed his brow, obviously displeased with the turn that things had taken. "The defendant will now take the stand. Sasuke Uchiha, let us hear why you deserve our pardon!"
Sasuke slowly lifted his head; his long bangs framing his bone-ash face. Finally, he deigned to level the assembled with a look from his coal black eyes, glistening with a sadness made only sharper by the determined set of his dark eyebrows. An awed breathlessness hung over the room.
"I do not seek your pardon," Sasuke said, his voice resonating through the silent hall. "I do not deny my crimes, and as such I am not fearful of their consequences. What I do seek is another chance to live my life, one where I am free of hatred. This is what I seek: a chance to repent."
"For you, Naruto. I will win my freedom, so that you can be freed as well."
Naruto stood with his feet apart, arms crossed as he closed his eyes, the wind playfully rustling his hair. Kakashi and Yamato stood behind him in silence, waiting in anticipation.
"As soon as this trial is finished, I'll head out for the Hidden Cloud. I didn't know they'd requested my help." Naruto finally said, a slight tremor in his voice. "I'll leave a clone behind to watch over Sasuke, regardless of the verdict. Can I count on you two to watch over him as well?"
Kakashi and Yamato were experienced shinobi. They knew only too well what "watch over him" meant. If Sasuke was somehow able to avoid a death sentence, there would definitely be protest from both outside and inside the village. Even if Sasuke Uchiha was given the freedom to walk the streets of Konoha, he would be in grave danger.
Make sure he isn't murdered.
The silver-haired ninja sighed. "Of course. You can always count on your old sensei, Naruto."
Naruto simply nodded, his body rigid with stress. After a few tense minutes, he lowered himself to one knee, placing a hand upon the cold stone beneath them.
"I wish you were here Dad. I don't know if I'm doing to right thing."
A hawk circled far overhead, crying out sharply as it suddenly veered off in the direction of the Nara forest. The ancient trees blazed red and orange as they slowly shed their leaves, falling silent in preparation for winter. Within the village, the ordinary civilians continued on with their daily lives, heedless of the silly squabbles of the ninja. This was the world Naruto wanted to share with Sasuke, a world that was dull and peaceful and beautiful.
"Watch over him, Dad."
A/N: Edited! Thank for reading!