A/N: This is the first story I have published, though I've written a few others. It's a one-shot, but I might add a sequal if there is a positive response, or inspiration hits me.
Naruto Snaps.
Uzumaki Naruto was currently on top of the world. After 16 long years of loneliness and scorn, he had finally found love. He couldn't help but smile as he thought back on the night's events...
FLASHBACK - Earlier that night, Ichiraku Ramen.
Naruto sighed wearily as he finished his 5th bowl of ramen. 'It seems even ramen isn't good enough to pull me out this time.' he thought to himself as he paid for his meal and got up to leave.
Unfortunately he was too caught up in his own thoughts to notice the raven haired chuunin that happened to be walking passed the stand as he came through the curtain.
Hinata 'eeped', as she literally ran into her long time crush. She would have fallen down had it not been for Naruto's quick reflexes, which let him catch the shy heiress before either realised what happened.
"N-Naruto-kun?" she managed to stutter out, blushing furiously as she realised she was being held to his firm chest by his strong arms. 'He's holding me!' was all she could really think at the moment.
"Hinata-chan?" he said, whilst frantically thinking, 'Oh my god she feels so good pressed against me like this, I could stay here for hours.'
'Why isn't he putting me down?' Hinata thought to herself, 'Not that I mind, in fact, I'm pretty sure this is as close as I'm going to get to heaven till I die. It's probably best if I don't question it and enjoy it while it lasts.' she thought happily, unconsciously snuggling her head deeper into his chest.
Naruto blushed at the intimate action. 'Why is she doing that? Sakura would have beaten me to a pulp by now, but Hinata looks like she's enjoying this. Could...could she...like...me?' his eyes widened at the thought, as he reflected on all his previous contact with Hinata, helping him in the chuunin exams, the way she always blushed when she got near him, the way she always seemed to faint when he got too close or intimate with her.
'Oh god I'm such a fool.' he said out loud, unintentionally.
His sudden statement pulled Hinata out of her state of quiet bliss and she reluctantly pulled away so that she could look into his face.
Naruto's heart almost stopped when he looked into her eyes for the first time. "T-they're so beautiful." he muttered, again out loud accidently, causing both Hinata and himself to blush even darker shades of cherry red.
'HE SAID I'M BEAUTIFUL!' Hinata screamed in her head.
'Ne. Hinata-chan, would you like to come get some dinner with me tonight?... Like on a date.' he asked quietly, whilst rubbing the back of his head nervously.
Hinata's eyes widened bigger than Naruto thought physically possible and she immediately cried out, "YES!" loudly before realising what she did and burying her head in his chest in embarrassment.
Naruto chuckled at her shy antics, 'She is so cute when she gets all shy like that.' he thought happily. He pulled away from her and tilted her chin towards his face when he noticed she was looking down at the ground. "So I'll come get you at 6, ok Hina-chan?"
She blushed again at his nickname for her. "Ok Naru-kun." she said quickly before summoning up all her courage and giving him a quick kiss on the cheek before blushing furiously and fleeing the area, leaving behind a shocked but, for the first time in a long time, genuinely happy Naruto.
FLASHBACK END.
From the moment Naruto picked Hinata up from the Hyuuga compound, he had been scarcely able to keep himself from staring at his gorgeous date. Her outfit was jaw dropping, a silky, lavender sleeveless dress with a pure white wrap over her shoulders and chest for added modesty. It suited Hinata to a tee, unrivalled beauty and elegance, shrouded in purity and shyness. Simply put it was perfect.
They went to dinner at Hinata's favourite restaurant, a quiet little place overlooking a small lake. Naruto made sure to be on his best behaviour, and even let Hinata order for him when the time came, saying that, "He trusted her with his life and knew that he would love anything that came from her." Of course she blushed furiously at the comment, but managed to keep her composure and order for them.
The meal passed comfortably, with light conversation and a few comfortable silences as they enjoyed each other's presence, Hinata with the man she loves and Naruto with the first woman to ever show him romantic affection.
The end of the meal came too quickly for anyone's liking, so Naruto suggested they take a moonlit walk in the park to extend their night, to which, Hinata happily agreed.
Not long after found them sitting under a tree in the park, with Hinata in Naruto's lap, his arms wrapped around her body and his coat over her shoulders keeping her warm. Naruto could hardly believe that a moment could be this perfect, but couldn't help but feel a question tugging at his subconscious, and so he decided to ask it, even at the risk of ruining this perfect moment.
Naruto took a deep breath and turned Hinata's body so she could look into his eyes, "Hina-hime, I've been wondering about something, and though I have the possibility that it might ruin the happiest night of my life, I know that I have to ask, so please don't be mad at me."
Hinata pressed a finger to his lips silencing him, "Naru-kun, for years I have admired and respected you and by being with me tonight, you have made me so happy that there is absolutely nothing in this world that you could do or say to make me mad at you. I...I love you." she said tenderly.
Naruto's eyes widened considerably and he immediately pulled her into a tight embrace, desperate to make sure that this was real and not another dream from a lonely and depressed teenage outcast.
"Thank you hime, thank you so much. You have no idea how much it means to me for you to be the first to say that to me. I'm so sorry that I didn't notice earlier. If I could have jus-" again he was cut off by Hinata's finger on his lips.
"Hush Naru-kun, it doesn't matter, all that matters is that we are together now. I love you." she said proudly, her confidence now at an all time high at having her affections returned by the man she has admired and loved since she was young.
"I love you too, my hime." he said softly as he brought his lips to hers in a chaste, yet passionate kiss, conveying the powerful emotions of the two young lovers.
….
They had remained sitting under that tree for another hour before Hinata reluctantly announced that she had to go home before her father got mad at her for being late. Naruto agreed and offered to walk her home but she declined, insisting that it wasn't necessary. Naruto would have argued but he didn't want to risk putting a mark on their perfect evening by offending her or her abilities as a kunoichi. With one final goodnight kiss and a promise to meet the following day, they parted ways for the night.
And so we find Naruto, an hour after his date ended, still wandering aimlessly through the village, unable to sleep after the life altering events of the day.
'I can't believe I never noticed. God I'm such an idiot. Oh well, like Hina-hime said, it doesn't matter now that we're together. And I'm never letting anything take us apart.' he thought to himself before he was brought out of his thoughts by a frantic Neji, who all but pounced on the blonde gennin.
"Woah, Neji what's wrong? I haven't seen you this distraught since that time Tenten managed to cut some of your hair during a spar." Naruto joked.
"Where is Hinata-sama?" he demanded angrily.
Naruto's smile dropped instantly, "What are you talking about, our date ended over an hour ago, isn't she at the compound?" Naruto replied, starting to get a horrible feeling in his stomach.
"She never came home, we figured she was still with you." Neji answered.
"Shit! Have you tried searching for her with the Byakugan?"
Neji shook his head and activated his bloodline. "I didn't think there was any need, I figured she was with you and any gennin could sense your chak-... Oh god no." he said softly as he turned his head to look in a certain direction.
Naruto's blood ran cold, "What? What is it?" he cried, grabbing onto Neji's shirt.
"Its Hin-" was all he could get out before Naruto disappeared faster than Neji had ever seen anyone move, and he was on a team with Gai and Lee.
Naruto's mind was going a mile a minute, but his body was going even faster and he soon came across a huge crowd of people all huddled around a single spot, jeering and shouting abuse at whatever had sparked their collective fury.
Naruto's heart stopped when he heard one of them cry, "That's what you get for being that demon's whore!"
'Oh please god no.' he thought as he frantically pushed his way through the crowd, only to drop to his knees when he reached his goal. There in the middle of the crowd, laying motionless and bleeding heavily, her beautiful dress tattered and all but gone, was his love.
"Hina-chan?" he called weakly as he crawled over to her.
"Hime?" he questioned as he reached her side and brought his hand to her battered face.
"Hime please answer me." he called out desperately as he pulled into a tight embrace, tears now flowing freely onto her limp form.
"Naru-kun?" came a soft call from her torn and bleeding lips.
"Hime!" he sputtered out as he looked into her beautiful eyes disbelievingly.
"I'm sorry, Naru-kun." she forced out softly.
"Shh, you'll be just fine hime, don't worry, I'm gonna get you to baa-chan, she'll fix you up in no time." he promised as he wiped the tears and blood from her face.
"It's ok Naru-kun, I got to have my day with you, I'm ready to go."
"Hime no! Don't talk like that! Baa-chan is gonna fix you jus-"
"Naru-kun please, don't. It's ok, I'm ready. Goodbye my love." she said softly before closing her eyes and laying her head on his arm limply.
"Hime?" he called softly.
"Hinata?" he cried more desperately.
"Come on hime, you can't leave me, not when I just found you! Please hime, wake up. Please you have to, I need you. I-I love you. Hinata don-"
"She's gone Naruto." Neji's pained voice interrupted as he laid a comforting hand on the weeping man's shoulder, only to have it shrugged off violently.
"DONT YOU SAY THAT! SHE'S JUST RESTING, SHE CANT LEAVE ME!" Naruto cried angrily, still clutching Hinata's broken form.
"Serves her right for being with a filthy demon like you!" yelled a voice from the crowd, drawing a loud cheer of agreement and approval.
Naruto's sobbing stopped instantly, replaced by a low growl. "Who did this?" he demanded quietly.
"We did, you demon scum." said one of the men at the front, indicating to the rest of the crowd as his accomplices.
"Why?" Naruto asked, his voice becoming lower and harsher as his whisker marks, teeth and nails grew darker and more feral.
"She had been corrupted by your evil and had to be disposed of. Filthy demon whore deserved that and more, she was lucky we were so merciful." replied another man proudly.
The Kyuubi's demonic chakra erupted violently as three tails instantly formed behind him.
Many of the crowd quickly went from laughing and cheering happily to quaking in fear as the Kyuubi's dark aura returned after a 16 year absence.
"Naruto I understand how you feel but you have to get control." Neji pleaded as he was forced to step away from the dangerous shroud that now covered his comrade and fallen cousin.
Both he and the crowd could only watch on, terrified as three more tails formed and the pressure from Kyuubi's chakra caused many of the civilians to fall to their knees.
"Naruto please, don't do this, Hinata wouldn't want to see you like this!" Neji cried desperately as the seventh and eighth tails formed, warping and changing Naruto's form into that of a miniature Kyuubi.
The chakra pressure was now so great that it was suffocating, causing several of the villagers in the crowd to collapse.
Naruto let out an earth quaking roar as the final tail formed and the Kyuubi's power was completely unleashed. The sheer power and emotion from the cry set off a shock wave that shattered all the glass within a mile of the distraught blonde, turned demon.
'Fuck I have to stop him or there is going to be a massacre.' Neji thought as the demonised Naruto gently and lovingly placed Hinata's lifeless form on the ground and stood up.
Before he could even move a dark voice called out to him. "Don't even think about it Hyuuga. The boy demands vengeance and I'm going to give it to him, and anyone who stands in our way will join the fallen."
Neji nodded solemnly and leapt to a nearby rooftop, "Very well. I couldn't stop you even if I wanted to." he said simply.
The crowd could now only watch in horror as the beast before them lowered itself into a crouch, preparing to pounce onto its terrified prey.
"For sixteen long years, this child was the only thing holding my wrath back from you vile creatures, and yet despite this, you chose to torment, torture and abuse him daily." Kyuubi's horrifying voice sneered.
"I always wondered what would be the thing that would finally break him and set me free, but even I didn't think you mortals would do something as grotesque and reprehensible as this. That child that you slew was the purest and most innocent being I have seen in my thousand years in this world, yet you treated her worse than even the vilest scum deserves. For that and so much more, you will all be spending this night and the rest of eternity in hell. Prepare to die vermin."
Faster than anyone could follow Kyuubi pounced at the trembling villagers. What followed was quite simply a horrific slaughter. Kyuubi slashed, ripped and burned its way through the crowd, leaving behind a scattered trail of limbs and bodies that fell in the seemingly endless shower of blood. Not one of them died quickly, Kyuubi ensured that each and every person there was wounded mortally and suffering horribly, but none of them were allowed the release of death.
Only after the entire crowd was down did the demon stop its rampage. It slowly and deliberately made its way back through the carnage to where Hinata's body lay. The Kyuubi knelt down beside the girl and lowered its head in grief.
"I'm truly sorry that I cannot bring her back Naruto. But I can at least do her this one small service." it then laid its hand on her stomach and surrounded her body in his chakra. When the light from the chakra faded her body and clothes were completely restored to how they were at the beginning of the night, all traces of the brutal attack completely removed and her delicate beauty restored.
"Hyuuga!" the demon called out suddenly.
Neji leapt down to the scene, unable to take his eyes off his cousin's peaceful looking form.
"I'm going to relinquish control back to Naruto. When that happens he will be weakened for a while since he is not used to this much of my power. I need you to protect him while he recovers, there will likely be people coming who wish to do him harm for what has happened here. Can I trust you with this Hyuuga?" Kyuubi asked solemnly.
Neji stepped forward and nodded his head. "Hinata-sama was my dear cousin and I owe what relationship I had with her to Naruto, you have my word that I will do everything in my power to keep him safe until he is strong enough to protect himself again."
Kyuubi nodded its head in acknowledgement, "Thank you Hyuuga. I am truly sorry for the loss of your cousin, she was too good for this world." it said mournfully looking back at Hinata.
"Yes she was. Thank you for repairing her body. This is how she deserves to be remembered."
Kyuubi only nodded as it let its power recede back into the seal, relinquishing control back to its host.
As soon as Kyuubi's power subsided Naruto started to collapse but was caught by Neji.
"Don't worry Naruto, I've got you." he said calmly as the blonde's blue eyes struggled to stay open.
"It's my fault, Neji. She's gone because of me." he cried weakly as he began to weep uncontrollably, clutching the older man's shirt for support.
"That's simply not true Naruto. She is dead because of the ignorance and hatred of those monsters over there. The only thing you did was give Hinata a day of perfect happiness before she was taken away." Neji stated firmly.
"But I should have been there, I should have been here to protect her!" Naruto declared angrily.
"Naruto you couldn't have known what was going to happen so stop blaming yourself for things that are out of your control."
Suddenly the area was covered in ninja as Tsunade arrived along with several anbu squads and the entire 'Konoha 12' and their sensei's, excluding Sasuke of course.
Their arrival was announced with waves of gasps and saddened cries as they took in the scene.
"What happened here?" Tsunade demanded as she stepped towards Neji and the still hysterical Naruto.
"Hinata-sama and Naruto went on a date tonight. We were expecting her home at the compound but she never showed so I came out to look for her. I ran into Naruto and explained what had happened and he told me he hadn't seen her for over an hour so I used the Byakugan to search for her. I found her here surrounded by a crowd of villagers, but by the time we could get to her she was on her last breaths. After she died in Naruto's arms he asked who did this and several members of the crowd proudly said that they did it. When he asked why they said it was because and I quote, 'she was corrupted by the demon and needed to be disposed of'. After hearing this Naruto lost control and released all nine tails of the Kyuubi's power, as I'm sure you all felt. Kyuubi said that the mob deserved to be punished so he slaughtered them all. He then repaired Hinata's wounds and clothes and gave control back to Naruto willingly. After that you arrived."
By the time the explanation was finished Tsunade and many others were trembling in anger and grief.
"Call the medics, some of these villagers are still alive!" called out one of the council members.
"Do no such thing! Let those bastards die for what they did." the Hokage commanded, her voice full of venom and hatred.
"You can't be serious Hokage-sama, they are members of our village!" the shocked councilor yelled.
"I'm dead serious. Those sick fucks gave up all rights to human treatment when they became monsters and killed an innocent." Tsunade spat scornfully.
"How can you say that when we all know that the true monster is standing right over there! Look at what that demon did to these people, and for what? Some pathetic slut-" his voice was cut off as Naruto slammed him to the ground with his hands wrapped tightly around the councilor's throat, shocking many as only a few of the elite's had seen the boy move.
"DONT YOU DARE TALK ABOUT HINATA LIKE THAT!" the blonde roared as he tightened his grip.
"Naruto! Release him right now!" Tsunade commanded powerfully.
"NO! NOONE CAN SPEAK ABOUT MY HIME LIKE THAT AND GET AWAY WITH IT!"
"Anbu! Restrain him!" Tsunade called desperately. Immediately half a dozen anbu members grabbed the enraged gennin and managed to wrestle him off the gasping councilor and onto the ground, where one of the anbu hit a pressure point and rendered him unconscious.
"That demon tried to kill me! I demand his head!" the irate councilor cried.
"SHUT YOUR FUCKING MOUTH!" Tsunade roared.
"You're damn lucky I didn't let him kill you after what you just said. And frankly I don't think there are many people here who wouldn't happily do the job for him right now." she said, indicating to the crowd of Hinata's friends and family that were also being restrained from killing the man.
Another member of the council stepped forward and put a calming hand on the man's shoulder. "Nonetheless, Uzumaki Naruto should be taken into custody to await his punishment." the new councilor stated calmly.
Tsunade sighed and nodded. "Agreed. Anbu, take Naruto to one of the holding cells and place our strongest chakra seals and restraints on him." she ordered reluctantly.
Neji stepped forward and blocked their path. "Wait, hokage-sama you can't do this, you know as well as I that what happened was perfectly justified, and besides Kyuubi killed them, not Naruto."
Tsunade sighed and rubbed her temples wearily, "I know Neji, but the fact remains that Naruto is responsible for the deaths of almost fifty villagers, regardless of his motivation or my personal feelings, he broke the law and must stand be punished."
Neji sighed and stepped away, knowing what she said was true and that there was no way for him to stop it. And so the anbu left with the unconscious blonde.
"Now, Neji, I want you to take Hinata to the hospital. Teams 7, 8, 9 and 10 will escort him to make sure nothing happens. Everyone else, I want a perimeter set up and this mess cleaned up within the hour." the Hokage ordered, then left in the direction of the anbu holding cells to check on her surrogate son.
...
Naruto found himself in the familiar tunnels of his mindscape. Wearily he trudged along the halls till he came to Kyuubi's chamber.
"What do you want fox, I'm really not in the mood for your shit right now." Naruto spat irritably as he glared angrily at the demon lord.
"I know kit, and usually I wouldn't bother you at a time like this. I'm sorry for what happened to the Hyuuga, she was far too good for such a fate and I assure you if there was anything I could have done I would have." Kyuubi said regretfully, hanging its head in a show of grief.
Naruto wanted to be angry at the fox, some part of him blamed it for Hinata's death, but at the moment he was still to grief stricken to feel anything but depression.
He sighed wearily as he ungracefully fell onto his ass. "Seriously fox what is this about, I doubt you brought me here just to give your condolences."
Kyuubi sighed and rested his head on his paws. "You're right, I didn't. I brought you here to tell you of some ...complications that have arisen due to you using all of my power back there."
Naruto's glare intensified, "What the fuck do you mean 'complications'?" he demanded.
"Well your human body was never meant to have access to my levels of power, as such certain changes are taking place that will facilitate the use of such power in the future."
Naruto narrowed his eyes in suspicion, "What kind of changes? IF I GROW A FUCKING TAIL, SO HELP ME I WILL-"
"No it won't be anything like that, your body is just going to absorb about a tail's worth of my chakra permanently, to help you get used to it. The only physical changes will probably be the teeth and claws and maybe slitted pupils. Everything else will look the same."
Naruto sighed again, "Will there be any other changes?'
"I can't be sure until it happens, but at the very least you should get improved senses like the Inuzuka boy. Aside from that and general strength and speed increases I'm not sure."
Naruto was silent for a while, obviously thinking over what had happened. Eventually he spoke up, "Anything else Kyuubi? I'd like to get going if you're done."
"Well with your permission, I'd like to set up a communication link between us, so I can talk to you without you having to come here." it asked nervously.
Naruto eyed him suspiciously again, remembering what happened with Gaara and Shukaku , after a moment he shrugged, "Do what you want, they're probably going to kill us for what we did back there anyway and I don't know if I even want to live after what happened." Kyuubi nodded understandably and Naruto's form began to fade from the mindscape.
"I truly am sorry kit, but I can't let that happen just yet." the demon said after the blonde was gone.
…
Naruto awoke from his meeting with the Kyuubi to find himself on the hard, cement floor of an anbu holding cell. Looking around he quickly noticed that there were seals carved into the walls. He also appeared to have several similar seals located on various parts of his body as well as some unique looking restraints on his wrists and ankles.
"They went a bit nuts with the chakra restraints didn't they?" he asked no one.
'Pfft, like any of this could restrain MY power!' Kyuubi's voice boasted directly into his thoughts.
"Kyuubi? I guess that link thingy worked huh?" Naruto asked.
'Seems that way, though you don't have to talk out loud, just think it and I'll hear it, that way people won't call you crazy.'
Naruto scoffed at the comment, 'Like they haven't been calling me worse my entire life.'
Kyuubi laughed, 'True, though I don't see why you think being called a demon is a bad thing, a puny human like you should take that as a compliment.'
Naruto chuckled lightly, 'Maybe you've got a point. You're a damn sight better than a lot of 'humans' I could name.'
Kyuubi laughed again, 'Well kit once you've absorbed enough of my power I might consider making you into a full demon like me. That reminds me, have a look and see if your new attributes have come through yet.'
Naruto examined himself as best he could with his current restraints and environment. 'Well I've definitely got the claws and fangs, though I'm not sure about the eyes since there isn't a mirror in here. I suspect I'll hear about that the next time I come into contact with someone though.'
'What about power? Do you feel any stronger?' the fox enquired.
Naruto flexed and tested his restraints but didn't really feel any significant improvements. 'I feel about the same, though with all these chakra suppressors on and around me I guess that means that I'm nowhere near my full strength. If I had to guess I'd say I'm likely three or four times what I was before, judging by the strength of these seals.'
'Sounds about right to me, I figured that when combined with your previous level, one of my tails should have put you at around kage level, which matches up with your estimate.'
Naruto was going to reply but was cut off by the sound of footsteps approaching his cell. 'I guess you were right about the senses too, I can smell Baa-chan's perfume from here.'
The door to the cell opened and two anbu members stepped in then stood to either side of the door as Tsunade made her entrance, worry and sadness written plainly across her face.
"Naruto I'm so sorry for what happened and I promise I'm trying everything within my power to get you out of here. But..." she trailed off.
"But the council is refusing to lose their best chance at getting rid of the demon brat once and for all?" Naruto finished darkly, causing the hokage to sigh and nod slightly.
"I'm afraid that there really isn't anything I can do, if I try to fight it they'll just vote to remove me and appoint a hokage who will listen to them."
Naruto nodded, "Don't worry about it, it's not worth you having to suffer as well. Just let it happen, I'm tired of this suffering, life isn't worth living without my hime." he said wearily.
Tsunade's eyes widened and she grabbed him by the shoulders, "Naruto you can't think like that! I know how you feel, believe me I do. But you can't give up, you have to keep going!" she shouted passionately.
"And why cant I? You did, and I've been suffering a shit load longer than you had been! So why the fuck cant I just let it go and finally have my peace!" he yelled back, unintentionally breaking free from his restraints as he waved his hands around.
Instantly the anbu guards were holding him against the wall with kunai pressed to his throat.
Tsunade stared at him blankly for a few moments before snapping out of her daze, "STAND DOWN, NARUTO IS NOT A THREAT!" she ordered as she pulled them away from him.
"But hokage-sama, he escaped his restraints and is being imprisoned on multiple counts of-"
He was cut off by Tsunade's angry voice, "I DONT GIVE A FUCK WHAT HE'S IN FOR, I SAID HE'S NOT A THREAT SO STAND THE FUCK DOWN!"
Immediately the guards stepped back and stored their weapons, not wanting to risk the wrath of the Hokage.
Once they were out of the way Tsunade turned back to Naruto. "How did you break out of those? They were designed to hold even the strongest of prisoners."
Naruto chuckled mirthlessly, "Well then, apparently I'm stronger than the strongest, aren't I?"
The Hokage narrowed her eyes at his avoidance of the question. "Seriously Naruto, how did you get out of those restraints? With the combination of those and the seals on the cell itself, you should be too weak to move."
Naruto sighed, "Look I don't want to get into it, ok? What does it matter anyway, I'll be dead by the end of the week."
"No! I won't let that happen I prom-"
"Don't finish that! We both know that there is nothing that you can do about this, so don't go making promises you can't keep, there have been far too many of those recently.' he said sadly, thinking of his promise to Hinata.
This was too much for the Hokage as she latched onto the younger blonde and began sobbing heavily into his muscular chest, mumbling incomprehensible apologies through her tears.
Naruto wrapped his arms around her, ignoring the threatening glares from the anbu at the door, and began rubbing her back soothingly.
When she finally regained her composure her hazel eyes, puffy and red from her crying, looked into his sapphire orbs and her breathing hitched. "Naruto, what happened to your eyes? The pupils are different they look like..." her voice trailed off when she realised what the change likely meant.
"You merged with the Kyuubi?" she gasped worriedly.
Naruto shook his head gently, "No. I merely absorbed some of its chakra to counter balance the damage that was caused by me using all nine tails." he said solemnly.
The Hokage fell silent for a moment, considering what he said and starring deeply into his eyes.
Suddenly she perked up, as if the answer to all her problems had dropped into her lap. "Can you call on all nine tails safely now, as in still in control?" she asked eagerly.
Naruto furrowed his brow in confusion, trying to figure out what she was plotting. "I'm pretty sure I can, what does that matter though?"
She smirked victoriously, "Don't you get it Naruto, with that kind of power you could waltz right through the center of town and no one would be able to stop you, even if the entire ninja army were to face you, they probably wouldn't be able to win."
Naruto sighed, "I see. So you want me to escape? Live my life on the run, constantly being stalked by anbu and bounty hunters?" he asked in a depressed voice.
Tsunade furrowed her brow at his reaction to her plan, "OF COURSE I DONT WANT THAT! But, under the circumstances, we don't really have any other options."
Naruto sighed deeply. "I can't do that Tsunade." he said sadly.
She flinched when he used her name not her nickname. "Why not?" she asked weakly, still clutching onto him desperately.
He looked away from her, seemingly unable to meet her gaze. "I-I killed more than 50 people tonight, Tsunade. Even if they deserved what they got and more, that doesn't change the fact that I killed them all, even the civilians who posed no threat to me at all. Tonight I became what they always said I was, I became a monster. A demon. A murderer."
"No! You didn't kill them, the Kyuubi did! You had no contr-"
"YOU'RE WRONG!" he yelled, cutting her off, "I may not have been the one who did it. But I gave Kyuubi control. I demanded that it get revenge for what they did to my hime. It...it's my fault that they are dead. And I don't want any more blood on my hands. I will accept my fate and take what I deserve." he said firmly.
Tsunade clung tighter to him and began to sob again, "Please don't. I-I can't lose you. You're all that I have left. And besides, do you really think that Hinata would want you to just accept this? Do you know the main reason that Hinata told me one time when I asked her why she loved you?" Naruto shook his head limply, "It was because you never gave up, even through all of your abuse and isolation, you always kept going. That was what she admired about you most and it was what first caused her to fall in love with you."
Naruto closed his eyes as tears began to fall, "I-"
But he was cut off when the door was flung open, revealing Danzo and the council elders.
"What is the meaning of this hokage-sama?" Homura asked suspiciously.
Tsunade regained her composure instantly and turned to face the new comers. "What are you doing here?" she asked, ignoring the question completely.
Danzo narrowed his eyes, "We came to inform you that you are late for the meeting we had scheduled to give the final verdict on...Naruto here." he said with a sneer.
Tsunade began to quake with rage, but was placated by a comforting hand on her shoulder from the blonde behind her.
"Go Hokage-sama, I have many things I need to think about anyway." Naruto said calmly.
Tsunade closed her eyes and gathered her will, "Very well lets go." she said to the elders before turning back to Naruto and giving him a quick embrace, "I WILL see you later Naruto." she said firmly.
Naruto nodded and bowed low, in respect. "Until then, Hokage-sama." Tsunade nodded before leaving with the others.
...
Hours later Naruto was pulled from his contemplative state by the hokage once again entering his cell.
"What is the verdict, Baa-chan?" he asked, causing her to smile briefly at the nickname before she reverted to angry and saddened.
"I'm sorry Naruto but it is now official. At noon today you are to be executed for the murder of those civilians...' she then paused and looked away.
Naruto narrowed his eyes; this had been what they both expected so something else must be bothering her. "What is it?" he asked solemnly.
"Th-they have also convicted you of the rape and murder of Hinata Hyuuga. I'm so sorry Naruto, I did all I could but I couldn't get them to remove the charge, I'm sorry."
"I see." Naruto said quietly, shocking Tsunade who had been expecting an outburst of some kind.
"I see? Aren't you upse-"
"OF COURSE I'M UPSET!" he roared, startling her and causing the anbu guards to leap into the cell.
"GET OUT OF HERE!" Tsunade commanded them, having given them explicit orders not to enter without her permission.
"Forgive us hokage-sama, but we thought that you might be in danger when the d-"
She grabbed the anbu by the throat and slammed him into the wall. "I am not the one in danger here." she growled angrily, "Now get the fuck out before I bust you all for insubordination." she then released him and they all scurried out the door in a panic.
Turning her attention back to Naruto, she found him sitting on the ground with his knees tucked to his chest and his head resting on them.
"Naruto I-"
"Please don't baa-chan. It doesn't really matter; the ones truly responsible have already been punished. Now if you don't mind I still have a few things that I need to think about, so if you'll excuse me."
Tsunade wanted to say something but was unable to think of anything.
"Well, I'm sure that you have business to attend to, so I shall see you when the time comes." he said without lifting his head.
She sighed and left quietly, still unable to think of anything to say to the downcast container.
...
Finally the time arrived and two full teams of anbu arrived to escort Naruto to his execution, though not before practically covering him with chakra containment seals and even stronger restraints.
Soon they arrived at the town center, where a stage had been set up complete with the gallows where Naruto was to be hanged.
Without delay the noose was tied around his neck and Homura began his speech, since Tsunade refused to have any part in the execution.
"The one that stands before you has been tried and convicted of the murder of over fifty civilians, as well as the rape and murder of leaf chuunin and Hyuuga heiress, Hinata Hyuuga."
At hearing the last charges the crowd broke into a frenzied outcry, none louder or more outraged than those of the Konoha 12 and their sensei's, who knew the claims to be false.
Tsunade herself was barely containing her anger and had it not been for Shizune and Jaraiya lending her their support, she may have failed to.
"THAT'S ENOUGH!" Naruto yelled, silencing everyone immediately. "Regardless of what happens now, the fact of the matter remains that the one's truly responsible, were punished. Besides all of you know perfectly well what happened last night, so it doesn't matter what is written in the official record." he said calmly, though loudly enough for the crowd to hear, causing them to cry out again, though this time without the voices of Naruto and Hinata's friends and family.
Homura raised a hand, silencing the crowd and spoke again, "Naruto Uzumaki, for your crimes your have been sentenced to death this day, do you have any final words?"
Naruto shook his head and the elder continued, "Very well, in that case, may god have mercy on your soul." and with that he gave the signal and the floor underneath Naruto fell away, and Naruto along with it. Tsunade couldn't watch and turned away, sobbing powerfully into Jaraiya's shoulder when she heard the telltale snap of the rope.
Immediately a gasp went out from the crowd and Jaraiya motioned for his teammate to turn around.
Confused, she turned to see a very much alive Naruto, sitting on the ground underneath the gallows.
"What the hell happened?" she asked in disbelief.
"When he fell he was enveloped in chakra and it burned through the rope." Neji stated calmly.
"But how is that possible, his chakra is supposed to have been sealed?" Kiba asked.
Jaraiya snorted indignantly, "If the Shinigami himself can't contain the Kyuubi's power, what makes you think some b grade chakra suppressors can."
"So now what happens?" Chouji asked.
"They'll try another method I assume, though if that was what I think it was, the result isn't going to be any different." Jaraiya replied with a smirk on his face.
Tsunade was about to ask what he meant when Homura spoke up again.
"Seeing how you have managed to survive the first attempt, you leave us no choice but to resort to more drastic measures. Anbu, bring the prisoner back up here and remove his head." the crowd let out another gasp and many of the 12 became worried, though Jaraiya maintained his smirk.
The anbu hauled Naruto back to the stage and forced him to kneel. The captain then drew his sword and, without delay, brought it down to sever the boy's head. However, just before the impact there was another flash of light. Once the people recovered, they gasped again as standing next to a now smiling and very alive Naruto, was the anbu captain, though the sword he was holding was now broken from just above where it would have hit the condemned blonde.
"What the hell!" the elders screamed when they saw what had happened.
"Anbu, add more seals to the prisoner, obviously it still has enough chakra to protect itself." Danzo ordered.
"I wouldn't bother if I were you." Jaraiya said cheerfully.
"And why is that?" one of the elders asked.
"Because as I said before, if the Shinigami himself can't contain the Kyuubi's power, then there is no way that any of your seals can. So you would just be wasting our time and your energy."
Danzo narrowed his eyes at the white haired sannin, "Well, seeing as you are Konoha's seal master, why don't you give it a try?"
Jaraiya the fool was instantly replaced with Jaraiya the feared warrior, "Firstly, because I don't answer to you traitorous bastards, only the Hokage and since I have heard no request from her I will make no such attempt. Secondly, even if I was to try, even my most powerful seals would have little to no affect on Kyuubi's chakra. So why don't you go fuck yourself with that cane of yours, you decrepit old piece of shit."
"Fine then, you leave us with no choice. Kakashi Hatake, step forward." Homura ordered.
A thoroughly confused Kakashi, made his way through the crowd and onto the stage. "What do you want with me?" he asked.
"You are hereby ordered to execute this prisoner using your Raikiri." all of the ninjas present were shocked by this, especially the copycat himself.
"I am sorry 'honourable' elder, but as master Jaraiya said, I answer only to the hokage and have received no such order from her." and with that he began to walk away.
He stopped however when a dark laughter was heard coming from behind him, turning around he found it coming from Naruto.
The blonde rose to his feet as his laughter continued.
"Naruto, what's happening to you?" Kakashi asked worriedly.
Naruto's laughter died down but he was still left with a sinister smirk. "Me? Well I've just been having a little discussion with my tenant and we've come to a conclusion." he then paused, smirking at the looks of fear coming from the crowd and council.
"You see after thinking about it long and hard, I've come to the conclusion that my hime wouldn't want me to be wallowing in grief and commit suicide by letting these ungrateful shitheads have me executed. Therefore I have decided that you cannot kill me, though with my new ultimate defense that works like Gaara's sand, I doubt that any of you would be able to anyway. In fact, I'm curious to see if your Raikiri can pierce it, like the Chidori did Gaara's." he said striking a thoughtful pose.
"Do you mean you want me to use the Raikiri on you?" Kakashi asked.
"Sure why not? Even if it does get through, which I seriously doubt, Kyuubi will have me healed up before I hit the ground." Naruto replied confidently.
"But how, your healing was never that good, and since when did you have an ultimate defense?" Kakashi asked, shock and suspicion clearly evident in his tone.
"It happened after I used all nine of Kyuubi's tails. Turns out the human body cannot withstand that much power, so my body literally got ripped apart from the inside. In order to heal the damage and give me access to its full power in the future, Kyuubi permanently merged a tail's worth of chakra into my body. This in turn, increased my speed and strength as well as upping my healing and senses and giving me the automatic defense. Though, we didn't know about that one till after the rope trick."
Everyone except Tsunade, who already knew this, gasped in shock and disbelief.
One of the civilian council members who was present, (and too stupid to be afraid), smirked. "So then, you finally admit that you are a demon." he taunted.
Naruto turned to the man and raised an eyebrow, "First of all, fuck nugget, I said that the Kyuubi gave me some of its power, not made me a demon. Second if I was a demon, don't you think it would be kinda stupid to run your mouth at me like that." Naruto replied, striking a lecturing pose.
The man paled and shrunk back into the crowd. Naruto smirked and spoke again. "Come to think of it why haven't I attacked anyone in this village? I mean it's not like I've exactly been treated like a prince here, and yet before yesterday I had never raised a finger against anyone from this shit hole. Why is that exactly? Can anyone tell me, because frankly I'm drawing a blank here?"
The crowd was shocked by his words and flippant attitude and many of them, especially those that hurt him in the past, began to get scarred.
Sakura stepped forward"Naruto please don't talk like that, it's not you." she said pleadingly.
Naruto narrowed his eyes at her and fought back a growl, "Not me? NOT ME? WHAT THE FUCK WOULD YOU KNOW ABOUT WHATS ME AND WHATS NOT? ALL YOU'VE EVER DONE SINCE THE DAY WE MET, IS REBUKE AND BEAT ME FOR ANY STUPID REASON. THE ONLY TIME YOU ACTED HALF DECENT TOWARDS ME IS AFTER YOUR LITTLE EMO FUCKWAD TURNED TRAITOR AND YOU TRIED TO CON ME INTO BRINGING HIM BACK SINCE YOU'RE TOO PATHETIC TO DO IT YOURSELF!"
"Naruto that's enough!" Kakashi yelled as Sakura burst into tears and ran back into the crowd.
Naruto scoffed. "Well what do ya know? The famous copycat ninja does know my name. Tell me Hatake, did you even think about teaching me and Sakura during your time as squad leader, or was it always just going to be you and Sas-gay beating each other off whilst stealing other people's hard earned techniques?"
Danzo stepped forward confidently. "This has gone long enough, stand down now or else." he threatened.
Naruto turned to him with a surprised look on his face. "Or else what hop-a-long? I've already been sentenced to death, what the fuck else can you do to me?"
Danzo leaned forward and spoke in a low voice so only they could hear. "You're not the only one who can be punished." his voice was dark and threatening.
Before anyone could blink Naruto vanished only to reappear, with his clawed hand lodged in Danzo's chest. He quickly pulled his hand out and left Danzo's body to fall limply to the ground. He then spoke up, loud enough for the terrified crowd to hear.
"This man just threatened those who I still hold precious. Know this people of Konoha; I am now in complete control of ALL of Kyuubi's power. That means that should I choose to do so, I can and will, destroy this entire village in the blink of an eye, and there is nothing that anyone could do to stop me." Naruto then paused and let off enough killer intent to make even the present Sannin sweat.
"Having said that, I have decided not to do so, so long as everyone that I care for remains safe and well treated. Should I hear or even suspect that anything has happened to deliberately harm or discomfort them, my mercy shall dissolve immediately." when he finished he stopped the killer intent and many people in the crowd passed out from fear and exhaustion.
Jaraiya sighed and stepped forward. "What are you going to do now Naruto? It's obvious that your sentence cannot be carried out, but I doubt you'll want to stay here regardless."
Naruto sighed and closed his eyes, "You're right sensei, whilst Konoha has always been where I lived and most of my precious people live here, I can't take this shit anymore. I'm going to leave this afternoon. I'm not sure where I'll go but I'll be sure to send word to Baa-chan once I find somewhere to settle so she can contact me should I be needed. From there I don't know, I guess I'll decide as I go."
The crowd then parted as Naruto stepped off the stage and towards his friends.
"Look guys, I want you to know that I still care for you and should ever need me for anything don't be afraid to ask. With my new power I can cross fire country in an hour if I need to so don't worry about the hassle."
The Konoha 12, now minus Sasuke, Hinata and Sakura (who had run off earlier) all nodded and gave sad smiles.
Shikamaru spoke up first, "Well it's troublesome, but I think you're doing the right thing. Just make sure you keep in contact ok?"
Naruto chuckled and nodded, "Sure Shika, I'll write when I can."
The rest of his peers each said goodbye in their own ways until finally he got through them all and was left with Jaraiya, Shizune and Tsunade.
He gave Shizune a hug and whispered "Goodbye for now Nee-chan, I'll send word soon. Try and keep these two from getting into too much trouble, if you can." she giggled and gave him a kiss on the cheek.
"I'll do what I can, but no promises. You just look after yourself and visit every now and then, Ottotou."
He then walked to Jaraiya and gave him a brief hug. "See you later Ero-sannin. Try to keep out of trouble since you won't have me to save your old perverted ass anymore." Jaraiya chuckled and nodded.
"Stay safe brat, just because you're strong, doesn't mean you're invincible."
Naruto nodded and moved to Tsunade, pulling her into a tight embrace. "Be sure to look after everyone for me. And try not to work too hard, make sure Shizune lets you take a rest when you need it. Take case, and I'll write you soon...Kaa-san."
Tsunade began to weep into his shoulder as he held her close and rubbed her back. Soon she had calmed down and pulled back to look into his eyes.
"Take care of yourself Naruto and make sure you visit us at least every month, no excuses." she said sternly in her hokage voice. Naruto smiled and nodded as he turned to head for the gate.
"And Naruto," Tsunade called out, causing him to turn around and look at her, "Try to find happiness; Hinata would want to see you happy again."
Naruto smiled and nodded, turning once more to leave and he disappeared, as a single tear hit the ground. "Goodbye Konoha."
The End.
A/N: Thanks for reading. Please review.
Mr Chunk