Hi, this is a response to Perfect Lionheart's missing hokage challenge (see Lionheart's profile for full details). There are already some great versions of this challenge out there, but I hope I can add a little something to it. (BTW, if anyone is interested, I have a challenge of my own on my profile)

I of course do not own Naruto, like everyone else who publishes on this site.

And now, on with the story

The Godaime Hokage strolled down the halls, humming an off-key tune and grinning like a maniac. To anyone who didn't know her, they might think she was happy. Anyone who knew her, however, or saw the look in her eye, turned around and walked away at top speed at the sight of her. The Godaime was not happy.

After a nerve wracking mission in which the rookie nine, the gennin, and the future of the village had almost been wiped out, the traitor from their midst had been brought back. However, the one she most feared to lose, Naruto, had almost died at the hands of his former team-mate and supposed friend. And to top it all off, several doctors in the hospital were refusing to treat Naruto for the wounds received in retrieving Sasuke. No, the Godaime was far from happy, but she was about to spread her unhappiness around, and possibly feel just a little better.

The conference room contained a cross section of hospital staff, from doctors to nurses, all looked up in confusion mixed with a little fear as she strode through the door to the head of the table. "Thank you all for taking this time out of your rounds, I know things have been a bit busy lately."

At her calm tone and smile, many began to relax. Tsunade fought to keep a feral grin off her face. "I wanted to congratulate you all on your special dedication to the Hippocratic oath. I know it must have been tough putting aside any feelings of betrayal for the Uchiha boy, but you gave him the best of care." Expressions of relief and self congratulations passed around the room. "You are to be commended, as the quality of his care exceeded that of other, loyal Konoha shinobi. In fact I found that one such shinobi received almost no care as a result, one Uzumaki Naruto. You'll be glad know, I'm sure, that your Triage of Naruto did not result in his death, and that he is expected to make a full recovery."

Sudenly, every smile in the room took on a waxy cast, as the collected practitioners tried not to reveal their distaste for this last piece of news.

"Anyways, in honor of your actions, I wanted to present you with these." With this statement, Tsunade slung what appeared to be a golfer's caddy-bag off her back and onto the floor. Pulling one of the apparent sock clad clubs out of the bag, she presented it to the doctor standing closest to her.

"What is this, Tsunade-sama?" the doctor asked with a little trepidation.

"That my good man, is an amazing medical device known as a cane." Tsunade smiled at him.

"But why would I want a AAAAGH!" the screaming doctor fell to the floor after Tsunade spun the cane around and hit him in the shin, breaking his leg.

"It's to go with our new limp." Tsunade smiled down at him coldly. The remaining people in the room froze in shock. Or perhaps it was the Genjutsu cast by Yuuhi Kurenai that glued them to the spot. "Now I find that your compassion is lacking, so I will give you a taste of the pain that you allowed a ninja of this village to experience by not performing your jobs. Refusal to treat one of our shinobi in time of crisis or war can be considered an act of treason. If I find out you have done it again, it won't just be your careers that I terminate." With that, Tsunade coldly carried out her threat, breaking one of the legs of each of the treacherous doctors, leaving a cane beside each.

"I'll get some orderlies to come in and find you beds, and leave you doctors to, as they say, heal yourselves." Tsunade strode from the room, flanked by Kurenai and Shizune. At a nod from her longtime master, Shizune split off to arrange the "accommodations" for the hospitals new patients. Tsunade spoke to Kurenai over her shoulder, "I am sorry to have involved you in this mater, but it seemed the least cruel punishment I could come up with that didn't make a mockery of justice."

"It is quite alright, Hokage-sama. They got less than they deserved. I was with Hinata when they brought him in, and frankly I'm amazed he survived at all, let alone neglected as he has been."

Meanwhile, in another part of town, another meeting was taking place.

"Thank you all for coming at such short notice. I see we have quorum, and so I call this emergency meeting of the Konoha council to order. The issue at hand, as I am sure you are all aware, is what is to be done with two of our wayward young Gennin." Danzo grimly addressed the assembled council.

"I am sorry, I was only aware of the one Gennin: Uchiha Sasuke." Stated Shikaku Nara, his hunched form and steepled hands belying the courtesy of his words.

"That indeed is a serious matter, but there is also the matter of Uzumaki Naruto." Danzo's face remained impassive, despite the anticipation he felt. The battle ahead of him promised to be exhilarating. It was one of the few arenas he had left, and while it lacked the physical rush of ninja fights, the joy of cunning tactics lost nothing in translation.

Tsume Inuzuka growled, "What matter with Naruto? From what I heard, he successfully stopped the defection of the Uchiha. Succeeded, I might add, where the heirs to several of the great clans failed. If anything the boy is to be commended, but somehow I doubt that is what you're alluding to."

A screeching voice was heard, from one Hana Haruno "Congratulate that thing? For nearly killing the last Uchiha? If anything we should kill that de-"

"SILENCE! Even though we are all aware of the pertinent facts, that law will NOT be broken, on pain of death." Hiashi Hyuuga was unaccustomedly voluble, but the council was glad not to deal with enforcing the thirds law. That and even those who shared The Haruno's sentiment found her voice to be grating.

"Much though I wish I could commend Uzumaki on discharging his duty, some disturbing facts are present in his sensei's mission report. A massive discharge of demonic chakra was felt from the vicinity. It is believed that he released his seal, at least in part, in order to beat the Uchiha. Further, on reviewing the prior mission reports, I have found that this is not the first time this has happened." Danzo let this sink in for a moment.

"The report from his mission to wave states that while in battle against the missing nin Zabuza, he felt a surge of chakra similar to that of the Kyuubi coming from the vicinity of the battle between Zabuza's underling, Haku I think was the name, and Naruto and Sasuke. He then observed Haku fly through one of his barriers, followed by Naruto, who, and I quote, 'exhibited animalistic behavior and was surrounded by an aura of red chakra.'" Danzo's face seemed suitably grim. It wasn't easy schooling his features from grinning, but years of practice allowed it. "Then there was the Chunin exams, where it was reported that he called on the red chakra in the forest when faced with Orochimaru…"

Tsume Inuzuka was incensed. "In all of the instances you speak of, he has used this red chakra to defend his teammates against missing ninja! That is the act of a hero, not a 'problem'."

"If you would be so good as to let me finish, I was getting to that point. In the third round of the Chunin exams, He again used the red chakra against a fellow leaf ninja, one Neji Hyuuga. And last but not least, on his latest mission it seems he used it again while fighting another leaf nin, Sasuke Uchiha, who was listed in Critical Care until recently. The pattern seems to be that Uzumaki is losing control, becoming increasingly indiscriminant in using… his tenant's chakra on friend and foe alike, with increasingly damaging results. There are also rumors that a group of missing nin have been attacking places that house Biju or Jinchuuriki. I for one feel the Uzumaki has become to great a liability for the leaf. I call for banishment."

In the end, after much arguing, and despite the opposition of several clan heads, Danzo's argument carried the day. Naruto Uzumaki was banished. He was not as pleased with the disposition of the Uchiha's sentence.

"In light of the potential benefits of keeping the Uchiha, he will not be executed. He will however have his ninja license revoked until such time as he has been proven mentally fit. For running away from the Leaf, he will also serve at least the minimum sentence of six months in confinement. As has been suggested by representative of The Haruno clan, he will also be married off to several women to both ensure the continuance of the Uchiha Clan, and hopefully to create ties to keep him in the leaf. This harem, in accordance with the clan repopulation act, will include but is not limited to Sakura Haruno, Ino Yamanaka, and Hinata Hyuuga. Root, however, will not be re-formed to aid in the rehabilitation of Sasuke." Stated elder Homura, with a mild smirk for Danzo, who was scowling.

'if not the last Uchiha, then maybe I can secure one of his offspring for ROOT' thought Danzo, and subsided.

"Now that those items of business have been dealt with, are there any other motions?"

Sasuke lay in the darkness. Chakra draining seals, immobility seals, padded leather restraints, and a steady drip of something into a I.V. line kept him from moving so much as a muscle, but his mind still raced freely. Too bad it was mostly stuck in a cycle of thought and not really going anywhere. Those thoughts mostly centered on anger and envy toward his blond erstwhile teammate, and on the need to get stronger to kill his brother.

At the sound of footsteps approaching his door, he experienced a smug minute of belief that he was going to be freed, which was immediately frustrated when the Hokage and her brown haired lackey came in. The sour look on her face once again buoyed his hopes.

"Congratulations, Uchiha. I got some good news for you. The council in its infinite… wisdom have decided that this is somehow a case of 'boys will be boys' and that you are not to be punished. In fact, we are going to do everything in our power to help you accomplish one of your lifelong goals." Tsunade watched in revulsion as a self-satisfied smirk managed to fight through the paralyzing agent and onto the traitor's face. Only the prospect of wiping that smirk right off again allowed her to school her features.

"That's right, you lucky bastard, the council has ordered me… to help you restore your clan." Tsunade wished she could have a video recording of the smirk morphing into a look of shock and abject horror. "Not personally, of course, as I am thankfully too old to bear your accursed spawn, However, I can help with a few medical marvels, like in-vitro fertilization, to ensure the continuation of the Uchiha line without you ever having to go through the trouble of getting it up."

All of the muscles in his face were clenched in rage, but he still could not move. He settled for glaring at this insolent woman who dared insult him.

Tsunade just gazed back in aloof amusement as her assistant handed her gloves, which she snapped for emphasis, and then a large bore needle. Turning to her 'patient' she said, "you might feel a pinching sensation followed by some stinging in your testicular region."

As an unimaginable pain struck him, Sasuke screamed for all he was worth, but all that came out was a muted moan. Finally, mercifully, he blacked out from the pain.

"I have called you ladies here today at the command of the Council. As you are probably aware, the last Uchiha was returned to us. The council decided that we came too close to losing this bloodline, and so wants to take steps to keep it. That is where you come in. It has been decided that the clan restoration act be put into effect, requiring that Sasuke be married to at least three wives to maximize the potential for offspring. You three were selected for this. Further, it has been recommended that in vitro implantation be conducted to speed the process along. You will have about a week to decide. Any questions?"

Sakura was elated. Not only was her Sasuke-kun back in the village, but she was to be married to him. This was the best day of her life. Inner Sakura was doing a full cheerleading routine. "No Hokage-sama. I am fine with all of this." She said as she smiled.

Ino was a little more conflicted than her longtime rival for Sasuke's affections. While she had long harbored dreams of being married to Sasuke, nothing about this situation seemed to match up with her dreams. A week ago she would have jumped at the chance, even of sharing him in marriage, but things had changed. He had, by reports, assaulted both of his teammates, and indirectly led to both of hers being put in the hospital. To top it all off, he had left them, all of them, to join one of the worst traitors to the leaf. And there was nothing to say that he wouldn't just leave again. "May we see him? I would like to talk to him if I may."

Hinata was crushed. Not only was she being married to someone besides her Naruto-kun, but to the very person who had put him in the hospital. She came as close as a person of her temperament could to hating the Uchiha. But it did not sound like she had much of a choice in the mater. "If this is your order, Hokage-sama, then I will carry out my duty." She said with a resigned air, fighting with all her being to keep back her tears.

Bowing low, Hinata bravely asked "Is that all, Hokage-sama, or may I leave? I would like to be at the hospital when they wake up." She gave what she hoped was an acceptable excuse.

The Hokage nodded her acquiescence. "Of course, Hinata, I understand your thoughts are elsewhere. We will meet again in five days or so to finalize the plans. You may go."

After the door had closed Sakura burst out "Geez! Ino, can you believe her? She gets betrothed to the greatest guy in Konoha, but she acts like she is being asked to commit seppuku."

"Well she does have the worlds biggest crush on Naruto, so I'm kinda not surprised. I feel kind of sorry for her, actually" Ino replied in a more thoughtful tone

"Oh come on! This is Sasuke we're talking about, he's a much better catch than that idiot." Sakura interjected with confident bluster.

"Have a heart, Sakura. It must hurt to have your lifelong dreams dashed like that. I know I'd be crushed if I was forced to marry someone besides the one I was in love with."

"Lucky for us that's not a problem." Sakura said enthusiastically.

"Yeah, lucky us." Ino said, but didn't sound too convinced

'hmm, so the Hyuga girl prefers Naruto, eh?' thought Tsunade. "Ok, girls, lets meet again in five days. You can tell me then your decisions about the implantation."

Hinata managed to get out of the Hokage tower and around the next corner before the first tear pushed its way out. She picked up her pace to a quick trot, but a few blocks down a sniffle and then a sob broke free. She began to run toward the hospital, hoping the lesser evil of being seen running would cover the greater one of being seen crying. Slowing to compose herself at the door to the hospital, she walked as serenely as she could manage through the lobby and past the check-in nurse, before picking up her pace again down the hall. Finally, sliding open the door to Naruto's room, she fell to her knees at the foot of his bed, and let go of her grief in great, wracking sobs.

"Oh Naruto!" She wailed. "Its just not fair! Why can't it be you I marry instead of that bastard." And she continued to soak the sheets over his feet in her tears.

She wasn't aware of another presence in the room until she felt a comforting hand on her shoulders. She stiffened at first in surprise, and then relaxed into the soothing motions. Tsunade hummed and shushed her until she calmed down.

"You love Naruto, don't you?" Tsunade asked gently. Hinata nodded, unable to bring herself to talk. "Well, I think I might be able to help you out. Tell me, would you be willing to leave the village if it meant you could be with Naruto, and not have to marry Sasuke?"

"Yes." Hinata said quietly, knowing that her father would be ashamed at this admission.

"I understand from your sensei that you are interested in medicines, as well. How would you like to become my apprentice?" said Tsunade with a slight smirk.

"Th-that would… I would be honored Hokage-sama." Hinata bowed her head, overwhelmed that she was being offered such kindness.

"Very well, but call me Shishou or Tsunade, Hokage will always be Sarutobi to me. Now, I am going to have to take a journey pretty soon with the gaki here, and I will be expecting you to accompany us. For now, get a bag packed for a journey of indeterminant length. Be sure to pack any memento's you can't part with in sealing scrolls. I will be by later to explain things to your father, but for now just tell him you have been assigned a mission by your Hokage if he gives you any trouble."

"Thank you Tsunade-sama." On impulse the girl gave her new teacher a hug before turning and walking from the room, wiping the tears from her eyes.

Tsunade smiled at the girl, but her smile faded as she contemplated the blond haired boy before her. 'How am I going to tell you that the village you gave everything for doesn't want you anymore. And do I want to be a part of a village that would do such a thing.'

That's it for chapter 1

I think I have a good bead on where to go for chapter 2 so I hope it comes out sometime this month. I have got a few other story ideas to deal with as well, though. Sorry!