Disclaimer: You missed me, didn't you? My job is so important.
Naruto felt his legs become dead weight while he was being led to the council chambers. Ever since the ANBU in front of him had invaded his mind, the Uzumaki couldn't help but wonder what exactly had occurred. The boy's plan had been simple, but there had been no way for him to enact it when the time came, or to know what had happened to his inquisitor. When the man had entered his mind, everything had gone black. It may have only lasted for a few seconds, but even Naruto was aware of the fact genjutsu didn't take much time in the physical realm, but that didn't help his insecurity. The only thing he knew for sure was that whatever was seen within his head disturbed Ibiki, which was a terrifying thought in itself.
"Err…well; the sky is very nice today." Naruto stammered with a quivering smile, unable to stomach the silence for another second. This was to be the third attempt he had made to facilitate communications in the past fifteen minutes, but as usual, the large and foreboding shadow of Ibiki Morino cut off any further annunciations.
With the exception of a few guards, the council chamber was empty when the duo entered. The windows were covered and the lights remained off while the seasoned ANBU ushered Naruto into the room. The place smelled sterile, like a hospital, as if someone had cleaned it night and day to mask some sort of underlying stench, and illumination penetrated as a stream from the hallway to reveal the ghostly forms of chairs on the riser across the room. The walls and floor amplified and echoed the footsteps of Naruto's escort, who momentarily left the boy's side to turn on the lights within the chamber.
"…there it is."
Naruto's sensitive ears were soon greeted by the sound of a flipped switch, and the skeletal lighting that had guided his eyes before was replaced with an obnoxious and bright substitute. Once lit, the room became recognizable to the Uzumaki in all. While he had not understood a word being said, his younger self had spent more time on an uncomfortable wooden bench than he would like to admit. To his chagrin, it was the same bench that Ibiki placed him on moments later.
The hard wood beneath Naruto's buttocks attempted to conjure up his childhood memories, but the container of the nostalgia in question had more important things to worry about. With Ibiki watching, the cogs within the Uzumaki's brain almost visibly fought amongst themselves over his next course of action, and time was of the essence. Ibiki Morino couldn't blame Naruto for being worried, so he disregarded the boy's squirming as it came and went.
The next few minutes saw the first of the council members arrive, but none bothered with greeting the ANBU commander or his smaller charge. Ibiki was used to their indifference, though, and simply acted as a statue. What he wasn't prepared for, however, was the sudden halt of movement from the boy he was watching over. All of a sudden, the boy just went rigid. This alone was alarming, but the fact that the blonde's body went slack and draped itself over the bench soon afterwards caused the veteran shinobi a great deal of stress.
"Uzumaki?" he growled, his voice deep not in anger but from habit.
Much to the older man's relief, the addressed boy hummed in acknowledgment.
"Wake me up when the geezers are ready." Naruto murmured, letting a self-induced exhaustion overtake him. His breathing deepened and fell into rhythm so quickly that Ibiki couldn't help but wonder if the boy had developed narcolepsy at some point in his life.
Sasuke Uchiha lost no time in returning to his humble abode. Once he was there, he lost no time in grabbing a handful of rice crackers and reclining on his favorite section of flooring. The events of the past few months and days drifted away in his single-minded snacking, and when the food was gone, so was the Uchiha's Naruto-induced headache.
There was no real explanation pertaining to the reason the Uzumaki irked him so. Even before they were assigned to the same team, the blonde had never bothered to keep himself from loudly vocalizing his distaste for the last of the Uchiha clan. However, something more pronounced had occurred between that point and where the two stood now, despite the fact there had been no real moments of bonding, and their special interactions limited to the occasional one-sided prank. No, there was something else wrong that irked him.
Somewhere, in the deep recesses of Sasuke's mind, he felt a sort of strange longing. It wasn't chemical, and perhaps in wasn't even emotional, but whatever the nature of it, Naruto was the center. It felt like the Uchiha had missed something; that somehow things weren't as they were supposed to be, and it hurt. This same feeling had persisted from the moment the thug had declared Naruto dead in the Land of Waves, but he had thought it was a sense of distant grief at the time-that it would leave once he found Naruto alive and as well as could be expected. So, Sasuke had to wonder, why did it remain?
Was there something he was supposed to have done? Did Naruto offer him some great power that he refused? Obviously there had to have been some mistake he had made, because every fiber of the black-haired boy's being felt some sort of underlying hurt emanate from his teammate's bright blue eyes.
The thought of Naruto waiting for some sort of criminal verdict within a council chamber didn't help matters, but it didn't make them worse, either.
"Why should I even care?" he asked himself, closing his now- empty box of crackers without so much as a glance. He hadn't been expecting an answer when he opened his mouth, and predictably enough, he was left without an answer since that was usually how rhetorical questions worked. This didn't make the nagging sense of displacement leave, however.
Irritated, the Uchiha tossed his snack wrappers aside and began to study chakra flows from a book he had lying around half-heartedly, unaware that he was always at risk of having to start a segment of his day over again.
Kakashi had just settled down with his book on a street corner when he received the immediate council summons. It was with a groan that he took it, as he hadn't been expecting the gathering to happen so soon.
As soon as the messenger left, Kakashi set a timer for an hour and a half and continued to read his book, even if the meeting technically started in ten minutes. It was due to the jonin's tardiness that Naruto was able to get a decent nap in, despite the prompt gathering of everyone else who was supposed to be at that particular assembly.
When Kakashi finally decided to show his miserable hide in the council chambers, about fifty pairs of eyes found their way to his body in what a pun-obsessed weatherman would call a 'series of isolated glowers'. The hokage himself was standing in the center of the room, and when even he gave the Hatake a pointed look, the copy ninja began to question the rationality of his decision to arrive as late as he did. That was, of course, before his visible eye rested on the groggy form of the assembly's focus, whom of course recognized the jonin and gave him an Obito-esque smile that renewed his conviction.
"Hataki Kakashi, explain yourself." A powerful-sounding old woman boomed, backed by the silent assent of her peers.
"There were these orphans being attacked by a wolf, you see, and-"the jonin began, smiling under his mask as he watched the elderly faces before him contort with a mixture of disgust and surprise. The excuse would have continued, but Sarutobi cleared his throat, and Kakashi halted in his tracks, bowing instead. "-I'm sorry. My behavior was inexcusable."
"Well, with that apology in mind, I call this meeting to order." She stated, placing a hand out to her left, signaling the opportunity for hell to break loose, which it had the propriety to refrain from immediately doing.
Over the next few minutes, a few wizened characters declared some formal numbers and muttered amongst themselves, but after a few minutes of civilized discussion, the orator from before stood up once more, her eyes drifting from the Hokage to Naruto without emotion.
"Naruto Uzumaki, you have been unlawfully beyond our borders for the duration of twenty-nine days. Under normal circumstances, you would be labeled a missing ninja and hunted down as a criminal. You escaped these consequences because Konoha believed you dead."
Not knowing whether or not he was supposed to say anything at this point, Naruto just nodded slowly.
"While several biased sources have vouched for your loyalty to our village, you were still under the influence of a pair of criminal ninja for an extended period of time. Whether or not you were found on hostile terms with them or not, as a Hidden Village, we must be wary of any unmonitored activity of our units. It would be unwise to assume that your loyalties still lie with us, or that your mind is fully intact at all. As of this moment, you are under arrest. We need to conduct a full investigation, and-"
While he didn't understand everything the woman had said, Naruto understood enough of it to know that she was telling him that she didn't trust him, and that a majority of the council somehow decided that he was in on some sort of conspiracy with Zabuza. He had been expecting this sort of assumption, but it still offended. Before he had a chance to say anything, however, the Hokage stood in his defense.
"Yukina, I fear I must interrupt you with some relevant information pertaining to this situation. While your cautious stance is a wise one, Ibiki has already conducted a fully-scaled ANBU debriefing of this genin. The results yielded nothing different than Naruto's own account of what happened during his absence."
The council murmured amongst itself again, and the woman straightened before turning her hawk-like gaze to the grizzled Morino.
"If that is so, than he is duty-bound to testify on this matter in person."
Sarutobi seemed disturbed by her reaction. "Is my word as hokage not enough?"
Yukina waved her hand dismissively without moving her face, remaining fixated on the ANBU commander. "In a matter of this much importance, it is important to be as objective as possible."
"Very well." Ibiki's voice echoed as he stepped forward, all eyes upon him. "Ask me what you will."
"Are you aware, Ibiki Morino, that you are bound by honor to tell us the truth, and that any form of deceit will be seen as high treachery to the village of Konohagure?"
"Yes, I am."
"Do you swear that you did, in fact, interrogate this boy as circumstance required?"
"Yes."
"Did you take the time to thoroughly analyze his state of being, mind, and memory resources?"
"Affirmative."
"Do you attest to having found nothing that would bring his allegiance to Konoha into question within his mind, or anything that portrayed anything than a healthy state of mind?"
There was a pause.
"I found nothing that pointed to him as a traitor."
"That is not a direct answer, Morino." Yukina countered. "What did you see within this boy's mind?"
"This investigation is only pertinent to his loyalties. It is not his frame of mind that is in question. I have told you all that you require." Ibiki calmly asserted. Naruto silently thanked the older man.
Yukina's face paled, but the woman was far from done. "Is it not the council's duty to discuss all threats to our people's well-being?"
"Is Naruto Uzumaki not one of your people?" the ANBU deadpanned.
"Until proven innocent, he is not given the priority of being of Konoha."
"With all due respect, what case is there left against him? What crime did he commit? If I recall correctly, which I do, Naruto Uzumaki was held captive against his will, and has not broken any of our laws since he was retrieved." At this point, Ibiki's voice was beginning to get hoarse from usage. Well, more hoarse than usual, at any rate.
"A ninja is trained for subterfuge." From the corner of the courtroom, Kakashi placed a hand over his own face.
"Naruto is a genin," the Hokage interrupted with a chuckle,"-and unequipped to ward off any genjutsu or truth-finding techniques. What you are proposing at this point could be considered ridiculous."
"Your faith in the boy is most taxing, Lord Hokage. Your tendency to side with him is well known, and the amount of seclusion you have shown him since his arrival is enough to arouse suspicion with you, as well. A Bijuu is a well-known source of power."
While he appeared calm outwardly, the Sandaime was just given a vote of no confidence. The council itself obviously didn't unanimously agree with the accusation Yukina had just voiced, and this led to arguing throughout the immediate vicinity. The air of the chamber was becoming less civilized, but the dissent within the council chairs was quelled by a sudden(and loud) interruption.
"Why are you talking about me like I'm not here?!" Naruto shouted, surprising himself along with his audience, which was stunned by the outburst of the jinchuuriiki. "I can hear you. I've always heard you."
Kakashi was the first to jolt out of his stupor, sensing that wherever Naruto was going with this, it wasn't anywhere good. With that in mind, he briskly walked forward and put a hand on his students shoulder. "Stop, Naruto." The masked shinobi wisely advised his student-advice that was immediately ignored.
"No, sensei," the Uzumaki said, shaking his head. "I'm sick of being treated like a bad guy! Do you guys think I kidnapped, starved, bound, and attacked myself with a big-ass sword?! Last I checked, a known criminal did those things, not me."
"I'm not plotting against anyone, and I'm not here to play this stupid game. You know the old man hokage would never abuse his position. What the heck are you playing at?!"
"You do not have the privilege to speak, Uzumaki!" Yukina bellowed, aware of the tension building in the room.
Naruto's eyes narrowed as they did in the battlefield. Appearances be damned, he couldn't take it anymore.
"I don't care what you say, you ugly old hag!"
Everyone froze for a moment.
Sarutobi's face split in mild horror, but he couldn't bring himself to stop the raging blonde.
"You miserable brat, you would say that to a highly respected member of your community?!" an old man screeched.
"Highly respected? Give me a break. I couldn't even respect myself if I was intimidated by a lone twelve year old when I have an entire freaking army on my side! Even a three year old baby isn't this scared of me. "
"Lord Hokage, make him stop, or your position is forfeit!" Yukina practically screamed, her face purple with rage.
"Oh, what happened to all that confidence, grandma? You're desperate enough to ask a man you just called a traitor to save you from little old me?!"
The entire room was up in arms now. Naruto could see the guards grasping at their weapons, ready to fight for their individual employers and interests, but he no longer cared.
"No, you're not scared of Naruto Uzumaki, the genin of Konohagure. You're scared of Naruto Uzumaki, the monster!" he laughed bitterly. "It's funny. I love this village and everyone in it. I would have let you do anything to me, but using me to can the old man just went too far."
Kyuubi's chakra began to amass around Naruto's body, filling him with an ecstatic and destructive glee. Kunai were pelted at him, but he batted them away with his aura alone. The now-reddened eyes of the Uzumaki were resolutely placed on the gathering before him, as the jinchuuriiki made up his mind. He was going to die.
"There's this funny thing about monsters," he snarled with enough volume for everyone within the place to hear, slowly walking towards the guards that were now upon him. "-they have to be created! And, once matured, they turn on their creators FIRST!"
Naruto continued laughing as he defended himself from all attacks. With minimal effort, the guards were incapacitated or thrown aside. He memorized every expression of terror he inspired with a sense of satisfaction before rounding up a group of council members that weren't exactly in their physical prime. With what appeared to be murderous intent, the empowered jinchuuriiki created a Rasengan and charged forward….and stopped.
There were still screams resounding in the air and alarms going off, but the alleged homicidal rampage would never come to pass.
"It's funny how many assumptions you guys make." Naruto smiled, reverting back to his human form before his attack caused any permanent damage. Not entirely oblivious to the new wet spots on the clothes of his would-be victims, Naruto hoisted the nearest council member to their feet with a condescending sigh.
"Power doesn't always make a monster." He noted, regarding the now-trembling old man before him with disappointment as a katana was thrust through his back by an ANBU with a monkey mask.
"People do."
Naruto finished the two words with a grimace, falling to his knees in the melee the chamber had become. While his vision was still fully functional, he could see a select few people fighting to protect him, unaware that the source of the conflict had been silenced.
Naruto was falling.
Author's note: For those of you who said I couldn't finish this, and to the parts of me that want to give up on this story, I have something to say. IT'S ON, BETCH!