Chapter 1: The Aftermath.

(I do not own Naruto)

This takes place after Naruto and Sasuke's fight in the Retrieval arc.

We begin with Naruto carrying Sasuke back to Konoha after defeating him in the Valley of the End. He couldn't help but smile, despite being in pain from the Chidori wound and a couple of other wounds. He was happy that he finally beat his childhood rival, that he didn't let the rest of the retrieval team down and that he fulfilled his promise to Sakura, his crush since the academy days.

As he was nearing the village gates, many people started coming into view. These people included Tsunade, Sakura, Hinata, Shino, Asuma, Kurenai, Gai, Kakashi, Konohamaru with his two friends, Gaara with his siblings, and many villagers.

"Look, the last Uchiha is back!" said some random villager.

With that, all the villagers cheered.

'You did it.' Tsunade thought as she smiled.

'Naruto, you truly are something else. I couldn't be any prouder.' Kakashi thought as he smiled too.

'I knew you could do it, Naruto-kun.' Hinata thought as she blushed.

"Big brother Naruto!" Konohamaru exclaimed over the cheering.

After hearing that, Naruto picked up the pace a little, but not too much. As he reached the gates, he was met with a different tone of voice from Sakura.

"Naruto you idiot, what did you do to Sasuke-kun?!" Sakura shouted with all her might which ended all the cheering.

"Hey, he wouldn't come back willingly, so I had to beat some sense into him. And besides, look at me! He attacked and I had to defend myself!" yelled an enraged Naruto.

*SLAP*

"Don't you dare talk about Sasuke-kun like that ever again you demon!" said Sakura as she reared her hand back to land another hit on Naruto, until it was stopped by an arm of sand coming out of Gaara's gourd.

"Lay another hand on my brother, and you'll regret it." Garaa said very sternly giving her a cold glare.

"Sakura, you made your teammate promise you to bring back this traitor. He does this for you, and you repay him by treating him the same way I have always seen you treat him." Said Kakashi with a glare of disappointment.

Ino, Kohnohamaru, Asuma, Kurenai, Gai and Tsunade also sent her glares. But not Hinata. She was not mad, oh no, she was pissed. She walked over and punched Sakura in the face.

"What the hell was that for Hinata?!" Sakura yelled.

Suddenly, with speed no one knew she had, Hinata activated her Byakugan, grabbed Sakura by the throat and lifted her a little bit into the air. Watching this, everyone made a note in their heads not to piss off a shy quiet girl ever again, especially Hinata.

"You are such an ungrateful bitch, Sakura! How dare you treat Naruto-kun like that after all he just went through to make you happy?!" Hinata stated with venom, which scared Sakura as she grabbed her wrists in an attempt to escape the death grip she was in.

"You always say Naruto is the worst of our class, but when you look at it Sakura, you are the most worthless shinobi. Not just of our class, but in the entire village." Stated Ino. As she said that, Hinata threw Sakura hard into the ground.

"If you ever lay a hand on Naruto-kun again Haruno, I'll do a lot worse things to you." Said Hinata as she sent another glare towards the pink haired girl, then turned her attention to her blonde crush.

"Are you alright, Naruto-kun?" she asked with great concern after getting a closer look and saw the injuries he had.

"I'm fine Hinata-chan, believe it! No need to worr-" Naruto began to say, but was interrupted as he coughed up blood into his hands.

Then, he closed his eyes due to exhaustion and started falling forward into Hinata, knocking them both to the ground with Naruto on top of her. Hinata was already blushing after her crush included 'chan' when addressing her, but this made her entire face turn red and she passed out too.

'About time. But now is not the time.' Thought Tsunade, she then started barking orders.

"Show is over everyone, get these 3 to the hospital ASAP! I'll treat Naruto myself." She said pointing towards Naruto, Sasuke and Hinata.

"Yes Lady Tsunade. I'll take Naruto, Sakura you take Sasuke, Kurenai you take Hinata." Kakashi spoke as he lifted Naruto off the passed out Hyuga heir. The others nodded and did as told.

(Konoha hospital)

Tsunade was done treating Naruto. The Kyuubi fixed a good amount of the damage such as the broken ribs and the cuts, but the Chidori wound was not fully healed. She had managed to reduce the loss of blood, but it would take a little more time for it to close up completely.

Outside Naruto's room were Gaara, Hinata, Kakashi, Ino and the Konohamaru group. They eagerly awaited news from the Hokage and hoped their blonde friend would be alright.

'Minato-sensei, I'm so sorry. If I had not taught that technique to Sasuke, Naruto would not be in this condition. From this day on I promise, I will teach him all I know and help him in anyway I can. I will not fail you again.' Kakashi thought with great shame. He felt terrible that he had ignored his sensei's son in favor of another student who turned out to be a power hungry, arrogant brat.

'Naruto-kun,p-please get through this soon as you wake up I will be there to tell you how I feel, as I should have long ago. And I promise to always be there to help you. I watched you from the shadows, no more.' Hinata thought as she blushed, which everyone noticed. Ino scooted over towards her whispering in Hinata's ear.

"Thinking about how you are going to smother Naruto with your love? Bout time you did girl." Ino whispered followed by a giggle. This caused the Hyuga to blush even more while moving her index fingers together like she usually does. But everyone turned towards the room's door when they heard it starting to open. Tsunade emerged from the door and walked towards them.

"Lady Tsunade, please tell me, is Naruto going to be okay?" asked a very concerned Kakashi. This caused the blonde Hokage to raise an eyebrow and narrow her eyes slightly.

"Kakashi, I promise you he will make a full recovery. For now, he needs rest. He should regain consciousness in two days. However, I'm surprised you are here and not with the Uchiha." Tsuande said.

"Lady Tsunade, you have every right to be angry with me. This is my fault, for I taught my signature move to Sasuke. But I realize my mistake, I shouldn't have taught anything that dangerous to that backstabber. From now on, I will make sure nothing like this happens to Naruto ever again, and I will train him to become the greatest shinobi he possibly can." Said Kakashi as he raised his hands waving them back in forth in fear.

"Make sure that you do, for I will hold you to that. You may all go in if you wish, for now I must go. The counsel is calling a meeting, much to my disliking. I need some sake damn it!" Tsunade yelled in frustration as she was walking in route to the counsel chambers.

As she left, everyone went into the hospital room to see the unconscious Naruto. Hinata, Gaara and Kakashi sat the closest to him.

"Wake up soon, my friend. You are like family to me now." Said Gaara. Hinata, Ino, Konohamaru, Moegi and Udon were curious as to what he meant by that, but Kakashi knew. Maybe it was time for them to know as well, but decided to wait until his blonde student was awake. For now, he decided to find out what happens at the meeting.

(Konoha Council Chambers)

"The demon-brat must be punished for his actions!" said some random civilian councillor.

"Punished?! He brought back the traitor and completed his mission. If anything, he deserves a field promotion!" yelled an enraged Jiraiya.

"For nearly killing the last Uchiha?! I say we kill the demon, like the Yondiame should have done all those years ago." Said councillor Koharu.

Many council members nodded in agreement, which consisted of Homura, Danzo, Tsume Inzuka, Mebuki Haruno, Hiashi Hyuga, and the majority of the civilian council. Ever since the Kyuubi attack 13 years ago, they have been looking for a reason to kill Naruto.

However, others which consisted of Shikaku Nara, Inochi Yamanaka, Chouza Akimichi, and Shibi Aburame sided with Jiraiya. For they knew of Naruto's parents and were dear friends of theirs. They have always tried their best to support Naruto, even after being threatened by Danzo and the elders to stay away from him.

But they weren't the only ones to back up Jiraiya, for some of the civilian council have come to regret all they have done to Naruto when he was young. And after learning that he defeated Gaara and stopped him from attacking the village, they have come to respect him and saw him not as the Kyuubi, but a fiercely loyal shinobi willing to do anything to protect those he cared about.

Everyone's thoughts were interrupted by Tsunade barging in through the doors. She was walking to her chair with an irritated look, for she knew what this meeting was all about. She sat herself down and sighed, knowing full well this meeting would not have a positive outcome.

"Tsunade, what are you going to do about what the demon brat has done?" asked an eager Danzo.

"First off, he is not a 'demon brat'. Secondly, he will not be punished. As soon as he recovers, I'm promoting him to chunin, like I should have when I promoted Shikamaru Nara." Tsunade replied. Despite being angry at most of the council, she answered in a calm tone. She wondered why she became the leader of these idiots since she first returned.

"That's outrageous! He needs to be put down!" said an enraged Haruno.

"You'll have to get through me first bitch!" yelled Chouza.

"You damn fool! If you kill the boy, the demon will be released and finish what it started those years ago. Only the container can be killed. And by doing so will not only mean our deaths, but you would also be spitting on the Yondiame's grave!" yelled a civilian council member which Tsunade was glad. At least some of the villagers saw the entire picture.

"Then I say we send him to the Blood Prison for life. He will suffer for his crimes and we can remain safe at the same time. I say an early death is too good for him!" Hiashi declared, with those against Naruto nodding in agreement.

"Well Hiashi, no matter what you, or any of your supporters say I'm still the Hokage. I decide what happens to my shinobi. Naruto and the rest of the retrieval team will be rewarded for their efforts, and Sasuke will have his chakra sealed and placed on house arrest." Tsunade said.

"You forget Tsunade, that when the Hokage is emotionally compromised about a matter, we vote and rule in favor of the majority." Stated a now confident Homura. She smiled, for she saw a golden opportunity.

"I agree. All those in favor of promoting Naruto, raise your hands." Said Danzo.

Tsunade, Jiraiya, Chouza Akimichi, Shikaku Nara, Inochi Yamanaka, Shibi Aburame, and some of the civilian counsel raised their hands in favor.

"And now, those opposed?" asked Danzo before raising his own hand. Hiashi Hyuga, Koharu, Homaru, Haruno, Tsume Inuzuka and the majority of the civilian counsel raised their hands backing up Danzo, which brought a small smile to his face.

"Then it is settled. Naruto shall not be promoted, and for almost killing the last Uchiha I declare he be imprisoned for the rest of his life. We can not kill him due to the risks and he knows too much to have him banished. Once he regains consciousness I will have a squad of Anbu shinobi escort him in here and have him informed." Said Danzo as he started walking out the room, but was met with a huge killer intent.

"You can't do this Danzo! I'm the Hokage! I decide what happens to him!" Tsunade screamed. She just wanted to go over there and break that crippled old bastard's neck, which she could easily do. She turned and saw smirks on the supporter's faces.

"You're all traitors! The Yondiame's sacrifice was in vain. How dare you punish his son and ignore his last request?!" yelled an enraged Jiraiya. He couldn't believe that they are doing this to his godson. If Minato were alive, he would be just as if not more furious.

"Unfortunately for you demon supporters, history will not see it that way. This is for the survival of the village." Said Haruno with a smirk.

"Now if you will excuse me, I must take my daughter back to the compound to have the 'Caged Bird Curse Seal' placed on her. Since she also poses a threat to the village by attacking a shinobi to defend 'it'." Said Hiashi with a hint of venom towards the two young teens.

'I'm so sorry Minato. I've failed you and Kushina. If I knew your son was alive, I would have taken him with me and spare him from all his suffering.' thought Tsunade with great regret.

'This can't be! This wasn't supposed to happen. We've got to do something before it is too late.' Inochi thought to himself in complete disbelief. Minato was his friend and teammate, and without him he and his family would be dead now.

(outside the council chambers)

Emerging from the from the entrance was a very angry Jiraiya shaking his head in great disappointment. In that moment, he lost all hope in Kohona and everyone in it. But now he had to do something to help Naruto. When suddenly, he was approached from behind by someone.

He turned around, and saw Kakashi.

"Hey Jiraiya, judging from the look on your face, the meeting did not go well. What happened?" he asked his sensei's mentor. "What's going to happen to Naruto?"

"I'm a little surprised you are not asking about your other student, Kakashi. But to answer your question, the majority of the counsel has voted to send Naruto to Hozuki Castle for the rest of his life while Sasuke is only getting slap on the wrist. Those bastards!" Jiraiya stated in disgust.

Upon hearing this, Kakashi's eyes widened. "The Blood Prison?! But he did nothing wrong! Sasuke should be punished for almost murdering his teammate."

"Well, it is true sadly. But anyway, why do you care?" Jiraiya asked with a slight glare.

"Jiraiya, I do regret not helping Naruto for the exams and I wish I never taught the Uchiha my signature move. I abandoned him which makes me worse than scum, but right now that's not important. We can't let them do this to him. We must help Naruto." Kakashi said in a serious tone.

"For the first time in a while Kakashi, we agree. I've given up hope for this place honestly. If it were up to me, I'd leave the village permanently and take him with me." Said Jiraiya as he stared up at the partly cloudy sky.

"Count me in. What's the plan? I'll get Naruto out of here to a safe place, even if I have to fight every other shinobi in this village." declared the one eyed Jounin.

"We're glad to hear you say that Kakashi, for we ourselves came to the same conclusion." Stated a voice behind the two. They turned around to see Tsunade with Inochi, Shikaku, Chouza and Shibi by her sides.

"And us." Coming from around the corner were Asuma, Kurenai and Gai.

"My father was a good and wise leader, but he was a fool to give the counsel too much power." Said Asuma they approached the group.

"YOSH! A comrade is in need of our help. I will see to it that the council does not extinguish his flames of youth!" Gai declared loudly, only to be bopped on the head courtesy of Kurenai.

"Idiot, do you want the whole village to know we are about to commit treason?" she said with a look that sent shivers down his spine.

"You guys, you don't have to do this. This is my responsibility." Said Kakashi a little sternly. He was not about to get his friends in trouble.

"You said so yourself Kakashi, those who disregard the rules are scum. But…" said Asuma, but stopped expecting Kakashi to finish his deceased teammates statement.

"Those who abandon their comrades are worse than scum." He admitted in defeat. He knew that they would not back down from this once they made up their mind.

"Anyway, disperse for now. We shall meet at the Hokage mansion at midnight tonight to discuss a plan of action. If you wish bring your students too. I have seen how they interact with the gaki and I'm sure they are eager to help in anyway they can. Also Kurenai, don't leave Hinata's side, for her father wishes to punish her with 'Caged Bird Curse Seal' for attacking Sakura." Tsunade said to which everyone nodded.

"Yes, Lady Tsunade!" they all said as they went off in different directions.

Meanwhile…

(Takigakure no Sato, Village Hidden by a Waterfall)

A shinobi village Northwest of Fire Country. While not as vast and luxurious as the five main hidden villages, it was rich in it's beauty and nature. A hidden paradise that maybe no one would want to leave if they found it. Well, except for a certain girl.

"Alright, today is the day we leave and start seeing the world Chomei." Said a young girl with light green hair, orange eyes, tan skin and wore a cloak over her two piece outfit.

"I hope you know what you are doing young larva." Said a voice in her head.

"Please, call me Fu. But hey, I'm sick of always being told what to do, where to go and what I can eat. I feel kind of like a prisoner in my own home. Don't you want to leave too?"

"More than you know lar- I mean Fu. But we are going by ourselves. Aren't you scared?"

"Yes, but I'm mostly excited. There's a whole world out there for us to roam in. I wanna meet new people, try some new foods, swim in the ocean, maybe learn some interesting and unique jutsus, maybe someday I'll meet a handsome man-" she was rambling on.

"I get it young one. But how are we getting out of here? This village may not have as many shinobi as like say Kumo or Iwa, but they aren't exactly pushovers. How do you plan to get out with them in your way? And let's say we do get out, they'll be hell bent on getting you back here. Afterall, we are their 'Ultimate Weapon'." Said Chomei both with frustration and concern. While most tailed beasts hate their containers, she and her became friends in little to no time at all.

"I have a plan. Just wait until I call for your help. Okay?"

"Alright. This better work."

"Trust me, as you always have." And with that, Fu jumped out of the main tree of the village and went to the Shibuki's house.

Inside the house the Shibuki sat and was going over a couple of minor issues of the village. He was the village leader and sort of a father figure to the young teen. While he cared for her very dearly, she was still a jinchuriki and needed to be kept in line. His thoughts were interrupted when she came in like she owned the place and walked up to him.

"Good afternoon." She waved with her eyes shut with a carefree smile.

"So it is. What can I do for you today Fu?" he asked with a smile.

"Have you seen Kegon and Yoro recently? I was hoping to learn a couple of things from them and spar with them today."

"They were on patrol but they should be here any minute to give me a report. Why don't you stick around?"

"Okay. But they better not take forever." She said eagerness obvious in her voice.

As she spoke that said people were walking in.

"Who better not take forever?" asked Yoro in an irritated tone with a raised eyebrow.

Fu turned around and scratched the back of her head sheepishly.

"My lord, it was all quiet with nothing out of the ordinary. Nothing to report." Stated Kogen as he approached his leader.

"Excellent work you two. Now then, Fu wishes to learn some more about fighting and have a spar with you."

"Very well sir. Here's hoping she'll listen to everything we have to say for a change." Said Yoro sending the young teen a small glare.

"I'll listen when your lectures aren't so boring!" stated Fu with closed eyes and a big grin.

*sigh* "Let's just get this over with. Good day Lord Shibuki."

"Good day you three and have fun." He stood up and bowed to them, the other three occupants did the same as a sign of respect. And with that his shinobi left. "That girl is too carefree for her own good." He said smiling and shaking his head. Little did he know this would be the last time he ever sees her.

(outside)

Fu, Kogen and Yoro were walking in the woods heading towards the training fields.

"So brat, what shall we teach you this time? And will you both to listen to them?" asked Kogen. But unbeknownst to him she was smiling behind him.

"Actually I wanted to show you guys a new thing Chomei showed me."

"What do y-" he never go to finish his sentence before Fu put her plan into action.

"Now!"

"Lets fly!"

And with that, Fu grew some wings out of her back and used them to get about 15 feet in the air. Then suddenly, the wings started flapping rapidly as she used a sleeping powder on her two comrades. Before they could move the powder immediately took affect and they fell to their sides into the grassy ground.

"Huh. That was easier than I thought it would be. Shall we get going Chomei?" she asked her partner.

"Indeed we shall. Lets go enjoy the world and hope we don't run into my siblings." Chomei said but then realized what she said.

"Siblings? I didn't know there were more than one of y'all." Fu said as she was flying up through the trees and eventually got out into the early evening sky and flew towards the setting sun.

"We shall save that discussion for another time larva."

End of chapter 1.

AN: Its nice to be back. Sorry it has taken a while, been busy with a lot of things. As always, I welcome criticism as well as support as long as it is appropriate. The shippings are as follows:

NarutoxHinata, GaaraxFu, ItachixYugito, NejixTenten, LeexYakumo, KohonamaruxHanabi, MoegixUdon, ShikamaruxTemari, InoxSai, ChojixKarui, KakashixShizune, SasukexSakura, AsumaxKurenai, IrukaxAnko, KibaxTamaki, ShinoxYugao, DaruixKurotsuchu. Still thinking of adding others later.

Till next time, take care.