The Avenger and the Fox

Chapter 2

Sasuke awoke to find himself in a hospital bed. He tried to sit up but a pain shot through him. For a second he thought someone must have pierced him through the ribs. He laid himself back down panting heavily.

"You know teme, you should really let yourself heal before trying to get up." Naruto spoke softly. Sasuke turned his head to find his former blond teammate lazily leaning back on one of the chairs reserved for guests.

"How long have I been out?" Sasuke asked ignoring Naruto.

"Hmm... 'bout a week." Naruto said with a little bit of sarcasm. "I would have healed in half the time, maybe sooner."

"Doesn't make you any less of a dead last though." Sasuke added his own bit of sarcasm. "How is Sakura taking my return?"

"Well she was plenty heartbroken that you left, and almost as pissed. She can be scarier than baa-chan I'll have you know. It's obvious you care for her, you shouldn't have left in the first place."

Sasuke looked confused. "Baa-chan?" He asked, obviously ignoring the last part of Naruto's statement.

"I mean Tsunade, you know she is the Hokage."

"Leave it to you to call one of the most respected ninjas a old hag." Sasuke smirked.

Naruto laughed. "I don't get totally away with it though, Tsunade might let it slide but Sakura just hates it that I call her sensei that. This one time it took me a whole week to heal." Naruto shuddered remembering that day. It was etched clearly in his mind. Must have been that time of the month. Naruto mused.

"Sakura was trained by Tsunade? The irony." Naruto gave Sasuke a puzzled look. "We were all trained by one of the Sannin.

"I guess it is ironic. I never looked at it that way."

"Naruto, how long until I'm tried for my crimes?" Sasuke said solemnly turning away from the blond Jinchuuriki.

"What? Oh, don't worry I took care of that." Naruto stated nonchalantly.

Sasuke turned back towards Naruto, meeting his gaze. "What do you mean? You can't have enough power to overrule the council. What I did was pretty much treason."

"Um... depends how you look at it." Naruto joked. "I just made them see a the situation from a... different perspective."

"How so?" Sasuke's curiosity getting the better of the dark-haired teenager.

"Well..." Naruto trailed trying to remember that day as clearly as possible.

--Flashback--

A white cloaked figure stood in the middle of a circular room. His ANBU mask stored away in one of the many hidden compartments of the cloak. He stood in the center of the room, the light spot-lighted on him as to keep him from seeing the council members in full detail. The best one could hope for was to see their silhouettes.

Naruto stood looking forward his back to the door. He stared at the silhouette in front of him, who he new was the Godaime, Tsunade. She was just about the only one on the council, save a few others, that saw him for who he was, not what was inside of him.

"All I ask is that he be given a second chance. His reasons were just, although his methods were flawed." Naruto spoke in a serious voice that few heard come from his mouth. A voice he had gained from working in ANBU for so many years.

"But what he has done is treasonous. He must be punished." Koharu Utatane, one of the elders, spoke. "You cannot let your personal feelings cloud your better judgment."

"I rather my feelings cloud my judgment than be a cold and cruel person." Naruto spoke not putting much effort to hide his anger towards the elder.

"You will respect me, demon." Koharu spat.

"I respect those that earn it and in my opinion, I need not respect you. Also, I may be a fox demon as you say, but that is so much better than a raggedy old bi-"

"NARUTO!" Tsunade cut in before Naruto could finish. "We will have order here. Both of you, enough. Is that understood." The Hokage directed her question to both of them.

Both Naruto and Koharu grunted. Tsunade would have to make due with that. She let out a sigh.

"Naruto, do you have any arguments to back up your position. You have to understand that we have our hands tied. What he did was pretty rash." Inoichi Yamanaka said softly from somewhere behind Naruto.

"Of course Inoichi-san. As you know Sasuke's whole defection and strive for power was to beat his older brother, Uchiha Itachi. Well, as we know his whole clan was slaughtered by Itachi. What do you think that would do to the state of mind of a eight year old? Not only did he find that the brother he aspired to be killed his entire clan, Itachi forced him to view the entire series of murders through the use of his newly acquired Tsukiyomi jutsu. Fast forward to when he meets Itachi again. Sasuke has spent his whole life training himself for the day he meets and defeats his brother. Sasuke confronts him only to find that he is easily beaten by him. Again he is attacked with the Mangekyou Sharingan. By now, it is my belief that his mental state was no better than what Gaara's was. He was so fixated on this mission to avenge his clan that he was blind to what his actions were. Gaara who later went to become the Kazekage killed numerous people in could blood but it was forgiven due to the fragile state of his mind due to the psychological damage he suffered as a child growing up. Suna is now our strongest ally. If his crimes can be forgiven why can Sasuke's not. All I ask that he be given a chance to come to grips with his actions. I know he knows what he did was wrong and I believe he would not have returned here otherwise. He regrets his decision and has put his faith in our hands. All that I ask is that he be given a second chance." Naruto finished, the passion that he put into his argument left most in the room speechless. The silence stretched for what seemed like an eternity. No one dared talk.

Homura Mitokado, another elder, broke the silence. "While your argument was compelling I do not think those are valid excuses for his actions. As for Gaara... we are the Village hidden in the Leaf, we are not the Sand. We cannot base are actions on the actions of another village. While the situations have some parallels I cannot consider them close enough to use the same solutions. I still believe that he must be punished. Uchiha Sasuke went willingly to the enemy. That, in and of itself is an act of treason."

"We do not know for certain how willingly he went. For all we know Orochimaru's curse seal may have influenced him." Naruto pleaded with the council. He saw his argument going all down hill.

I guess I have no choice. I really don't want to take things this drastically. Baa-chan, don't be too mad with me .

Danzo who had stayed quiet for most of the proceeding finally spoke. "He must be shown an example of. The last Uchiha or not. He will be publicly executed for his crimes. If the future of his clan must die with him, then so be it."

Naruto looked down at the ground in front of him. He steadied himself for what he was about to do. If this did not work it would blow up in his face big time. Tsunade looked at her favorite genin, the one that was like a son to her and could not take the look of sadness she saw.

"Naruto..." She tried to comfort but was interrupted by said blond.

"You will not execute him." Naruto looked over in the direction that Danzo sat.

Koharu was the one to answer instead. "What did you say?"

"I don't think I stuttered. You will not execute him." Naruto spoke as if saying a cold hard fact rather than a request.

"I'm afraid you have no say in our final decision." Koharu replied.

"You don't seem to understand. I will not let you kill him. I will stop you." Naruto replied letting the anger leak from him. He did not feel like being civil any longer.

If it's a demon they want, that's what they'll get.

"You dare defy us?" Homaru nearly screamed at the young ANBU captain.

"Yes." Naruto simply said looking in the direction the voice came from. He let some of the kyuubi's chakra leak from him, not enough to seem like a threat but enough to make a point. "I will stop any attempts on his life, and flee with him if need be."

"You can't be serious Naruto, you would become a missing-nin if you did that. You would have hunters after you nonstop."

"Sorry baa-chan but yes I would do that. But you guys are forgetting something, something very important. Do I have to remind you that I am the captain of the hunter-nin squads that would be sent after me. I'm your best hunter. Do you think anyone else could catch me. You guys are going to have one hell of a time trying to catch me, not to mention Sasuke." Naruto spoke grinning slightly but keeping his serious demeanor.

"How dare you blackmail us!" Danzo screamed.

"It's not blackmail. I'm just stating what will happen if you do what you are thinking of doing. Also, I know that most of the village will be happy that I'm gone but my question to you is how many of my friends are willing to come with me. I wonder." Naruto tilted his head back and a little to the side feigning thought. "Could you even imagine if the rookie nine came with me, if Gai's team did also? Wow, you guys would be in one bad situation. Konoha would go from head of the five great nations to nothing more than a second rate village." The wave of hatred that emanated from the elders was almost a physical thing that could be grasped.

"Fine! He will not be punished." Homaru spoke. His anger more than evident in his voice. As if of one mind the elders stood and made their way out of the room but not without a few more hate filled glares aimed at him.

If looks could kill, I'd be dead more times than I could count. Naruto cracked a smile as they left the room. The only ones left in the meeting room was the Godaime herself looking utterly furious and thankful at the same time, and the heads of the clans. Naruto felt at ease the moment the elders left. He knew this entire meeting had been to just convince them. The heads of the clan families would more than agree with what he said. But even they could not argue with the elders. Only the Hokage could stay on equal footing with the authority of the elders.

"You know kid, you put yourself in one hell of a troublesome position. One hell of a risk but one hell of a payoff." Nara Shikaku stood from his spot on the council and waved goodbye to everyone and left. The shadow master flipped the switch for the lights on his way out illuminating the once gloomy room with much needed and wanted light.

Inoichi and Akimichi Choza stood next and left together without saying much but a smile was clearly seen on their faces. Aburame Shibi stood making his way to the door. He turned back looking at Naruto though his sunglasses obscured his eyes.

"Well played." The Aburame said, walking out. Naruto noted that he was much like his son Shino, as enigmatic and silent. Though as he left Naruto almost thought he saw him smile, almost. Must of been a trick of the light. I'll be damned when I see anyone from that family smile. Naruto thought to himself, bringing one of his trademark smiles to his own face. Hyuuga Hiashi and Inuzuka Tsume left soon after, both keeping plenty apart from each other. It was a known fact that there was some strife between their clans. Especially ever since the pairing up of two individuals from each clan.

Naruto and Tsunade were left alone. Neither moved from their places. Tsunade looked at the blond that she considered her son.

"You idiot! What the hell did you think you were doing? You know how many ways that could have slapped you back in the face? Do you know how many ways this will come back and haunt you?" Tsunade vented some of her anger. She was very close to jumping over table she sat at and beat some sense into Naruto.

Naruto looked back at her thinking of the right words to say but didn't find them.

"But it didn't." Naruto said with one of his famous grin plastered on his face. That was one mistake that he will remember for the days to come.

"Do you think this is a joke?!?" Tsunade yelled as she jumped over the table she sat at, already pulling her arm back reading herself to pummel her favorite blond to the ground. All Naruto could do was look at her coming towards him. Naruto sent up silent prayers and thanks for his good luck that Konoha had the top two best medical specialists in all of the five great nations. But he also cursed his luck that one of the two was the one about to put him in a coma for the rest of the day. Naruto had time for one last thought before Tsunade's fist rained down on him delivering him from the waking world.

Well Sasuke, looks like we're sharing a room at the hospital for a couple of days, won't Sakura be happy. I really hope that she's on call today.

Tsunade arm swung down. Naruto greeted the darkness.

--End Flashback--

"Yeah, so I had to stay here for a couple of days. But I did it. I convinced the council to lay off on the punishments."

"You idiot! What the hell did you do that for? They could have just as easily punished you for that." Sasuke tried to get up again only to fall back down from the pain in his ribs.

"I don't care. I lost my best friend once. I'm not losing him again, and this time it would have been for good. Sorry Sasuke but remember what Kakashi told us?"

"Yes, 'Those who break the rules are scum, but those that leave their friends behind are lower than scum.' Yeah I remember."

"Well Sasuke, I couldn't very well abandon my friend, could I?" Naruto said softly.

"Dumbass..." Sasuke whispered before looking away. He looked out the window of his hospital room. Beyond it was the village of Konoha. It looked as peaceful as always. "Dobe..."

"Well I got to get going, duties and all, I'm suppose to be guarding the gate."

"You left the gate unguarded?" Sasuke asked still not turning his head back.

"I left a shadow clone, so no biggie. I just hope that no one notices, if not you might have me as a roommate for a couple more days. Later." Naruto brought his hands before him in a seal, he disappeared in a flash of golden light.

Showoff... Sasuke thought to himself. Some things never change. Damn I'm tired. Might as well rest now, I have a feeling that I'm going to need it. Sasuke closed his eyes, welcoming the peacefulness of sleep. Slowly he let the darkness wrap him. One last thought crossed his mind before the darkness fully swallowed him.

I'm finally home.