INTRODUCTION

Welcome back to the End of Innocence. As always i begin by saying I do not own Naruto.

THANK YOU

Thanks to those who reviewed my last chapter: Gravenimage; FallingRock; charles cdv; iiDarkness; xluluxlunax; StoryMaster007; FoxSage19; Neverland Funhouse; airnaruto45; Pinulu; Sasuke K; thesrewedsrew; Mudcake; InARealPickle& Kushina's Truth of Hell.

RESPONSES

GravenImage - Thanx

FallingRock - Who's to Say Naruto doesn't fight both of them? Lol. Dude...perhaps you should just stay out of the water all together. Lol.

charles cdv - Thanx

iiDarkness - Actually I've decided to call it the Mangekyo Rinnegan. Lol! As for Kushina I have decided to place in in my story. But not the way you may assume. And i do have plans for the Kyubi when it relates to Naruto. I think you'll be surprised with Naruto when I truely decide to let him cut loose. Mwhahaha!

xluluxlunax - Thanx. But don't undersestimate Naruto just yet. Heheh!

StoryMaster007 - Lol! I think i once said in one of my review responces that I intended ot make Narutos path a difficult one. I think you now see what I mean yes? Lol! Glad you like the story so far. Send me an email and let me know what kinda help you need.

FoxSage19 - No biddy. Hope your vacation was a good one. Yes, Sasuke has the powers of Pain as well as his own now. How will NAruto overcome the Mangekyo Rinnegan? We'll just have to wait and see.

Neverland Funhouse - Thanx. Hope I can keep the excitement going.

airnaruto45 - The betrayal came from Madara doing so without Sasuke's permission. Deep down Sasuke loves the power but is unwilling to admit it.

Pinulu - Yep, Naruto has his work cut out for him. But I think naruto will find a way...hopefully.

Sasuke K - Thanx. And welcome back! Where did you go?

theshrewedshrew - Thanx for the review. I've been working real hard to make sure the characters talk and flow in a legitamte and compelling way and I'm glad it seems to be working.

Mudcake - Really? The only one? Well that's high praise indeed. Thanx. Sasuke is cursed by his powers and family. It gives him strength but it is also destroying him. Hey, I have love for SasuKarin myself and considering all the sacrifices she's made for Sasuke I thought she deserved to smile, even if her smile will not last. Ahh, that fight was one i liked writing as it featured an OC and another little known character. Using them I could be creative and not be forced to stick to canon abilities.

InARealPickle - Really? Is that all you're interested in now? Hmmm, that's a bit dissapointing. But I'll take it if it means you keep reading. =P

Kushina's - Hah! I got you nosebleed! Ok, TBH that was my objective when I first started writing the Chronicles! So I guess I can stop now! My work is done! Oh, and now I'll have to read it! With such an invitation i can't resist. Heheh.

Ok, so here is chapter nine. Hope you enjoy and please remember to send a little review my way.

Naruto: Chronicles of the Seventh

Book III: End of Innocence

Chapter IX: The Trial of Namikaze Naruto

******Sunagakure – Early Morning******

Despite it being only a few hours past sunrise the sun was scorching hot as Naruto was escorted by the four Suna ninja. One of the ninja had remarked that Naruto was being given special treatment. It was customary for any trial to be held at the prisons, in a special room near the top tower. But instead the Kazekage had insisted on having the trial at his headquarters instead.

So there they were, walking to the other side of the village in the hot morning sun. Naruto looked around and saw dozens of citizens standing in a crowd on either side of the walkway and even more looking out of windows or open doors.

Naruto noticed everyone seemed to regard him with cautious enthusiasm and suspicion, and Naruto wasn't sure if they were on the verge of cheering or throwing stones. As they walked, one of the nearby guards saw the confusion etched on his face and spoke up.

"They're not sure how to treat you," he said causing Naruto to look at him. "According to the evidence, you're the one responsible for Koga's murder." Naruto turned and looked forward and grimaced as the memory of seeing Sasuke remove his blade from Koga's chest played again in his mind. Sasuke didn't even look in Koga's direction as the man fell. It was if Koga didn't exist to him, he was inconsequential and insignificant. In Sasuke's eyes, Naruto could see that killing Koga was akin to swatting a fly.

"However," the ninja said which caused Naruto to snap out of his momentary memory. "The people also remember that you were the one sent by Konoha to rescue our beloved Kazekage four years ago. So they don't really know what to think." The man then moved in closer so that no one could hear his words. "Personally," he whispered. "I don't think a man who would work so hard and sacrifice so much to save the leader of another village would be capable of killing in cold blood. And I'm not the only one who thinks this."

Naruto gave a small, barely visible smile as they continued to walk through the growing crowd of stone faced citizens. After a few more minutes they finally arrived at the office building of the Kazekage and entered. Naruto noticed there were more guards than usual stationed around the building and on the roofs of the buildings nearby. The message Gaara was sending to everyone was clear. Despite Naruto's past this trial was not being taken lightly.

The group then entered the main entrance and out of the blazing sun into a cool lobby where a burly, barrel-chested middle aged man with a weather beaten face and a deep scar on the left side of his face sat at a heavy wooden desk with stacks of papers strewn about. Behind him stood three ninja who stood ramrod straight and looked dead ahead as if they were statues. The man looked at Naruto with a hard face. "So this is the guy accused of killing Koga-san huh," he said. His voice sounded like he had a handful of sand lodged in his mouth and she spat when he talked.

The man sat back in his creaky wooden chair and said, "I'm not sure why Kazekage-sama chose to have this trial here instead of at the prisons but it doesn't matter. I'm sure you saw all the guards around here. If you try anything here they'll be all over you in seconds. And on a personal note; Koga was a good friend of mine. So I don't care what you've done for Suna in the past. If you're found guilty or try to escape, I'll be the first in line to execute you myself."

Naruto simply stood silently and stared at the man who motioned for the guards to go on. One guard pushed Naruto gently in the back as a sign to start walking and the group turned left and went up a long spiral steps heading towards the Kazekage's office.

After a few minutes they got to the top and came to a large lobby where Shikamaru, Temari and five more guards stood waiting. Naruto walked up next to Shikamaru who was waiting patiently for the door to open. "Leave it to you to keep everyone waiting Naruto," he said with a half smile.

"Sorry," Naruto said. "I had something I had to do before coming here."

"And what would that be," Shikamaru asked.

"I needed to prepare for after this trial," Naruto said.

"Well," Shikamaru replied, "I'm glad you're so optimistic."

"Did you get a chance to meet that guy downstairs," Naruto asked.

"You mean that ox with a human face," Shikamaru asked with a smile. "Yeah he's real charming that guy. He's a real piece of work."

Shikamaru and Naruto stood in front of the large wooden door in silence for a few more minutes when Shikamaru said, "Ok, here are a few things I should tell you. When we get in there they are going to ask you a lot of questions. Some of them will be the same over and over in hopes that you mix things up. So just stick to the truth and no matter how quickly they ask a question answer it slowly."

"Right," Naruto said.

"Also," Shikamaru continued, "Keep your answers short. If you start going into long explanations the more likely you'll say something Krolik will try to use against you. Also, Krolik will likely ask you questions or say things hoping to piss you off. Nothing screams guilt like a person who can't keep his cool. So for God's sake stay calm in there!'

With a look of annoyance Naruto turned to Shikamaru and asked, "When have I ever…." Before he could finish his question however, Shikamaru had turned and looked at him harshly and Naruto then said, "Right. I'll keep my cool."

Suddenly the double doors slowly began to open and they saw two ninja standing in their way. One of them said, "Please follow us," and they both turned and walked back into the room. Naruto and Shikamaru looked at each other once and then walked in with Temari behind them.

As they entered the room they saw in was a large conference room with large body length windows on the opposite side. The room was practically empty except for twelve chairs lined up in rows of four. Several paces beyond the chairs; in the exact center of the circular room was a table with two chairs which faced a large table on a raised platform.

Seated in this table was Gaara in the middle and flanked on each side by several Suna elders including Krolik and Baki. Seated in the rows were only a few select people including Kankuro and Matsuri who watched as Naruto and Shikamaru was led passed them and to the table.

"Well, this is odd," Naruto whispered. "What's with this set up?"

"Isolation," Shikamaru said. "By placing us in a large room and leaving us so far separated from everyone the idea is to increase the tension. That's also why they are seated in that elevated platform. To give a physical representation of the power they have over us right now. It's all a big mind fuck. Don't let it get to you."

Finally the two got to the desk and sat down as Temari took a seat next to her brother. As soon as everyone was seated Gaara spoke up. "Well, I'm sure we all know why we're here. I'm not one for over formality so let's just get on with it. Namikaze Naruto, Nara Shikamaru, the two of you are charged with the murder of one of our elders, Kawashita Koga. Have you any questions before we begin?"

"I have one," Naruto said. "Why did you refer to me as Namikaze?"

"Over the past few weeks," Gaara replied, "Word has come from Konoha that the child of the Namikaze Minato, the Fourth Hokage, has been found. Imagine our surprise when it was revealed that this child was the same man who defeated the Akatsuki Pain and is the host of the Nine Tails. Since then, everyone has been referring to you as Namikaze. I believe, under the circumstances, we should do the same."

Naruto sat back in his chair and sighed deeply. He then whispered to Shikamaru, "I bet you anything Granny Tsunade was behind this. I asked her to hold off on doing something like this for while."

"To be honest Naruto I think letting people know was pretty smart," Shikamaru said which made Naruto look at him with surprise. "Have you any idea the political fallout that could be caused if Suna actually threatens to kill you, the hero of Konoha? Why do you think it's taken them a month to have our trial? More than likely the elders and Gaara are divided on whether or not this is a good move. If they were to kill you it could unify Konoha against them which could prove disastrous."

"And that was before they learned you are also the son of the Fourth," Shikamaru continued. "Lady Fifth most likely knew this would cause upheaval within Suna."

Naruto couldn't help but smile. Fighting enemies and Akatsuki was one thing but the political battle was something completely foreign to him yet just as deadly. It was obvious to him now that Gaara was right in forcing Shikamaru to be with him now.

"Namikaze," Gaara said. "I would like for you to recount your story of what happened that day."

******Meanwhile – Hidden Village near Otogakure******

Sakura, Anko and Yamato broke camp an hour before sunrise and continued their way towards Otogakure when they had come across another five man team of Akatsuki ninja. After a quick fight they were able to successfully interrogate the last one they had left conscious and received exact directions to the village.

From that point they decided it was best to avoid confrontation so that no alarms could be raised. A few hours later they came to a large clearing where about a dozen small homes had been erected and a few men were milling about doing nothing of seeming importance.

"This has got to be it," Yamato whispered. "There are way too many people here for only a dozen buildings. And these guys all look dangerous to me."

"Yep," Anko said. "There is definitely something wrong about this place. But just to make sure I'm sending some of my snakes to check the place out." Anko lowered her arm near the ground and about two dozen snakes slithered out of her sleeve and scattered out into the city. "If Neji and his team are alive we'll find them."

"So what do you think the best way is to do this," Sakura asked.

"We wait a bit and then split up," Yamato said. "And we check every building one by one. I'm sure we'll find some clues there."

******Meanwhile – SunaGakure******

"….and that's everything that happened," Naruto said as he stood in front of the elders of Sunagakure. The elders began to whisper among themselves as Naruto sat back down. Shikamaru had sat quietly and listened to Naruto's recount of the story. He had heard Naruto retell this story to him hundreds of times over the last month and what he said here was almost, word for word, as he had heard before.

Naruto's story remained consistent except for one thing. Naruto didn't say which Akatsuki ninja he confronted when Koga died. He kept referring to Sasuke as just 'a member of Akatsuki'. He had omitted Sasuke's name completely. Shikamaru couldn't help but shake his head. Despite everything, even if it made things difficult, Naruto still defended Sasuke. But in truth, it wasn't surprising, just a bit disappointing.

"Your story seems very convenient to me," Krolik finally said. "You expect us to believe that your Hokage suddenly finds mysterious evidence that there are Akatsuki agents in Kumo and instead of bringing this evidence to the Raikage he instead sends you, the man he previously banished, to secretly investigate these claims. And that it was co-incidence that you just so happened to arrive the same time as our honored elder. And that you had nothing to do with his death, despite the fact that it was you who was seen there, holding a bloody weapon. And that no Akatsuki members, were seen in or even near Kumo?"

"I don't give a fuck what you believe," Naruto screamed as he got to his feet. "What I've told you is the truth!"

"Naruto," Shikamaru whispered sternly as he placed his hand on Naruto's shoulder and pulled him back into his seat. "What did I tell you about losing your temper? It'll do us no good here."

"You would do well to listen to your friend Namikaze," Krolik said smugly, knowing he had already gained a small victory.

"What proof do you have that Naruto or Konoha for that matter would want to harm Koga or anyone else in Sunagakure," Shikamaru asked.

"You mean besides the accounts of the Raikage himself and his men," Krolik asked.

"Well, if they are so trusted then why have you declared war on Kumo as well," Shikamaru asked.

"It is our belief that despite Kumo's claims that in fact both Kumo and Konoha worked in conjunction to murder Koga," Krolik said.

"That's nonsense," Naruto yelled as he again got to his feet. "Why the hell would Konoha do that? We've had a truce for seven years with Suna!"

"Had," Krolik said. "Yes you did. But that truce was ended once your Sixth took office! It is our belief that Konoha planned along with Kumo to kill Koga, thereby throwing Suna into turmoil. Doing so would allow both villages to invade and split the spoils of war. Considering you two are….I mean…..were the last two villages with Jinchuricki. But with the capture of the Eight Tailed host Kumo has suddenly been thrown into chaos."

Shikamaru sat silently and considered what he'd heard. Naruto continued to rant about how impossible Krolik's claims were but Shikamaru had to admit to himself that they had made sense. After Naruto's defeat of Pain and subsequent banishment, Danzo's new regime swept in like a hurricane blowing away anything and everything in its path. One of his first decisions was to radically reduce the amount of co-operation Konoha had with Suna. His reasons when asked was that allowing Suna access to us was a major risk in our security. And with everything that had happened, the people were too weak to question him. Those that did were ignored.

So from then on the SunaGakure and Konoha truce began to dissolve until it returned to what it was before: full of suspicion and fear. It was at that point something dawned on Shikamaru and he immediately realized he needed more information.

Shikamaru took a long labored breath as he saw Naruto jump onto the table and continued to scream about his innocence. Geez, Shikamaru thought to himself. I knew you'd eventually lose your cool Naruto but not so damned soon!

As Naruto continued to break his promise to stay calm Shikamaru turned and signaled to Temari who was seated in the first row of seats about three feet back. Shikamaru leaned back as she crept up close enough to hear him.

"Temari," he whispered. "Something doesn't seem right. Kumogakure has always been against becoming too friendly with other villages. And from what I could remember Kumo definitely had no interest in making peace with Suna right?"

"Yes," she whispered. "I'm not sure what it's all about but it stems back about twenty years or so. Kumo accused us of trying to kidnap their Jinchuriki."

"Then why would you guys send an emissary there in the first place," Shikamaru asked.

"It was decided that we needed to do more to achieve a peace with Kumogakure," Temari responded. "So it was suggested that an Emissary be sent out immediately to Kumogakure to begin negotiations."

"Let me guess," Shikamaru said, "It was Krolik who suggested it."

Temari was a bit surprised. "Yes," she said. "Krolik championed the cause to have Koga sent as soon as possible about two months ago, which was a bit surprising because before then he was always against peace with Kumo. But then suddenly he changed his mind."

Shikamaru turned and glared at Krolik and said, "Yeah I bet." Shikamaru sat forward in his seat with his eyes closed and his arms folded across his chest as he tried to consider things. After a few more minutes he opened his eyes and smiled at Krolik who, not to his surprise, was staring directly at him.

Shikamaru got to his feet and said, "Hey Naruto, are you done?"

Naruto, who was still standing on the desk with an empty glass in his hand, stopped just as he seemed poised to hurl it at the Suna elders, turned and looked at Shikamaru. "Well, ummm, yeah I guess so," Naruto said as he climbed down from the desk.

"Sorry about that," Shikamaru said as he addressed the flustered elders. "I don't think it's any secret that my friend here isn't good and controlling his temper." Shikamaru motioned for Naruto to take his seat and he did just as Shikamaru bent down closer to him and whispered, "Naruto what the fuck was that all about?"

"They're accusing me of murder Shikamaru," Naruto said, "And of lying! And I never lie!"

Shikamaru sighed and shook his head. "Good job keeping your temper Naruto," he said sarcastically.

"Thanks," Naruto responded amusingly. "I really held back there."

Annoyed Shikamaru said, "Held back? You were about to throw a glass cup at them!"

"That's a lot better than what I wanted to really throw at them," Naruto said as he folded his arms and grimaced.

For a brief moment Shikamaru just glared at Naruto before saying, "When we get back you and I are gonna have some serious diplomatic training. We can't have our future Hokage stomping on tables and throwing glasses at people."

"Are you ready Nara Shikamaru," Krolik said impatiently.

"Of course," Shikamaru said as he stood up right and faced the elders.

"Good," Krolik said, "As silent as you've been I was wondering if you were planning to defend yourself at all. As if you could."

"Well," Shikamaru, "To be honest I think you may be right. I mean we really don't have any proof to back up our claim outside of our word. And it's obvious our word isn't good enough. So there really is only one thing to say here. Naruto…is guilty."

As Shikamaru said those words everyone stared at him in disbelief and the entire room went deathly quite.

******Hidden Village near Otogakure******

Sakura slid along the wall of one of the low buildings making sure to stay in the shadows as much as she could. Ideally, it would have been better to wait until nightfall, but they agreed that they needed to move quickly, Neji and the others, if alive needed to be helped immediately.

Sakura paused and ducked behind a large, half full garbage can as two men walked by. They stopped just around the corner in front of a door and began to talk. Sakura leaned forward a bit and could just make out what they were saying.

"It looks like the repairs are all but done," one of the men said.

"It's about damned time," the other replied. "I joined Akatsuki to crack heads not be a damned mechanic."

"Got that right," the first man replied. "Anyway, I gotta head back down below and get back to work. How about you?"

"I still have ten minutes of break time left," the second man said. "I'll be down in a bit." At that point the two men split up. One opened the door and went inside as the other came back around the corner towards Sakura.

Sakura crouched down even lower to ensure she couldn't be seen and as the man walked by she pounced up and lightly tapped the man several times at various places along his spine. Immediately the man lost all function of his limbs and was gasping for air. Before he could fall to the ground Sakura caught him and pulled him into the shadows.

She placed the man on his back as he fought frantically for air. His eyes were bulging as he made an inaudible wheezing noise. "I figure you have a minute, a minute and a half at best before you pass out so I suggest you answer me quickly," Sakura whispered. "Blink once for yes, twice for no. Will you answer my questions?" The man blinked once. "Good. If you try to scream you'll be dead in seconds. Do you understand?" Again the man blinked once.

Sakura then tapped the upper portion of the mans' spine and suddenly he could breath again. The man gasped and sputtered as he tried to breathe in as much air as he could to ease his burning lungs. Sakura gave the man just a few moments to gather himself before grabbing him by the collar. "Now answer my questions. I'm looking for some friends of mine. They're ninja from Konoha. One is a Hyuga and has the Byakugan. The second would be a scruffy looking guy with a ninja dog and a guy dressed in a tacky green jumpsuit."

At first the man grimaced, unwilling to answer. He tried to move and found he couldn't feel anything below his neck. Accepting his position the man spoke up. "They….they're being held in a prison cell down below. The boss wanted them separated from the other prisoners."

"Other prisoners," Sakura asked in surprise, "What other prisoners!"

"We've got a bunch," he said, "They're mostly travelers and townspeople we captured for labor. They're being kept in a cave to the west of here."

"Tch," Sakura said as she slammed her hand to the ground. This mission went from a simple search and rescue into something much more.

"What's the purpose of this place," she asked. "What kind of weapon are you keeping down below?"

Through a thick sheen of sweat the man smiled. "Sorry but I don't know," he said. "We're only allowed to fix and repair sections without knowing about other sections."

"How do I get down below," she asked.

"There's a trap door in every one of these buildings," he said. "But it'll do you no good. There are hundreds of ninja down there. You won't get far."

"We'll see about that," Sakura said as she punched the man in the side of the head, knocking him out. Sakura then looked up out of her hiding spot and made sure no one was there. She then snuck to the corner of the building and made sure that no one saw her. She then snuck over and opened the door and entered the small building.

Sakura spent the next few minutes checking the floor to find the opening to the trap door. Just as she located it she was about to reach to open it when she heard a booming voice behind her. "Hey! Who the hell are you!"

Sakura quickly turned to see two Akatsuki ninja had come inside and found her. So much for stealth, she thought to herself as the two ninja closed in.

End of Chapter IX

Next Time: Guilty