'Thinking'
'Kyuubi talking'
"Talking"
/Naruto talking to Kyuubi/
"Jutsu's"
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of it's characters, just my own. :)
Gaara Declaring War
No matter how much arguing and threatening occurred, Keo got his way. Things became a lot simpler when Naruto fell unconscious due to the lack of chakra and energy. They easily bound his hands and feet together with metal so he wouldn't be able to escape when he woke up.
The ANBU group, all twelve of them, brought Naruto and the rest of the group, Tsunade demanding a meeting with the elders immediately, to the Elder's meeting room.
As the group started to walk, they were all in a formation. Naruto was between two ANBU who were holding him by his arms and the rest of the secret group were surrounding the 'demon'. Keo was in the lead with a smudge look all over his face. The rest of the group, Naruto's friends, were all in the back, grouped together. Tsunade and Jirayah were in the lead, a couple of yards behind the ANBU and right behind them were the old Team Seven.
"I can't believe this!" Tsunade hissed under her breath. "How dare they disobey a direct order! The hokage is in charge of the ANBU, not the stupid elders! They all will pay for this..." She threatened under her breath the last part.
Jirayah nodded in agreement, "We're going to have to find a way to break Naruto out of this, or at least get him away. You and I both know that they will kill him. Anything to get rid of the nine-tails."
"Yeah, but how exactly are we going to do that?" Kakashi asked.
Sasuke narrowed his eyes as a plan already started to form in his mind. "Sneak him away," he easily said.
Tsunade shook her head, "He'll be heavily guarded."
Sakura frowned as she thoughtfully said, "We could rally up a group of protestors or something." Even as she said it, she realized how dumb that sounded, even coming from her.
"Oh yeah, like protesting will do anything," Jirayah snorted. He then shook his head and said, "We're just going to have to sneak him out like Sasuke suggested. But, we'll have to wait for the right time. Right now, the elder's will be keeping a close eye on Naruto."
XxxxX
'This is bull shit!' Kyuubi screeched at what felt like the top of her lungs. She aroused her host from his unconscious state. 'I told you we shouldn't have gone back, I told you! The only thing this trip has brought us is getting Sana kidnapped and us being thrown in jail as we wait for execution. Not to mention this stupid, annoying chakra draining device!'
/We'll... e-escape... … Don't w-worry/ Naruto thought back, feeling the weakest he had felt in years. He couldn't even remember the last time he felt this exhausted. And the device on his stomach, it indeed was a lot stronger than the last.
'Escape?' The fox snorted as she was slightly calming down. 'Right. Open your eyes kit; there's no chance of escaping, especially in the state you're in right now.'
Slightly confused, Naruto cracked his eyes opened just a little to where it looked like he was still asleep. He could tell he was sitting down with his back up against a wall. The room he was in was unfamiliar to him although he could tell that this room was used for meetings from the large table and many chairs seated around it. The only things that were familiar to him was the people.
Two old people were sitting down at the table, they were the only ones seated -minus him- and they were had ANBU guards flanking them on both sides. The two elders were known as the oldest people in the village and they were held with great respect. Standing in front of them like a trail, were Tsunade and Jirayah as they argued at the top of their lungs.
"He is just like you and me," she spat, rage radiating off of her in waves. "He is a human being. You can't kill him or it would be just like killing an innocent child."
"He is no innocent child," Koharu said, unaffected by any of the hokages words. "He has a demon inside of hi. He have to dispose of it before it disposes us." Homura nodded his head in agreement. "We should have gotten rid of it when we had the chance all of those years ago."
Jirayah crossed his arms against his chest, "What has he done that is so bad, huh? For the past three years, I've been traveling around and do you know what I've been hearing? I've heard nothing about a demon terrorizing villages. Instead, I hear about a certain blonde whose done nothing but help these villages. Why do you want to kill him if he's done nothing but help people?"
"It doesn't matter if he's done good or not. That demon needs to go and this time, permanently. I don't want him back in this village."
Homura nodded once more and said, "We have to think about the people of this village. And so should you, Tsunade." He looked directly at the hokage who gave him a glare before continuing, "If we let him live, something could happen and I can already see this village being targeted. Do you not remember what happened an hour ago? We were attacked and he hadn't even been in the village for that long!"
"Naruto was attacked," Sasuke growled, his hand itching to grab his sword and swing it at the elders, "The village was left unharmed."
Homura shot the Uchiha a dirty look, "That may be so, but it was still a threat directed at this village. Because that thing was in our village, people like Orochimaru attacked and who knows who else will attack!"
"You know, that thing has a name," Naruto said as he fully opened his eyes. He was officially annoyed by how the events were turning out. Everyone turned to him and he had to hold back a bark of laughter when he caught sight of the elders shocked faces as they saw him awake. "Yeah, 'its' still here. If you're going to talk about me, either don't do it in front of me or let me join in. It's only polite."
Out of nowhere, and totally unexpected, a hand came down and slapped Naruto across the face.
"Speak to your elders with respect, demon," Keo spat and he glared down at his captive.
"Was that supposed to hurt?" Naruto calmly asked as he looked back up at Keo whose face started to turn red with anger. Before he could lunge for the annoying man, the device was activated and sent a wave of energy through him as it sucked his chakra away.
"Naruto!" Sakura made a move to go help her friend when she was stopped by an ANBU guard. "Let me through!" She ordered even though she had no power over him. She made a move to slap the bastard that stood in her way but the ANBU made a move for his sword.
Quickly sensing a battle coming, Homura ordered in a loud, clear voice, "You are not to get anywhere near him, miss Haruno."
"I'm alright, Sakura." Naruto managed to say once the device stopped. He had a bead of sweat trickle down his temple but with his arms bound behind him, he could wipe it away. "Don't worry about me; I've dealt with things much more complicated and stronger." To show that he was fine, he sat up straight from his hunched over position and gave her a cocky smile, one that he used back in the old day.
She nodded and tried to relax her stiff posture but she continued to glare at the man in front of her who relax his own posture.
Naruto looked over to the elders, his grin faded from place with no trace of it anywhere. He dismissed all emotion from his being and said in a dull voice, "So, where were we? Oh right, let me go. There's no point in me being here any longer."
Homura frowned but then gave off the impression that he was smirking, "I'm sorry, Uzumaki, but we can't. We told you when you left that if you were to ever show your face here again, then you were giving us permission to kill you."
"Stop bull shitting me," Naruto growled and his voice lowered, "You're mixing the words up. I gave you no fucking permission. I only came here to save my sister. But she was taken from me. And unless you want war all around the world, I suggest you let me go so I can go after her before anything happens." Without warning, a wisp of red chakra flowed out of him even though the chakra device was activated again. But, the device didn't affect him this time. "If you won't release me, then I'll release myself."
"Sister?" Koharu asked, ignoring everything else the blonde said. She had seen the boy's file many times and she knew he didn't have any siblings. He was an only child! "What sister? You're an only child!"
Keo smirked, "See? He lies so he can save his own ass."
"He's telling the truth," Jirayah came to the rescue as he remembered what his old student had told him only a few hours previous. "It's his step sister. They're not blood related but their bond goes deeper than any relationship between siblings I have ever seen or encountered."
If the situation was different, Naruto would have nodded in agreement. "She is my responsibility. If you don't let me go right now, then you will have hell in this village. Don't forget, Orochimaru is still out there and he is creating an army. He has his hands on a strong person that could possible help his win whatever war he declares."
"Army?" Both elders questioned. Like Jirayah and Tsunade, this was the first that they were hearing of this news.
"Yes, an army to attack this village."
"But that doesn't mean we have to let you go," Keo yawned, bored with the conversation even though they were talking about a possible war in the near future.
Naruto turned his reddening eyes to the ANBU ninja standing right beside him. "Oh? So you want to fight someone who is ten times stronger than you?"
Keo glared at him as he opened his mouth to respond. But before he could, a popping noise was heard and when everyone looked up to the noise, a familiar ninja with his brown hair pulled back into a ponytail was kneeling on the ground facing Tsunade.
"Hokage, we have some... guests." Shikumaru said, unaware of his surroundings since he was looking down.
Without bothering to look at him, she ordered, "Tell them to leave; I have other things to deal with." Her voice was full of impatience and annoyance.
Shikumaru looked up, "That isn't possible. He's coming here even as we speak." He then took notice where he was. When his eyes caught sight of a certain blonde in the room, his eyes widen in disbelief and he stuttered, "N-Naruto?"
"Hey, Shikumaru, what's up?" Naruto casually greeted one of his old friends. His eyes switched back to blue before the other even noticed.
Tsunade, not wanting to deal with the newcomer right now, rubbed her temples. If the guest was coming here right now, then she couldn't blow them off like she would usually do. "Fine, who is it?"
Shikumaru looked back to his hokage, still shocked about seeing Naruto. He said in a clear voice, "Gaara of the Sand."
As if on cue, a voice on the outside of the closed door could be heard.
"I'm sorry, but you cannot go in there."
"Are you going to try and stop him?" A deep, masculine voice demanded from the guard.
There was a cry of pain a second later and the door opened with a loud bang as it hit the wall. In walked three people, otherwise known as the Sand siblings.
Gaara walked in first with his head held high. Flanking him on either side was Temari and Kankuro. They all wore their weapons on their backs like they were expecting a battle and they all held serious looks. Gaara barely even glanced over in Naruto's direction before he addressed the hokage.
"Why do you hold him like he's a prisoner?" He demanded without one single gesture of greetings. He pointed to the chains that were wrapped around Naruto's ankles and wrists.
Tsunade frowned but kept herself from bristling at how the remark was pointed at her. She tossed her head in the elders direction and said, "Don't ask me. Ask these... people." She had to stop herself from saying hags though she was very close in to saying it without caring. "You and I both know I would never have him in that position."
Gaara turned his dangerous looking eyes to the elders and waited for an explanation.
Homura puffed out his chest a little, threatened by the newcomer. But he kept his cool and said, "You may be the Kazekage in the Sand, but you have no right in being here and telling us what we can and can not do. This is our problem, not yours."
Naruto lashed out before anything else could be spoken, "I ain't no ones problem!"
Gaara ignored the comment and said, "I have every right in being here when you hold my ninja captive."
"Your ninja? Since when is he apart of your village?" Koharu asked, raising an eyebrow.
Temari, without being seen, disappeared from standing right next to her brother and walked over to her half brother. When Keo stepped in front of her, blocking her passage, she punched him square in the jaw that it sent him flying.
"Don't stand in my way," she simply said and continued her brisk pace towards him.
Sakura smirked at watching the other woman kick ass and she managed to sneak around the ANBU still in front of her.
"Are you alright, Naruto?" Temari asked as she knelt besides him. She pulled one of her bobbi pens from her hair and inserted it into the locks around his ankles and jiggled the pen until it came unlocked. She started on the one on his wrists.
Sakura appeared besides them just as he said in a sarcastic tone, "Sure, if you think getting both your energy and chakra sucked out of you is fine."
Temari rolled her eyes as she managed to unlock the last lock.
"He may be your ninja," Koharu said, "but is on our territory when we already threatened him."
"Since he's on our territory," Homura continued to say what her comrade was getting at, "he must be executed."
Gaara's eyes narrowed dangerously. "You will do no such thing."
The male elder chuckled, not at all affected by the tone, "I highly doubt you have any say in this, Gaara of the Sand."
"I think he does," Sasuke said out of the blue. He still held respect for the Kazekage and when he looked over to him, the Jinjuriki nodded in his direction. "It's not your place to kill someone else's ninja."
"Sasuke Uchiha, silence yourself or we will silence it for you!" Homura barked.
Jirayah took a step forward and crossed his arms against his chest, "No chance in silencing me. So I'll say what he said: It's not your place to kill someone else's ninja."
Gaara looked directly at the elders and announced, "If you kill him, consider yourself at war with the Sand Village."
The room suddenly fell silent. The elders looked on to the young Kazekage with disbelief in their eyes. Tsunade and the others who were against what the elders were saying, looked a little smudged, not at all worried about the threat that had just been declared.
Keo, who had smashed into a wall and caused a hole in it, stumbled to a stand as rubble fell off of him. "Why the hell would you declare war over that thing?" He spat as he rubbed his bruising jaw.
Gaara turned his icy cold stare at the ANBU ninja and said, "Never talk about him like that when you're in front of me." Some sand started to spill from his already opened gourd and onto the floor, causing a few people to gulp and take a step back. "If you haven't noticed, we are the same." His voice was full of so much venom that the feeling in the air dropped dramatically.
The ninja looked back and forth between the two Jinjuriki as he was missing something of the bigger picture. His face suddenly turned into a vicious frown as he understood what the Kazekage was talking about. He opened his mouth to spat something when out of nowhere, a stapler came flying out of the blue and hit him right on his arm. He turned to Tsunade who was glaring at him.
"Say anything and I swear your future will be a living hell," she wouldn't admit it, but his life was already going to end soon by how he was treating Naruto and how he was disobeying her orders.
Homura got to his feet and cleared his throat. He was a little over the news he just received and tried to find something that could help get past this awkward situation, "Kazekage, you really don't want to go to war with Konoha."
Kankuro spoke for the first time since they first walked into the meeting room, "We will if you murder Naruto."
"That'll be just suicide," Naruto finally said.
For once, Koharu agreed with him. "Do you know how much death would come to your village if you went to war with us?"
Shikumaru rolled his eyes, "Do you know how much death we'll have if we went to war with them?" Even though he wasn't a part of this meeting, he couldn't help but follow on what was being said and add any information that he seemed worthy to add, like just now.
'Kit, you need to go.' Kyuubi's voice, who had stayed quiet throughout the whole conversation, now decided it was time to talk, said. 'Sana is getting farther and farther away and if you don't leave now, you will lose her trail.'
Naruto nodded. He didn't know how he was going to get out of this mess so he said, "Look, I'm sorry about everything. Let this be my one and only warning and I'll never come back here. I have somewhere I need to be, someone important to save and if I don't go soon, it might be to late." He looked at Gaara, and a message passed between them.
"I say let him go. There's no harm done in this one mess up." There had to be some way to get Naruto out of this mess and she was afraid she was doing it wrong.
"Certainly not," Koharu shook her head. "We will not let him go. In two days when the sun is high in the sky, Naruto Uzumaki will be executed."
"What?" Some people cried in distress.
"You can't do that!" Jirayah lashed out. He really hated politics. Sometimes, the only way to get things done was to use physical maneuvers. But, right now, that wouldn't help any.
Homura stood up beside his comrade and slammed his hands against the table, "We can and we will. Any objections will be held tomorrow. But as of now, this discussion is over with." He looked over to Keo and said, "Take him away."
Keo bowed slightly, more than happy to follow that order. He walked over to the glaring blonde.
Naruto, never one to follow orders or liking to stay clam in situations like these, didn't like the new order. With his hands free, thanks to Temari, he waited until the brunette was close enough before getting ready to smack him all the way to next week. That was, until a certain raven-haired man stopped him.
"What the hell are you doing?" Naruto growled in disbelief ad Sasuke had managed to handcuff his hands back together.
In a voice so low that no one except for the two of them could hear, he whispered, "Just stay calm. I have a plan that will get the elders off of your back forever. Just cooperate and leave everything to me."
Naruto understood that the ANBU captain had a plan already in mind but he still struggled to get away.
"Oh, quiet down already," Keo said and knocked the blonde out from one blow to the head.
Sasuke caught his friend before he collapsed to the ground and glared daggers at the other. He then looked over to the hokage, and giving her the smallest of nods, disappeared with Naruto's arm in his hand and Keo.
Ignoring the elders, Tsunade turned to the Sand siblings and said, "I will have a hotel ready for you. In the meantime, follow me."
Temari bowed to her, "Thank you for your hospitality, Hokage."
The hokage turned back to the elders and said, "I will be back." She turned on her heel and left the office with the Sand siblings, Sakura, Kakashi, and Jirayah all close behind her.
XxxxX Till next time
Okay, I know that last chapter was a BIG disappointment. To be honest, the idea that Naruto's friends didn't help never crossed my mind. I guess it was because in my head I imagined all of that was happening at such a fast pace, that I never took into account that if this were a real episode, the others wouldn't just stand there and let that happen to their friend. I really don't know how to fix that so I won't. I'm just going to continue on with the story and hopefully, those who don't hate the story and are sticking with me to the end, things will get better and clearer.
I just want to say that I really just want to quit this piece of shit that people call a story. I feel like I'm letting you guys down with my crappy writing. But, I told myself a loooong time ago that I won't give up on a story, no matter how bad it is. I have to finish it, even if I don't like it.
I do have to say though, my other story, Over A Decades Wait, only has three chapters left. Meaning, when that's done and over with, I'll only be working on two stories then. This one and a different one. With that, updates for this story will, and I do mean it this time, will be faster. If they aren't, I give someone the permission to spam my inbox with threats until I update. Deal? I say in about three weeks, maybe four, updates should be faster for this story. Please hang in there. I'm trying my best, even though it doesn't seem like it.
Enough of my chatter. Please tell me how you like it. Any thing helps! Thanks for sticking with me!
