Summary: Naruto successfully returned to Konoha with Sasuke. Upon his return, he is banished for "attacking a defenseless Sasuke in hopes of removing the Uchiha Clan, once and for all." Naruto, heart broken to leave the place and people that he loves, seeks understanding from this and ventures off into the forest of Konoha. One year later, the Chunin Exams are being hosted by Konoha once more.

Disclaimer: I do not own the Naruto universe. If I did, I wouldn't need to write fan fiction for it.

Chapter 1

One Year Ago

Naruto had successfully returned to Konoha with Sasuke. True, they were both knocked out and Naruto's clothes had been hanging by a thread, but they were both home. Tsunade quickly checked the young boy and, finding nothing really wrong with him, gave him a room at the hospital till he woke up.

During that time, Tsunade was surprised to see that she was not the only one keeping a silent vigil over the boy she considered like her younger brother, if not her own son. Every time she went to check on the boy, no matter how late or early, a young lady sat at his bedside, holding his hand in her own.

Tsunade wanted to tell Hinata to return home several times, but the look of pain in the girl's eyes made her refrain. Instead, she had posted Anko outside the door to the kid's room with explicit instructions that he be left alone by everyone not her or Hinata and that she be notified immediately should he awaken.

It took three days. Three days of wondering if he would ever open his eyes again.

On the fourth day, she had finally finished with checking on the remaining members of the Sasuke Retrieval Team. They would all live. She had just begun researching if there was a way to wake someone up from a coma without serious risk when a nurse knocked on her office at the hospital. Tsunade looked up to see Shizune's smiling face. "Naruto is awake."

Tsunade quickly rushed to the boy's room. Anko gave her a nod before smiling and walking back the way the Hokage had come from. Opening the door, she saw that Naruto and Hinata were smiling and laughing with each other, but Hinata still held his hand in her own and looked like she would never let go.

"I see your awake, gaki." She said with a smile.

"It will take more then that to stop me from getting my dreams, baa-chan." Naruto replied with a smile. That smile quickly faded away. "Sasuke?"

Tsunade smiled at him. "Awake and really pissed off at being stopped. He's being held for observation. You will be happy to know that the remainder of your team, Neji, Choji, Shikamaru and even Kiba will all be fine. Lee as well."

Naruto smiled largely before reaching over and hugging Hinata lightly. It looked as if the two of them had come to some sort of relationship since she blushed heavily but didn't look uncomfortable. "That is really good to hear."

There was a knock at the door. "Tsunade-sama?" Shizune's voice asked. "The council is requesting both yourself and Naruto's presence"

"Probably want to find out what happened." Tsunade told him with a sigh. First thing she would do next was to dissolve the council, at least the civilian half of it anyways. "Get dressed, Naruto."

What followed was the worse four hours of Tsunade's life.

It began on their way out of the hospital. They had to walk by Sasuke's room in order to get out of the hospital and, as they did, a pink haired flash came at them before slapping Naruto hard. "YOU!" Sakura screamed at him. "Look what you did! You put Sasuke-kun in the hospital!"

Naruto was rubbing his cheek. "Hey, I told you I would bring him back."

"Yes, but you failed to mention that you would try to kill him!" The banshee countered. "You put a Rasengan right into his chest!"

"And he put a Chidori in mine!"

"Whatever, get away from me, demon!" She spat before opening the door and slamming it in Naruto's face.

The pair remained silent as they left the hospital. Naruto because he didn't know what to say and Tsunade because she didn't want to bring up what had just happened. Instead, they just walked to the Hokage Tower and the Council Chambers.

Even as she and Naruto walked in together, she could tell this was not going to end well. The civilian's were shouting for his head the second they saw the "demon-brat." "Enough!" She shouted. "Explain why I, the HOKAGE, was SUMMONED by this council."

She wasn't surprised when it was Danzo who answered for her. "We are here to consider the counts of treason and attempted murder of Naruto Uzumaki." He said quietly.

Tsunade was so shocked that she remained silent. "What?" Naruto asked quietly.

"The demon has no right to speak in these chambers!" Saki Haruno shouted.

"Haruno, shut up." Shikaku Nara told her. "He can ask questions as much as you can. Especially since I see this as nothing more then a farce." The other shinobi clan heads nodded their agreement, but with Danzo speaking for the Uchiha clan and with the civilians all on his side, they were outnumbered.

"I didn't try to murder anyone. I was fighting Sasuke to get him to come home." Naruto pleeded to the council.

"Likely excuse, demon. How, if I might ask, was fighting him supposed to get him to come home?" Naruto remained silent at that. He didn't want to make things worse then they already are.

"Naruto, you are guilty of attempting to murder Sasuke Uchiha. Such an act is considered genocide since he is the last member of his clan. As such, you are deemed a traitor to the leaf. I call for a vote to decide the boy's fate." Danzo said with a sneer.

The vote had been quick. Naruto's punishment was to be banished from Konoha.

"Honorable Hokage, I ask that ANBU escort this…thing, to the country's borders right away."

Tsunade gave the council member a death glare before returning her gaze to Naruto. "Naruto Uzumaki. It is with great regret that I denounce your status as a member of Konoha. Tomorrow, you will be escorted by members of our village to the border and, should you ever return, you will be killed on sight." She said with tears falling freely. "I am so so sorry." She said softly.

Naruto's knees gave way as the council roared in rage. "TOMORROW! He is banished, that means right away!"

"He has just woken from a three day coma. As such, as his doctor, I can not let him leave until I complete my observations. Naruto, come with me." She said as she swept from the room, leading the young genin to the doors. The ninja council looked at each other and, as one, followed their Hokage out.

Yes, Danzo told himself. By banishing you, I will make you mine, Naruto. I will turn you into the perfect weapon.

Tsunade led the, now , former genin to her office before bursting into tears and hugging him tightly. "I never wanted this, Naruto. You don't deserve this."

Naruto nodded. "I know. I guess this means I will never find my dreams." He said softly.

"You might never be Hokage, but I know a vast number of ninja who are going to be upset to see you leave." Jiraiya's voice came from the open window. "Besides, since you have nothing to lose now, I say we finally tell him." He told Tsunade.

She nodded her approval. "I think your right. Naruto, I think we should tell you about your parents." She told him as they gave him his birthright. The large scroll of his father's jutsu.

The next day

There were few at the gate to wish Naruto goodbye. Amazingly, the entire Rookie Nine, minus Team 7, and Team Gai were there to see him off. The wounded members refused to stay in bed when their friend was leaving. Shikamaru leaned heavily on Shino, trying to support his weight as best as he could. Choji, looking much thinner now then any time before, was supported by Ino. Neji was banged up but he stood between his teammates with Lee crying freely to see their friend leave like this. Kiba wasn't crying or smiling but he didn't want to see Naruto banished. Hinata…

She was crying her eyes out. Tsunade couldn't blame her. The girl had a giant crush on the boy and finally got her wish to start something with him but, before that relationship could ever even start, it had been crushed by the foolish council.

Naruto tried to smile weakly but, at seeing neither his team or his sensei, the fake smile vanished. Iruka was there, looking crushed, but Kakashi was not. Hell, even the other sensei were there and all of them showed remorse for the young boy.

"Iruka-sensei." Naruto said softly. "I have to give this back to you. I'm sorry I couldn't hold up my end of the deal." He told him.

Iruka tried to smile but it hurt too much to even try. "Keep it, Naruto. You will always be a Leaf Shinobi in my head. You are, truly, a great ninja. I am proud to call you my student."

He hugged everyone goodbye, Hinata twice, before turning to Tsunade. "Say the word, gaki, and I'll be coming with you." She told him.

He shook his head. "I can't do that. This village needs you. I need you here where you can do the most good." He told her before hugging her. "Keep them safe. Especially Hinata. I'm afraid where this is going."

He broke the hug before looking down. Slowly, he removed the cursed necklace from around his head. "Here, I can't take this with me." He told her as he handed it back to it's original owner.

Tsunade shook her head. "It's your's now, Naruto. I can not take it back from you." She stood straight at that before nodding to the ANBU at the gate. "These nice men will escort you out, Naruto." She said in her official voice.

The laugh that came from Naruto surprised everyone. "Why? I'm not actually here." He said with another laugh before turning into a puff of smoke.

Tsunade, and everyone else, couldn't help but start to laugh. Naruto, the worst ninja of his graduating class, had just pulled one over on the council by making sure he couldn't be assassinated at the border. As the laughter faded, however, their despair at losing perhaps the greatest potential since Minato Namikaze was too great for all those assembled.

Present Day

Tsunade slammed her fist into the desk once more. It had been one year since she had lost all hope in her job. One year since she lost the last member of her family. Rummaging through her desk drawers, she pulled out a full bottle of sake and starts to find comfort as her mind returns to that awful week.

That had been more then a year ago now. Since then, everything had gone to hell. The first thing that happened was the cut off in trade from the Land of Wind. Shortly after, they received word from Suna that their alliance with Konoha was now void. Especially since the brand new Kazekage was personal friends with the now banished Naruto.

Gaara delivered the news personally by walking into the council chambers and releasing his killer intent on all who were assembled. The only one still standing after the mental attack was Tsunade and the ninja council since it had been aimed away from them.

The Land of Waves soon followed suit. Their excuse being that if they treated the hero of their nation like that, they would treat the nation with equal disdain. Having lost two of their major trade partners, the Fire Daimyo wanted answers. Tsunade gave them without fear since she was not the one who was responsible.

After finding out everything, including that Naruto was the jinchuriki of the Nine Tailed Fox and that his old friends, Minato and Kushina, were the boys parents, he lost it. He immediately cut the village's funding and told them they were lucky he didn't start giving his missions to Suna.

All of this, however, was minor in comparison to Sasuke Uchiha.

The boy had grown so arrogant that he took his seat on the council next to Danzo. Somehow, he had expressed the need to rebuild his clan so much that the council allowed him to take as many wives as he wanted from any where. He immediately wanted Hinata Hyuga but her father told him that, should he try, the entire Hyuga family, main and branch, would leave Konoha. Sauske gave up on that for the moment but, every so often, the subject came back up with the same reaction.

Sakura Haruno became his first wife three months after Naruto's banishment and subsequent disappearance. She had been so happy to have Sasuke as her husband that she, actually, passed out upon hearing the news. However, the Uchiha didn't stop there. He, somehow, convinced Ino Yamanaka to marry him in two weeks after making chunin. With the upcoming exams, and the council in his pocket, that looked like a sure thing for the fifteen year olds. The only thing stopping him would to be defeated in the chunin exams before the finals. Tsunade could only think of two people who could do that, and one of them was the Kazekage.

A knock on her door brought her head up. "Tsunade?" Jiraiya asked as he stepped in. He disappeared not long after Naruto's banishment, intent on finding the boy and making him his apprentice, but he never found him. The toads had been no help because they liked the boy. Somehow, he had broken the summoning contract, leaving Gamabunta very angry at loosing the son of Minato.

"Hey, Jiraiya." She said to him, depressed.

"Suna's representatives for the chunin exams just came through the gate." He told her.

Tsunade just shrugged. "Why would I care?"

Jiraiya gave her a warning look. "It's the siblings." He told her. "Gaara is their leader, I guess, but they also have a fourth member. Don't know much but he's hidden in a cloak and hood. I can tell, he's dangerous."

Tsunade shrugged. "Well, I guess we will have to worry about people ending up dead again this time. Temari and Kankuro have no love for the village, Garra even less."

Jiraiya nodded his agreement. "What can we do?"

Tsunade gave a grin as she raised the sake bottle on her desk.

Konoha

"Remember, we are doing this for a reason." Temari told her brother.

Kankuro just nodded. "I know. Fight hard, beat up Team 7, leave the rest relatively unharmed. Do you think they found someone to fill in?"

Gaara nodded. "Trust me, Team 7 has been increased to full strength. They will make it in to the exams. This village wants their precious Uchiha to become a chunin as much as I want his head." He turned to their fourth member of this team. "Are you sure about this?"

The last member nodded from inside his hood. "I will kill him." The voice menaced.

Gaara nodded. "Very well. Our objective is to get into at least the final round. Mission objective is to get Sasuke Uchiha."

All three members of the Sand Sibling's Team nodded. The fourth member started walking away. Gaara quickly stopped him. "No, we must wait. If you do it now, they will just kill you."

The hooded man nodded his head. "I apologize, Kazekage-sama. I let my emotions get the better of me."

"I know. Don't worry. Your one of us now. I have no doubt in my mind that you will be the one to come out on top. Especially with your new techniques."

The hooded man nodded again. "Temari, can you deliver these for me?" He asked as he handed her a pair of scrolls.

"Why her?" Kankuro asked.

Gaara shook his head. "Two reasons, first is that Temari won't kill anyone on complete accident while walking through the streets."

"I said I was sorry." Kankuro told his brother.

"Second, because she is a woman." The hooded man said as he and the Kazekage walked away towards their hotel. Kankuro followed not far behind as Temari left on her new mission.

Hinata Hyuga was deep in depression. Even after a year, nothing could cheer her up. She spent her time walking around the town, not really watching where she was going. Kiba had tried for weeks to cheer her up and nothing worked. He even attempted to henge into Naruto but that had ended up with him getting punched in the face by the depressed Hyuga.

Shino and Kurenai had tried to talk to her but nothing worked. Her own father had dropped the mask of hatred that he had on for most of her life and that still did nothing for the poor girl. The only one who could get her to talk had been Tsunade. That had just turned out information on why she was depressed.

That reason was Naruto.

She wasn't watching where she was going, like she had begun doing since he left, and thus walked right into someone. "S-s-sor-ry." She stuttered.

"It's okay." A familiar voice told her. Looking up, she found out that the voice belonged to Temari of the Sand. "Hinata Hyuga? Correct?" She asked.

The dark haired girl nodded, not trusting her voice. "I have something for you." She told her. She removed a small scroll from her belt and handed it to the blushing Hyuga. "Don't worry, nothing will harm you. Especially in the exams. I promise you."

"Wh-what is t-th-this?" She asked

"A letter." She told her as she started to walk away. "From a friend."

Hinata looked at the scroll before slowly unrolling it.

Hinata Hyuga,

I know we have never really been on the best of terms but I have some news for you.

I know you have been depressed and hurting. I know this because of what Naruto told me about you. However, I need you to do something for me. I need you to be strong. Naruto is safe and healthy. I just talked to him before writing this for you. He asked me to relay you a message.

"I will be there for you."

Now, I'm here in town for the chunin exams. I am the jounin for the team that I had previously been a member of. If you would like to talk, I have left instructions with the front desk of the main hotel that you are a welcome guest.

I hope you would see fit to take the time to visit. I have much to tell you.

Gaara

Hinata quickly left towards the hotel, rushing to meet the Kazekage.

Another knock broke the drinking party of Jiraya and Tsunade. "Yeah?" The Hokage answered.

Shizune stuck her head in. "Lady Tsunade, I have a scroll for you from the Kazekage."

Tsunade stood and took the scroll from her assistant before opening it.

Lady Hokage,

I apologize for cutting off all ties between our villages. I know you understand why I did it but I think I should explain several things first.

I couldn't believes that your council would throw out their greatest weapon. The power that Naruto has was something that no one can really understand who doesn't have the same power. He helped me understand it so, in turn, I helped him harness his.

That's right. I have meet with Naruto. For reasons I can not say, I will not say where he is. I want to make sure he is as safe as you do. After all, he is my friend. What I can tell you is this, he is healthy, safe and secure.

I am staying in your village, as I am sure your spies have told you. I am the leader of my siblings' team. If you want to talk, I would love to talk with you about anything other then politics, since we are no longer allies. Maybe you could talk with a member of my team. He has been having some trouble this past year.

Gaara

Tsunade sobered up fast as she read the letter before handing it over to Jiraiya to read. He, as well, sobered up as he read. "I guess we go see the Kazekage." He told her as they left together.

Gaara's Hotel Room

Gaara sat with his back to the wall. Temari had just returned from her mission and sat by the door, cleaning her fan. His brother sat on the other side of the door to the room while his fourth member stood just inside the outside balcony, looking out on Konoha. "I can't believe that we are standing here, looking at Konoha." He said softly.

Gaara nodded. "I know. I never really expected to return here ever again. Especially after my last visit here." He said as he stood next to his teammate.

There was a knock at the door. "Gaara? I have the Hokage, Jiraiya, and Hinata Hyuga out here." Kankuro said as he stuck his head in.

Gaara nodded to Temari and she got up to join her brother. "Give us a few moments and then show them in." He said as the door closed. He turned back to the last member of the team. "Are you sure about this? Revealing all this information before the exams?"

The man shrugged and shook his head as he raised his hood up and covered his face. "No, but these three are the ones who deserve to know. After all, they are the three closest…"

He shut up as the door opened to allow in Temari. She led the small group in and was followed by the Hokage, Jiraiya and Hinata before Kankuro came in behind the Konoha ninja. He closed the door and performed several privacy jutsu. "Gaara," Jiraiya began. "I hope it was okay that I came along."

The Kazekage nodded. "Perfectly fine with me, Jiraya-sama. I assume you are all here to learn of our dear friend."

"It's okay." Kankuro told them all. "My privacy jutsu are foolproof."

Gaara nodded. "Okay. Naruto." He said with a smile.

They all nodded. "You have seen him?"

"Seen him, talked to him, shared a meal together, fought. You would think the two of them were brothers with the way they act around each other." Temari said with a grin. "He says hi, by the way."

Tsunade smiled. "I'm just glad he is okay."

"Before we get started on the back and forth questions, I have a real important one that I would like answered." Jiraiya told them all. "You said you helped him 'harness' the Kyubi?"

Gaara nodded. "As a jinchuriki, I deemed it my job to teach him to control the beast within…not that he needed my help. Apparently, you should be thanking your luck that Naruto was the one in control when he was banished."

"How so?' Tsunade asked.

Gaara gave an evil smile. "He told me he almost took the seal off." The three Konoha ninja gasped. "Not to worry, though. He made a decision, one that I would have made differently, but none the less, he's in control from now on."

Tsunade and Jiraiya looked at each other while Hinata looked confused. "I thought he loved Konoha. Why would he almost let loose?"

"Key word there is 'loved.'" Temari said with a smirk. "Not to sound cruel, Hinata, but what was really stopping him? I know, but I wonder if you do."

Hinata thought about it before a blush creped into her face. "It was me, wasn't it?" Temari nodded and Hinata let out a deep sigh. Her boyfriend had refrained from destroying the whole village because of her. "Naruto-kun…" She said with sadness.

Tsunade saw the fourth Suna ninja, the one who stood facing away from them all, flinch at the name. "Anyways, how come he didn't need your help with the Kyubi?"

Gaara grinned. "Why, he made a deal with the demon himself."

"WHAT?" Tsunade and Jiraiya shouted out loud. "A deal? What deal?" They said together again.

"He made a deal to gain access to the Kyubi's chakra and power for revenge on the Uchiha Clan."

Tsunade nodded. "But what does the Kyubi get out of it?"

"Revenge on the Uchiha Clan, like I said." Gaara told her. "Look, all I know is, the day he was born and his mother lost the Kyubi, the Kyubi was not acting on it's own against Konoha. It was being controlled by an Uchiha."

Jiraiya frowned in concentration. "It all makes sense, now." He said.

"What does?" Hinata asked.

"The Yondiame, the last thing he said to me was a name. Madara Uchiha. I didn't get it but now I do. Madara is, or at that time was, still alive and in control of the Nine Tails."

Tsunade and Gaara nodded. "Anyways, Naruto made a deal. He got the increase in power while he swore he would kill Madara, Itachi and Sasuke to rid the world of the Uchiha."

Tsunade smiled. "Is it sad that I wouldn't care less for him if he did?"

Everyone shared a laugh. "Still, I must apologize to you, Lady Tsunade. This isn't an apology from the Kazekage to the Hokage. It's me to you. I didn't want to cut off all our relations. However, I needed to make a point."

She smiled a soft smile. "I know, Gaara. If Naruto was Hokage and you had been banished from Suna, he would have done the same thing."

The hooded figure moved again, causing Tsunade's eyes to watch once more. "Still, I can't believe what this village did to him. Especially after I learned that his fa…"

"Gaara!" Tsunade cut him off. "That is an S-class secret."

The four Suna ninja laughed lightly. "We all know. The only one in this room who doesn't know is Hinata and, if anyone should, it should be here. Especially with how the brat feels about her." Kankuro told her.

"I should know what?" Hinata asked.

"Oh all right." Tsunade said. "Remember, this is an S-class secret. It's about Naruto's family. See, Hinata, Naruto is actually named after his mother's clan. The Uzumaki are originally from the Land of Whirlpools before it fell. He couldn't take his father's last name because his father was a great ninja with many enemies."

Jiraiya nodded. "I trained his father, just like I wanted to train his son. He was something else. A man of many names. Feared by all ninja across the land, loved by us here in Konoha. To his enemies, he is known as the Yellow Flash. To us, here, we know him as the Yondiame Hokage, Minato Namikaze."

It took several seconds before Hinata did something she swore she would never do again. She fainted.

Everyone shared a laugh. "Okay, I should probably get out of here before the council decides we are planning something. Two questions before I go. First, what are you all doing here? Surely there was some other jonin that could have led the team instead of you Gaara."

He nodded. "There were several, my former mentor Baki being one. However, I feel like this mission deserves a more…personal touch."

"Mission?" Jiraiya asked as Hinata started to wake back up.

Temari took care of answering him. "Our mission might look to be participate in the exam but we have an underlying mission. Destroy Sasuke Uchiha."

Tsunade nodded her head. She held no love for the fallen prince of a dead clan. "Understandable, but how do you expect to do that?"

"Pain," Kankuro told her. "Lots and lots of pain."

"Sauske is just our primary objective. Secondary targets are Kakashi Hatake, Sakura Haruno, the Konoha Elders and, of course, Danzo. Oh, and whomever replaced Naruto on Team 7." Temari explained further.

Tsunade looked shocked. "That's a tall order."

The three siblings shrugged. "Well, we have our individual assignments. During the exams, Kankuro is supposed to go after the replacement. I get to hurt the pink banshee and our friend here actually volunteered to go after Sasuke." She said as she placed a hand on the fourth member of the team.

"That brings me to the second question. I don't like being left in the dark. Just who the hell are you?" She said with a point at the hidden man.

"Before we get to that, I have a proposition for you, Hokage." Gaara said simply.

Tsunade raised a brow. "I don't know if I like where this is going."

Gaara raised a hand. "Nothing bad, I promise. I would like to attempt to reestablish friendly ties to Konoha. I have a way we can do this but I am afraid of your response."

Tsunade looked at Jiraiya. "I promise to listen and not lash out if that is what you are afraid of, Gaara."

Gaara nodded. "That is all that I can ask. I would like to arrange a marriage between our villages. One clan member, a male, from my side and a female from your own."

Tsunade nodded. It seemed like a reasonable offer. "Do you have someone in mind for either?"

Gaara looked over at the hidden man once more and received a nod from him. "Yes, I would like to marry of my teammate, Dachi, with Hinata Hyuga."

Tsunade looked at the cloaked man. "I will have to see him before giving the final approval but…Hinata?"

She played with her fingers. "I…I-I lov-e Naruto-kun."

Gaara smiled. "I thought you would say that." He looked at the last member of the team. "Go on. It was your plan." He said simply.

The ninja turned away before removing a thick scarf from around his face. It dropped to the ground with a heavy thud and Tsunade and Hinata's sharp eyes caught the sight of a Konoha forehead protector on the middle of the scarf.

The man then removed his hood to reveal his hair. It was blonde and spiked up in a fashionable appearance…looking very familiar to the three Konoha ninja. He took a few moments before turning and showing his face. As soon as they saw who it was, Tsunade was shocked, Jiraiya had a silly grin on his face and Hinata fainted once more.

His bright blue eyes flashed with the smile on his face. The whisker marks were more pronounced then before but they were all used to seeing them that it would be weird to see less of them. The final touch was the headband, black with the Suna symbol on his forehead.

"Allow me to reintroduce myself. I am the jinchuriki of the Nine Tailed Kyubi." He said with his familiar voice. "My name…is Naruto Namikaze." Naruto told them, the smile on his face never leaving or faltering for even a second.

A/N: So, what do you all think? This is my attempt at a Naruto Banished story but I think I like where it is going. I don't expect this to be very long. I have a rough idea of the story but, as both the title and story show, it will focus on Naruto and Gaara. Hinata too. Can't forget my favorite couple in the series. Might through some Shika/Temari in for good measure but...*shrug*

I almost feel bad for Team 7 in this one. Almost being the key word in that sentence. Then I remember what I am doing.

Read, review and enjoy.