Naruto Fan Fiction ❯ Starting Over... ❯ Endless Night ( Chapter 3 )

 

Chapter 3

 

Naruto stared at the numbers of the clock on top of his dresser without really seeing the time.

 

It was still dark out, and waiting was getting harder, but sleep wasn't coming to his rescue tonight either. He hadn't slept well since he'd brought Sasuke back, though tonight, he couldn't even get his eyes to close. His creaky bed and lumpy old pillows had never felt so uncomfortable either…

 

Four- no five days ago, their triumphant return hadn't been anything like what Naruto had hoped… which meant he was actually glad Sasuke hadn't been awake to see it or the Teme would've laughed at him yet again for being so stupid and naïve…

 

Konoha's huge gates had been as wide open as ever, but Naruto bristled instinctively when he saw that their welcome consisted of an ANBU squad and Kakashi. All of five them were watching the approaching group intently- or more specifically, they were staring at Sasuke.

 

`What the… Sasuke's out cold! He passed out while Sakura examined him over an hour ago, so what is with the daggers they are glaring at him now?'

 

“I'm a traitor, remember? I have no interest in being publicly executed, Dobe.”

 

Naruto didn't want to accept it, but those words came back to haunt him. Even Kakashi was glaring at him and he didn't understand it because they were all practically ignoring the huge, intimidating figure that was carrying Sasuke.

 

Juugo was growing apprehensive as they approached the mammoth gateway, and Naruto smiled at him, but he could see that the man was too nervous to smile back this time, instead he chewed his lip and tried not to move...

 

Sakura spoke first, breaking the uneasy silence- everyone else even Yamato and Sai lingered with the others quietly watching. “He's been poisoned and he needs to see the Hokage. I've sealed his chakra, and I put a sleep jutsu on him too, Sasuke's not… dangerous…”

 

Her voice trailed off because the ANBU weren't listening finally Kakashi stepped forward. “Naruto, you have to report to the Hokage, but… Sasuke is under arrest.”

 

“What are they going to do with him? And what about Juugo?” Naruto had demanded.

 

“Tsunade-sama just wants to hear what happened from you, and she will talk to Sasuke later. I've already told her about Juugo,” Kakashi added. “And right now she is looking for the Third's records from when Anko's cursed seal was forced to go dormant years ago. She needs to study exactly what we know about the cursed seal so she can help them more quickly.”

 

That sounded promising, but Naruto scowled; Kakashi still wasn't telling him anything. We brought him here- why don't they want us to know what is really going on?

 

Sakura looked like she might start crying, but she tore her gaze away and he didn't know what to say either. They both stood back helplessly when two of the ANBU quietly stepped up and took Sasuke from Juugo. The huge man looked as nervous and unhappy as Naruto felt.

 

The three disappeared in a puff of smoke and he growled. He wished he knew where exactly they were taking him, because every instinct he had, warned that it certainly wasn't to the old military police station downtown…

 

Sakura squeezed his hand gently. “It hurts- I know, because we just found him, but Lady Tsunade trusted us enough to let us bring him back. Standard procedure would have been to have hunters sent out immediately and she never sent them, so now we have to trust her. I know she'll do everything she can to help us save him.”

 

“Sakura-kun, Naruto-kun, Lady Tsunade is expecting you, please go to her office and give your report. Both of us will accompany you and the visitor,” Said one the remaining masked hunters. “The rest of you please follow Kakashi-san, Morino Ibiki is waiting to speak with you.”

 

All the group's previous conversations had died as soon as everyone had seen their small, very cold welcome as they approached the gate. An eerie silence took over and the walk to the Hokage's office had never seemed so long to Naruto before.

 

He'd told Sasuke that he wouldn't be executed… He still couldn't imagine it but it was suddenly clear that he could be wrong- Sasuke was in danger and now he felt as if it was entirely his fault. `This isn't fair…'

 

Again Naruto noticed the silence as they walked and he shivered. He'd never seen the village so quiet before- he doubted any of the others ever had either. The normally bustling streets were still and silent as they moved through town. People watched them from store windows, and open doorways, but no one actually dared to venture out to question them. Clearly, they all knew- but none of them had any idea what to expect now. The wind rustled a newspaper on a nearby rack and he was surprised by how loud it seemed as they passed it.

 

`Any other time, when an S class criminal was slain, their killer was considered a hero! Some hero's welcome this is,' he growled. `This isn't fair…'

 

Naruto couldn't forget how frighteningly powerful Itachi had seemed in all of their previous encounters, so for the first time, he started to wonder, `exactly how powerful is Sasuke now?'

 

Naruto remembered very clearly the incredible wave of dark chakra that Sasuke had used to stop Juugo's rampage. He'd never felt a chakra aura that was seemed so deadly before. The aura of Orochimaru's chakra had been potent too, it was unmistakably dark and vile, but it had felt poisonous and manipulative rather than completely overpowering and focused.

 

The Kyuubi inside him had demanded to get out; throwing its power at the gate formed by the Fourth's seal with a fury that literally drove Naruto to his knees. The demon's rage had never been so quick to attack his control before.

 

“I knew it! Your Uchiha is still getting stronger; you will have to train harder to keep up with him, Kit…” Kyuubi's voice thundered through his mind with dark amusement. “I warned you before about his darkness. If he can't contain it, I will relish that battle; it will be a challenge worthy of my own true power…”

 

That increase in his power wasn't the only thing about Sasuke that'd surprised him… He'd been so careful not to think about it- but now, with nothing else to do while they walked, his mind wandered back to that kiss.

 

It was soft and sweet and warm, everything a first kiss should've been- except that it was Sasuke that'd kissed him! Their first kiss, four years earlier, had been an accident- this one certainly wasn't…

 

`So, why did the Teme kiss me anyway?'

 

“That day… In the Valley of the End- I couldn't kill you- not even to awaken the power of the Mangekyou Sharingan...”

 

Those words had kind of made sense- in Sasuke's typical `I'm an Uchiha and I don't have to explain this, because if you were an Uchiha genius too, you would already know exactly what I'm talking about' sort of a way…

But did they really mean “Goodbye”, “I love you” or “I'm sorry”, “I'm glad you're here” or just “I have no idea what the hell I'm doing because I'm dying of poison”?

 

“If it is the last one that will be embarrassing later won't it? You liked it, Kit. In fact-”

 

Naruto was startled to hear the Kyuubi's voice in his head, but he just shrugged and crammed the pillows under his head. “Shut up, I thought I said I didn't want to talk to you anymore.”

 

“You mean six months ago, when I spoke to him and warned him not to kill you? No, Kit, you said you don't want to see me anymore.”

 

“Don't you have anything better to do than annoy me?” He rolled over onto his side and kicked off his covers.

 

“No. Just admit it- you want him.”

 

“What?”

 

“You've always known you need him, Kit- you just weren't sure why until now…”

 

“You mean…”

 

“Yes. Not that I can blame you, he is rather exquisite- for a human. I find your innocence strangely endearing just now.”

 

“I wish you'd be quiet.”

 

The demon laughed in his mind. “The Fourth's seal keeps you from fully tapping into my primal urge but...”

 

 

“What's… primal urge?”

 

“That's pitiful- but you're not entirely hopeless. After all, you did kiss him back, you know...”

 

Naruto heard a beeping coming from the other side of the room and sat up at once.

 

He was exhausted, but he almost ran to the alarm and shut it off, happy to have a distraction- luckily his inner demon seemed to be done bugging him. Turning for the bathroom, he sighed tiredly and stripped off his pajamas as he turned on the shower. His thoughts wandered absently to yesterday's hearing.

 

He'd actually jumped when Utatane Koharu, the tiny hunchbacked old lady that Tsunade hated almost as much as he hated Danzou, tapped a gavel on the large counter before her. Sasuke looked up too.

 

His composure amazed Naruto, but then, he was pointedly ignoring everyone in the auditorium but the old woman as she spoke.

 

“Uchiha Sasuke, you have been arrested for high treason against the Leaf Village of Konoha. Three years ago, you left us without permission; you knowingly conspired with wanted criminals and forcibly resisted several attempts to bring you back. You also knowingly placed your own teammates in mortal danger on several occasions to satisfy your own ambitions. Do you deny these charges?”

 

“No, Madame Councilor-sama.”

 

Naruto was about to object, but Tsunade placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder.

 

The old woman continued. “You are aware that the punishment for these actions is traditionally death?”

 

“I am, Madam Councilor-sama.”

 

“You remain alive at this very moment only because our Hokage and Uzumaki Naruto seem to believe that you can be trusted to return now that the unpleasant business of you revenge has been taken care of. This is your chance to speak on your own behalf, Uchiha; and I suggest you use it because I will not have you making a mockery of this proceeding.”

 

Sasuke didn't look the least bit apologetic. “If you brought me here to see me beg your forgiveness, then kill me now. I can't take back what I've already done, Elders of the Council, but...”

 

Utatane Koharu actually growled as she started to rise from her chair, but Mitokado Homura placed a hand on her arm gently. He scowled at Sasuke though as the female elder returned to her chair. “But?”

 

“Everything I did ultimately served my family's honor and by default this village.”

 

Under her flowing robes and the silly hat, Naruto saw Tsunade hiding a grin. “That brat...”

 

Naruto was surprised but another elder spoke up. He doubted that Tsunade would find it this amusing about a month from now when Sasuke was being that stubborn with her…

 

“You still acted without orders or authorization, what proof do we have that you would not betray the village again when you deny your elders the respect we deserve?”

 

Sasuke sent a sharp glare at Danzou. “If Leaf shinobi are only given orders that support the best interests of this village it won't be a problem.”

 

Tsunade chuckled down at Naruto. “He'll never be Hokage, but he will make one hell of an ally on the council for you someday.”

 

Danzou bristled, leering down at Sasuke. “Fellow council members, are we really going to be manipulated by this arrogant child? He admitted quite clearly that he is a renegade shinobi, it is our civic responsibility to make an example of this brat and kill him.”

 

“That would be fine, Councilman Danzou,” Tsunade broke in. “Except that previous renegades who have been brought before previous councils like this were all the perpetrators of bloody crimes against innocent people. The only people killed during his rule-breaking were the two most wanted criminals in the entire history of our village. This shinobi is the only survivor of a tragedy that shook this village to its very core. I, for one, am ashamed to admit that we couldn't bring his brother to justice, because that meant Sasuke had to do it himself.”

 

“Yes, Hokage-sama, you have been reminding us of the Uchiha massacre for the last 4 days but-”

 

“My revenge was a family matter and it no longer concerns this hearing.” Sasuke growled. His voice was deceptively quiet; every word was angry and clipped. “My brother is dead, and so is Orochimaru. So, why should I have stayed when I managed to do in three years what all of ANBU couldn't do in over a decade?”

 

A collective gasp went through the auditorium and Naruto wished he could punch Sasuke for that and he could see Tsunade agreed with him. He kind of saw Sasuke's point- but that wasn't the best time to point it out…

 

Naruto heard quite a few mutterings of “Impertinent whelp!” and worse…

 

“Councilors please, let me finish.” Tsunade growled. “Danzou, I know you believe mercy is for the weak, but you are wrong. We have always done things our own way in this village and we are stronger because of it. So I ask you, are we strong enough to stand behind one of our own because we all believe in the power of the will of fire? Or do we blindly go with tradition and put out that flame ourselves?”

 

Naruto couldn't believe it when Utatane Koharu actually cracked a small grin at Tsunade before glaring at Danzou. “Our Hokage has asked us for leniency in this case and the entire council gave its word that we would indeed offer terms to spare the accused. Uchiha Sasuke our terms are not optional- should you fail to abide by a single condition you will be killed, do you understand?”

 

“I do, Madam Councilor.”

 

“Very well, I shall give you our conditions. One, Lady Tsunade will remove the cursed seal today after this hearing and cure you of the poison. Two, when that is settled, you will be given lashes with a whip. As that will take several weeks to heal, you will be under house arrest during that time.”

 

“Madame Councilor,” Tsunade asked. “How many lashes will he receive?”

 

“The council has agreed upon fifty, Hokage-sama.”

 

Naruto was stunned it was twice what Tsunade had told him to expect…

 

Tsunade stood up, she looked furious. “Fifty lashes with a chakra whip? Be reasonable.”

 

“Hokage-sama, some among the council fear that you are taking his transgressions against the order of our village too lightly, in which case he and others might too.” Danzou purred, smiling maliciously.

 

“I suppose that you have already chosen who will administer his punishment? This is ridiculous. If the torturer and Sasuke have strong enough opposite primary elemental affinities; then with his body and his chakra restrained, you will kill him…”

 

“Actually,” Sasuke interrupted. “I accept those terms, Hokage-sama.”

 

The hearing had continued- but Naruto hadn't heard another word that was said after that.

 

He knew they'd fought people who used chakra whips before but this time Sasuke would be chained immobile and he wouldn't even be able to use his chakra as a shield to absorb any of the shock from the elemental attacks either… Tsunade was right; there was a very high chance he would die before the end of his punishment…

 

“Relax, Kit. He is much too stubborn to die today.”

 

It surprised him that Kyuubi was suddenly responding to his thoughts and talking to him again, but he sighed and attempted to ignore the demon.

 

How trustworthy could a demon be- well unless something was in it for him?

 

“Let's just say I'm out to get you laid, as your pervert Sensei would say.”

 

“Bijuu think about sex?”

 

“We do when our Jinchuuriki is…” The demon replied cheekily. “When we are free, all Bijuu are drawn to power- which your Uchiha has in abundance. Meaning you're pretty much screwed, Kit.”

 

“Naruto?” The voice was outside his apartment's door.

 

He was blushing, but he didn't hesitate to open it for Sakura as he threw on his jacket. Luckily, the girl didn't even notice, she walked past him to look out the window, her beautiful green eyes were sad.

 

“I've been looking for you! I can't believe they're really going to do this- and we're going to be late! It's not fair! Come on,” she commanded, tugging him out into the hall.

 

 

Author's note: I had to center the flashbacks in this chapter… because there were so damn many of them- and a few contain flashbacks of their own which require further distinction… GRRR…

 

Oh boy, if I had realized back in chapter 1 how much fun it would be to screw with Naru-chan's poor little mind like this, I would definitely have written at least the kiss from his perspective… Because I'm evil like that too… ^_^