After Pain
Chapter 2: For a Friend
Chapter 3: Anbu
Chapter 4: The Hidden Leaf Jounin
Chapter 5: A Worthy Opponent
Chapter 6: Kakashi Hatake
Chapter 8: The Right Moment
Chapter 9: The Quiet Before the Storm
Chapter 10: A Man of Many Shadows
Chapter 11: A Leaf on the Wind
Chapter 12: The Konoha 11
Chapter 13: Epilogue
Chapter 12: The Konoha 11
They never went back to the Leaf Village. It was as if Kakashi Sensei was trying to keep him away from the village. None of them seemed to know what to do with Sasuke, as if he was some kind of troublesome little child that needed watching. Without them in the battle the Leaf village Shinobi never would have broken through the northern wall of Danzo's hideout. Without them, the plans of the 'Jounin Commander' they all kept talking about wouldn't have worked.
But Kakashi's orders had ensured that Sasuke never saw Danzo. Just the sand village team that had come to restrain him as they swept by. Kakashi's plans - or perhaps the plans of the Jounin Commander - ensured that instead of finishing what they'd started on that battlefield at the waterfall where he and Naruto had fought so long ago they rushed off mid-battle to intercept a large group of Anbu that was headed back to the village to the Hyuga compound. Sasuke and Team Taka had happily and flawlessly carried out the plan that decimated the powerful Anbu team and then, just as abruptly as before they had been sent in a different direction altogether to go find Hinata and get her out of the village.
They had spent the next few days finding Anbu bases and cleaning them out - always observed by that sand village fan user and the cloud village commander as 'witnesses'. Many shinobi had been saved and many strange experiments uncovered, but there was no sign of Danzo. No one told them that it was over, either. It was as if they knew that as soon as Danzo was captured Sasuke would go kill him so they kept it all secret so that he had nothing to do but trust Kakashi and follow his orders.
Sasuke stayed, but not because of any of that. He stayed because Hinata's eyes entreated him to. He stayed because the pain and loss behind her eyes as she heard about the attempted massacre of her clan wee familiar to him. He stayed because she had promised him to help him kill Danzo and he knew that working with them was the easiest way to get at Danzo.
So it was a whirlwind of small, abrupt missions for the next ten days. At the end of ten days, as the sun set, Kakashi walked up to Sasuke and informed him that a trial for Danzo was beginning that night in the sand village and that his presence as a witness had been requested.
"Let me make it clear," Kakashi said. "The Cloud Village wants you to be tried too, for what you did to their Jinchuriki. If you go you are agreeing to be taken into custody and put under trial for your actions as a rogue ninja."
"I want to kill Danzo with my own hands," Sasuke said.
"Danzo is in the Village hidden in the sand now," Kakashi said. "His fate will be decided by the court that the Kage have put in place."
"Are you afraid that I'll cause problems for you there?" Sasuke asked. "You know my goal. Either get me to him or I'll go after him myself and crash the trial."
Kakashi simply stared at him, as if trying to figure him out. "If you want to go there, you're going to have to let a team from the sand village arrest you."
Suygetsu lauged loudly. "You can't seriously mean that pathetic team we saw earlier. We all know they can't restrain Sasuke, certainly not the four of us."
"The powerful shinobi have gone on ahead in the team restraining Danzo. They left a weaker team behind on the understanding that Sasuke would come quietly."
"Who gave them that deluded impression."
Sasuke stood up and looked around. The team was hovering, frightened in the background. "I'll go, as long as I get to watch the trial so I can kill Danzo when it's over."
"Sasuke you can't be serious!"
"You don't have to come with me, Suygetsu. Team Taka is finished. You can go out on your own now."
"We're with you," Jugo said.
"Speak for yourself!" Suygetsu said. "You don't need me anymore. I'm off to collect my swords. It's been a blast."
Sasuke did not look around as his teammate left him and walked off. No one tried stopping him. Not that they could. "Thank you," was all Sasuke said to him as he left. It was then he began to realize that Team Taka had been nothing. Powerful, yes, but nothing compared to another team whose name was on everyone's mind.
The Konoha 11. The sand village Shinobi that had him restrained spoke about this team constantly. Rumors about them and their deeds in the battle were flying from person to the next. They heard about them from villagers as they passed through fishing towns and farming towns. They heard about them from passing Shinobi as they sent messages back and forth and reported their position. The Konoha 11, the team that contained the Leaf Village's Jinchuriki and its most powerful young fighters. Shinobi who worked so well together they did not need to communicate with words. It was said that one of their members had a mind reading Jutsu that she used to allow them all to make their plans from a great distance.
Idiots. They were all awed by a plan that had come together well, a plan expertly put in place and expertly executed. There was no mind reading or magic involved. Had they never heard of the Yamanaka clan jutsu? Was it really that closely kept a secret that shinobi from other villages didn't know about it? But as they traveled to their destination Sasuke found their awe and their excitement rubbing off on him. Hinata and Kakashi who were traveling with him chose to remain silent the whole way through so he had nothing to do but think about this Konoha 11 if he wanted to keep his mind off Danzo's horrible deeds.
Finally, they arrived at the sand village and were fed and allowed a couple of hours of rest while the courtroom was being set up for the day. Sasuke ate a little, but he could not rest. Somewhere in this village was Danzo. He supposed he could have gone looking for him, but he had already tried the method of tearing everything apart that got in his way and that had not worked before. Kakashi's method was going to get him right into the courtroom where Danzo would be. He might as well continue and take his chance when it came along.
True to his word Kakashi allowed Sasuke to sit in on the entire trial after answering the judge's questions. Strangely enough they had not seemed very interested in the masked Akatsuki, or in Sasuke's admission that it was Madara. They ha a single-minded focus on Danzo's crimes. During the trial Sasuke found himself looking for the Konoha 11 and observing them. They were all there.
Hinata stood nearby, as if reassuring him that she would keep her promise to help him if the trial went wrong. Tenten, sporting many injuries, sat in one of the front rows next to Sakura who was checking her wounds every so often. Naruto sat next to Kakashi at the other end of the front row. Choji, looking extremely thin, sat amidst his family. He had been badly injured, Sasuke had heard that from the rumors, but it was difficult to tell from here. He was supporting Ino who was almost passed out in the seat next to him, her head on his shoulder.
Neji stood protectively a few feet from Hinata. Rock Lee was one of the guards that had been chosen to guard Danzo, so he stood at the small doorway behind the judges' table. Somewhere down the hallways behind him Danzo was restrained and waiting for his judgement.
They all sounded shocked when Danzo's crimes were revealed. They were serious crimes, shocking crimes, but compared to what Sasuke knew about him they weren't that big a deal. Only the Konoha 11 did not seem shocked. They stood there, rigid, on the alert. Shino and his bugs were sitting up in the stands next to Kiba and his large dog, watching carefully, unmoved by any of the horrors that were revealed to them. Was it because they already knew all of this information or because they had something else on their minds. They certainly seemed tense.
Danzo was finally called in to hear the judge's decision and Sasuke saw an opening in their tightly planned formation. He would have attacked then if not for the last member of the Konoha 11. Shikamaru looked like the dead. His eyes were deep dark wells. He walked unnaturally straight and upright. His shadow formed a protective circle around him that was a couple of meters in circumference. And from this circle a single thin line stretched out and connected with Danzo. The shadow paralysis Jutsu, forcing Danzo to move forward against his will.
Several Byakugan users surrounded them as they came to a stop before the judges. Shikamaru dropped down to one knee, probably from the pain of what looked like ten days without sleep, and put himself at the mercy of the four Kage.
"Please introduce yourself," the RaiKage said formally. How could he not know him? His name had been on every lip on Sasuke's journey here. Perhaps the RaiKage didn't listen to rumors.
"Shikamaru Nara," Shikamaru said in his usual tired, lazy voice. "Jounin Commander of the Hidden Leaf forces during the battle to capture Danzo."
Sasuke realized that Danzo, too, had dropped to his knees.
"Please rest, Commander," the RaiKage said almost respectfully.
"Thank you, Lord RaiKage." But Shikamaru did not rest. He stood up straight and tall forcing Danzo to do the same.
"Do you have any further information for the court before we announce our verdict, Jounin Commander."
Shikamaru shook his head. "Everything that I witnessed was also witnessed by others. I trust that they have given their honest testimony here and explained all the facts."
One loud pair of hands began to clap, that voice echoing through the entire huge hall. Sasuke did not need to look around to find out who it was. Madara had appeared in the courtroom, his back leaning on a large stone pole, still clapping.
"What a heart-warming farce," he said. "Wouldn't you say Sasuke? Justice eh? Where was your Shinobi Justice when the entire Uchiha clan was massacred. Oh, they'll do it for the Hyuga, they'll save them from Danzo, but not the Uchiha."
Because he had been observing them carefully Sasuke noticed that every single member of the Konoha 11 had gotten to their feet. They did not move, not yet, they must know by now that they could not capture Madara, but they were on the alert, ready to spring into action.
"Please continue," Shikamaru said, ignoring Madara and addressing the Kage judges.
Sasuke found Hinata standing next to him, her hand in his. "Please wait until the trial is over," she said. "I always keep my word."
But Madara was here. How could she hope to maintain control of the situation? Did they not understand how powerful Madara was?
Madara laughed long and loud at Shikamaru. "You're brave kid, I'll let you live for another few minutes."
Shikamaru said nothing, but his head gave a small nod towards the Kage, as if asking them to continue one more time.
They did continue. Even with Madara there, standing there in his mask, lolling lazily against one of the pillars of the huge hall, they continued with their trial as if it was the most important thing. As if they weren't afraid. Sasuke looked from one face to another, from the faces of the Kage who were reading out Danzo's crimes, to the faces of the Konoha 11 who all stood there, tense, but un-moving, as if they were in the middle of a battle that had been paused. Had they expected Madara's arrival or were they just so confident in their own skills that they really thought this would go well for them.
Sasuke could feel his heartbeat speeding up. He could feel the hairs on the back of his head rise with the fear of the raw power of that masked man. How could they not tremble in fear at the arrival of Madara Uchiha.
But Madara seemed to be enjoying it and allowed them to continue reading out the crimes, occasionally clapping or commenting about how impressed he was that they had figured all of this out. Finally, when they had finished reading out Danzo's crimes Madara raised his hand.
"I have one!" he said in the voice of an excited schoolchild. "You forgot one!"
Silence. No one moved or spoke. Even Naruto was simply clenching his fists under Kakashi's firm gaze.
"You forgot cooperating with Madara Uchiha!" Madara said, his voice turning serious. "After all his life spent trying to destroy the Uchiha clan Danzo's stupidity led him to work with me and give me just the tools I needed to do this!"
He raised his hand in a flourish, but it stopped mid-way and instead of disappearing Madara stood there, frozen in place, his hand half way to pointing at the doors where strange human figures were lumbering in. An army of white Zetsu clones. Sasuke looked around at the tense, but still un-moving faces. The Zetsu clones were allowed to spill through the doors, to get inside and start lumbering towards frightened young genin who sat at the back of the courtroom, and then, just as suddenly as Madra's hand, they stopped. A ring of shadow had suddenly appeared on the floor, protecting those inside from the attackers who now stood paralyzed. This ring was kept up by tens of Nara clan members dispersed at even intervals among the crowd of ninja. Sasuke had not noticed them before. Neither, it seemed, had Madara. But they had been there.
Sasuke turned back to Madara, but he did not look the same frightening, striking figure as before with his hand half in the air and his body frozen like that. Sasuke tried to find a shadow responsible for this, still unable to believe that Madara was really trapped by something as simple as a shadow possession jutsu, but he could see no shadow other than the natural shadow cast by the pillar.
"What is this!" Madara yelled in frustration, still un-moving. Any moment now, Sasuke thought, he would activate his jutsu and disappear to safety, but apparently he wanted to find out what had happened to him first.
"Just me and my shadow," Shikamaru said lazily. And in that moment, with all eyes turned on him, his classmate seemed a lot more awe inspiring to Sasuke than Madara did in his silly orange mask. Sasuke found that his arms were shaking in anticipation. This would not go well.
But Madara still did not disappear. "Where? How? Your shadow isn't reaching me!"
Shikamaru grinned. "My shadow has grown considerably in the last few days," was all the explanation he gave. "But you were here for the trial, weren't you, please feel free to relax and watch the rest of the trial. He leaned against a nearby pillar and so too did Madara. Danzo, who was still trapped in Shikamaru's jutsu, also leaned side-ways, but he had no pillar to lean against and his body remained held up at a very odd angle by the shadow-paralysis Jutsu.
Gaara was the first to break the silence. He cleared his throat.
"As punishment for all his crimes against the Leaf Village especially, and the surrounding non-Shinobi villages, as well as all those who call themselves Ninja it has been decided that Danzo should be killed. His death should not come at the hands of the Anbu - an organization he corrupted - but at the hands of a representative of his victims in the leaf village."
Sasuke's heart began to pound at an incredible pace. Could they mean him?
"Hinata Hyuga," the female Kage said. "As the heiress of he Hyuga clan, a respected leaf village clan that Danzo attempted to massacre in the latest battle, will you step forward to carry out the verdict of the Kage?"
Madara laughed long and loud and Sasuke knew that he was laughing at him. His laughter seemed to say: "This is the justice of the Kage, Sasuke. This is the justice you trusted in!" although he never spoke aloud.
Hinata stepped forward slowly, but confidently, completely ignoring Madara's laughter. She came to stand just outside the the protective circle of shadow around Shikamaru and looked up at the five Kage.
"I cannot carry out the punishment," Hinata said in her soft voice.
The RaiKage looked down at her sternly. "Danzo killed your father and several others of your clan."
Hinata nodded. "I gave my word," she said. "And I never go back on my word. It's my ninja way."
The RaiKage looked angry, but he could not, surely, force Hinata to kill Danzo if she didn't want to do it. The Kage withdrew to a separate room to discuss this unexpected refusal. When they returned they all loked sternly at Hinata, but she did not move from her position.
"Neji Hyuga please step forward to carry out the Kage's decision."
Neji stepped forward and came to stand on the other side of Shikamaru, just at the outside of the circle of shadow. He bowed his head a little. For the first time Sasuke noticed that Neji's sleeve seemed empty.
"I am afraid I cannot be the one to carry out this punishment," Neji said calmly. "Please forgive me."
This time the Kage did not retire to discuss. Apparently they had expected Neji to follow along with what the heiress of the Hyuga family wanted.
"Shino Aburame, as a resresentative of the respected Aburame Clan who lost five members to Danzo's crimes, please step forward to carry out the Kage's decision."
Shino stepped forward and came to stand just on the outside of the circle of shadow around Shikamaru, a little way behind Neji.
"Please forgive me," Shino said. "I cannot be the one to carry out this punishment."
Gaara sighed in frustration. "Ino Yamanaka," he said, looking down at the half-comatose girl. "Your father, head of the Yamanaka clan, was killed during the battle against Danzo. Please step forward to carry out the punishment."
Ino needed help getting up and walking the few meters to stand before the judges. Choji helped her up and walked all the way into the circle of shadow to stand by Shikamaru, who supported her with an arm around her shoulder. No one spoke until Choji had walked back to his seat.
"Please forgive me," Ino breathed, almost inaudible. She cleared her throat. "Please forgive me, I cannot be the one to carry out this punishment."
"Are you saying that after losing half your village fighting against Danzo and asking the Kage to try him in a court, you now pity him or don't want to see him killed."
"Oh I want to see him killed," Ino's voice was much stronger all of a sudden, much louder. Her rage seemed to fill the room. "I simply cannot be the one to do it. Please forgive me."
Her head dropped to Shikamaru's shoulder then and the RaiKage's face softened. At least in Ino's case the refusal made sense.
"Choji Akimchi," the old man Tsuchikage called. "Please step forward to avenge your village, your clan, and your mother who was killed in the battle."
Choji stepped forward. He came to stand on the outside of the circle a little way behind Hinata. "Please forgive me," he said simply. He did not say anymore until he realized that they were all waiting for him to continue the same phrase. Sasuke realized that his entire face and neck were so red they were almost on fire. How had Hinata got them all to ignore their own revenge for Sasuke's sake? But soon enough the Kage would figure it out and would call up someone who was not friends with Hinata.
"Tenten," Gaara's voice was almost imploring now. "You have never shied away from doing your duty, you even suffered torture at the hands of the Anbu as you infiltrated their ranks. Please step forward and obey the command of the Kage!"
Tenten stepped forward and came to stand qt the edge of the circle of shadow, just in front of Neji. Were they protecting Shikamaru from Madara or making a statement? "Please forgive me," Tenten said. "I cannot be the one to carry out this duty."
Gaara turned away from her and looked straight at Kiba. "Kiba Inuzuka," he said. "I call you up to avenge your sister's death by carrying out the court's verdict."
The anger was visible on Kiba's face as he stepped forward. He pulled out a Kunai on his way there. A murmur rose up in the crowd. Kiba came to stand directly in front of Shikamaru, at the edge of the circle, just behind Danzo. He lifted the knife so that it pointed straight at Danzo's back. There was a long silence. Sasuke made to move. He would not let Kiba, of all people, take his revenge for him! Kakashi's hand was suddenly on Sasuke's shoulder, restraining him.
"I can't be the one to do it," Kiba said simply through gritted teeth. Everything about his demeanour suggested that he was dying to do it. His dog came panting up to stand beside him. His kunai was still held up pointing at Danzo's back.
"Are you sure, kid?" the Mizukage asked hopefully.
Kiba said nothing, simply shook his head. The Mizukage simply looked down at a piece of paper. She was consulting a list.
"Sakura Haruno," she called.
Sakura stepped forward and came to stand at the edge of the circle between Kiba and Hinata. She shook her head. "I'm sorry," she said. "I can't be the one to do this."
"Rock Lee!"
Rock Lee came to stand just behind Neji at the edge of the circle of shadow. "Please forgive me," he said. "I cannot carry out this duty."
"Naruto Uzumaki!"
Naruto came forward and stood just behind Shikamaru at the edge of the circle. "Sorry," he said. "I can't do it."
"Shikamaru Nara," the Tsuchikage tried. "Your friends seem to be placing their trust in you just like they did during that battle, will you do it?"
"Please accept my apologies, Lord Tsuchikage." Shikamaru said. "I can't do it."
"Well then who would you recommend? the Tsuchikage said. "We tried to respect the Konoha 11 by asking one of you to carry this out on behalf of your village, but perhaps you'd prefer if one of us did it for you?"
The short old man actually stood up in his seat, as if preparing to kill Danzo himself.
"Lord Tsuchikage," the Mizukage said dangerously. "You know full well that this must be carried out by someone from the Leaf Village to maintain relations between the villages."
Madara laughed again and some people from the crowd actually jumped nervously in their seats. "You can stop the farce now," he said loudly, his voice ringing through the hall. "Everyone understands by now that you never intended to kill Danzo. This was all some kind of elaborate plan to draw me into a trap. Well, here I am. Come get me before this kid's chakra runs out!"
Every word he spoke was like a taunt directed at Sasuke. He began to see things as Madara had explained them. He had been stupid to ever think that this had anything to do with him or his right to vengeance. The Konoha 11 were obviously making a protective ring around Shikamaru. They were just preparing for battle. This was all pre-planned. They might even let Danzo go at the end of it. All they wanted to do was to draw Madara here with Naruto as bait. His heart sped up and he stepped forward. Well, he was here, he would take matters into his own hands. Kakashi restrained him again, but Sasuke moved to shrug him off.
"You're wrong!" Hinata's voice rang through the hall. "This is not a farce. We have suffered a lot at the hands of Danzo, but our individual losses are not important. It's the principle behind it. The horrors that he committed affected everyone, not just me or Neji or Ino or any of us."
The RaiKage slammed his fist down on the table and looked down at Hinata.
"So why did you refuse to kill him and rid the world of his crimes?"
"Because there's someone in this room that suffered a lot more than any of us, he lost a lot more than any of us. I gave him my word, before we discovered any of Danzo's other crimes, before my father and clan members were killed... I promised my friend that I would help him get his vengeance on Danzo. I gave my word that I would help him get justice. I never go back on my word."
Gaara's eyes found Sasuke before Hinata even said his name. They all knew, they had all heard what Danzo had done to Itachi and the Uchiha clan.
"Please allow Sasuke Uchiha to carry out the Kage's decision on behalf of the Leaf Village," Hinata said earnestly.
"Sasuke Uchiha is a criminal and a rogue Ninja who will also be tried by the Kage," the RaiKage said.
Hinata nodded. "That is true, but Sasuke Uchiha is also our friend. Our village failed to protect his clan from murder when he was only a child. Even though his brother Itachi was one of the most promising Shinobi of the village, even though he was just a child himself at the time, our village failed to protect him from going down the dark path that he took at Danzo's orders. Our village failed to bring Sasuke back when he was kidnapped by Orochimaru. We failed to stand beside him as true friends should. Please allow us to offer this simple symbolic token of our remorse for what he suffered. We allowed him to sink into a well of despair where vengeance became his only goal. Please allow us to give up our rights to vengeance so that Sasuke can have his. I don't want vengeance for my father's death. I want justice. I want the Leaf Village to be a place where there is justice instead of the fear and underhanded tactics that Danzo and the Anbu used."
She called him a friend, but looking at her and the rest of the Konoha 11 Sasuke realized that he was not a part of that true friendship. He had walked away from this incredible team of his classmates when he had chosen to go after Orochimaru's promise of power, all for the sake of his vengeance on Itachi. And he had been wrong.
Madara screamed this time, his voice venomous as he spat out every word. "You think this little show of remorse can make up for everything you've put Sasuke through? You think just with a few flowery words you can erase all those wrongs, bring all those people back? After everything you've put my clan through, you dare speak these pathetic lies about change in front of me, in front of Madara Uchiha!"
"That's enough now," Kakashi said from beside Sasuke. "We all know you are not Madara Uchiha."
The Kage had been whispering. Sasuke's eye was on them as Kakashi pushed him forward so that he stood before them, just beside Danzo.
"Well?" Kakashi asked, an urgent tone to his voice.
"Sasuke Uchiha," Gaara said, his voice almost drowning out Madara's - was it Madara? "Will you step forward to carry out the decision of this Court on behalf of your village?"
Sasuke was standing in front of Danzo before she finished her sentence. "With pleasure," he said, staring at Danzo with both his sharingan.
"Let him go Shikamaru. This time he can't surprise me. This time, I won't let him escape my - escape justice!"
Shikamaru complied without question and as Sasuke moved in on Danzo they all turned to Madara. They trusted him do to his part, allowing him into their team. Even Naruto stayed back as Sasuke attacked Danzo, ready to help, but unwilling to interfere if he was not needed. Zetsu clones were appearing out of the ground now, throwing the entire hall into chaos.
It felt like mere seconds to Sasuke. He dodged attack after attack, effortlessly stepping past Danzo's constant re-writing of time. Now that he was prepared for it he was able to predict when Danzo would use that horrible jutsu and keep himself out of harm. And Karin was there, healing him when he needed it. Jugo was there, helping keep Danzo tapped now that Shikamaru's shadow paralysis was gone. And Naruto was there, giving him chakra when he started to run low. It was a long battle, but when Danzo had finished wasting away those Uchiha eyes, when he stood there, finally helpless before Sasuke, it felt like only a few seconds had passed.
Sasuke made Sakura and Karin check Danzo's body three times each to make sure he was really dead. He stood over the body, determined to watch it for hours before he would be satisfied. And as he stood over the body, guarding it Sasuke let his eyes drift across the battlefield, noticing the fluid way that Shikamaru directed the battle without any arguments from any of his friends. He noticed the elegant way in which the sand village shinobi led by the Kazekage's sister joined the fight, their fighting complementing that of Shikamaru's team. He noticed the respectful way in which Shikamaru's father and other elders of the leaf followed Shikamaru's orders, allowing the new generation to take the lead.
He looked at the movements of his old sensei, Kakashi Hatake, the copy ninja, who preformed jutsu after jutsu with ease and disappeared and reappeared just like the masked man and he wondered why he had ever coveted Orochimaru's disgusting powers when Kakashi had been willing to train him.
"None of this will bring her back, Obito," Kakashi said, coming to stand in front of the masked man.
Madara ripped off the mask and stepped closer to Kakashi.
"Your words are useless against me, Kakashi. You might be able to fool Nagato and Sasuke, but you can't fool me. I know what a useless piece of trash you are! I'm going to capture your beloved student the nine tails and find the eight tails and with their power I'm going to create the ultimate genjutsu, the perfect world!"
Kakashi pulled down his mask and uncovered his sharingan eye. "The boy who gave me this eye was not a coward," he said. "He would never have tried escaping reality into some fake genjutsu world!"
"That boy was naive, as are you. You think that you can't escape your world. You don't have the power to build a new one. But I have the power, I can make a world where even worthless pieces of trash like you can live without pain!"
"I'm sorry Obito," Kakashi said. "I'm sorry for not knowing you had survived, for not saving you from this. I used to respect you, but I have to stand by the Shinobi that I respect now and save them from falling into your twisted plots."
As he watched Kakashi fight his old friend surrounded and supported by the Konoha 11 and all their allies Sasuke realized that Madara - or Obito's words had no hold him anymore. He wanted to be part of that team now. He wanted to fight side by side with them again and again and let them help him, trust in their power as a team instead of searching for a bigger greedy power like Orochimaru's or Danzo's.
Sasuke could feel his heartbeat speeding up. He could feel the hairs on the back of his head rise with the fear of the raw power of that masked man. How could they not tremble in fear at the arrival of Madara Uchiha.
But Madara seemed to be enjoying it and allowed them to continue reading out the crimes, occasionally clapping or commenting about how impressed he was that they had figured all of this out. Finally, when they had finished reading out Danzo's crimes Madara raised his hand.
"I have one!" he said in the voice of an excited schoolchild. "You forgot one!"
Silence. No one moved or spoke. Even Naruto was simply clenching his fists under Kakashi's firm gaze.
"You forgot cooperating with Madara Uchiha!" Madara said, his voice turning serious. "After all his life spent trying to destroy the Uchiha clan Danzo's stupidity led him to work with me and give me just the tools I needed to do this!"
He raised his hand in a flourish, but it stopped mid-way and instead of disappearing Madara stood there, frozen in place, his hand half way to pointing at the doors where strange human figures were lumbering in. An army of white Zetsu clones. Sasuke looked around at the tense, but still un-moving faces. The Zetsu clones were allowed to spill through the doors, to get inside and start lumbering towards frightened young genin who sat at the back of the courtroom, and then, just as suddenly as Madra's hand, they stopped. A ring of shadow had suddenly appeared on the floor, protecting those inside from the attackers who now stood paralyzed. This ring was kept up by tens of Nara clan members dispersed at even intervals among the crowd of ninja. Sasuke had not noticed them before. Neither, it seemed, had Madara. But they had been there.
Sasuke turned back to Madara, but he did not look the same frightening, striking figure as before with his hand half in the air and his body frozen like that. Sasuke tried to find a shadow responsible for this, still unable to believe that Madara was really trapped by something as simple as a shadow possession jutsu, but he could see no shadow other than the natural shadow cast by the pillar.
"What is this!" Madara yelled in frustration, still un-moving. Any moment now, Sasuke thought, he would activate his jutsu and disappear to safety, but apparently he wanted to find out what had happened to him first.
"Just me and my shadow," Shikamaru said lazily. And in that moment, with all eyes turned on him, his classmate seemed a lot more awe inspiring to Sasuke than Madara did in his silly orange mask. Sasuke found that his arms were shaking in anticipation. This would not go well.
But Madara still did not disappear. "Where? How? Your shadow isn't reaching me!"
Shikamaru grinned. "My shadow has grown considerably in the last few days," was all the explanation he gave. "But you were here for the trial, weren't you, please feel free to relax and watch the rest of the trial. He leaned against a nearby pillar and so too did Madara. Danzo, who was still trapped in Shikamaru's jutsu, also leaned side-ways, but he had no pillar to lean against and his body remained held up at a very odd angle by the shadow-paralysis Jutsu.
Gaara was the first to break the silence. He cleared his throat.
"As punishment for all his crimes against the Leaf Village especially, and the surrounding non-Shinobi villages, as well as all those who call themselves Ninja it has been decided that Danzo should be killed. His death should not come at the hands of the Anbu - an organization he corrupted - but at the hands of a representative of his victims in the leaf village."
Sasuke's heart began to pound at an incredible pace. Could they mean him?
"Hinata Hyuga," the female Kage said. "As the heiress of he Hyuga clan, a respected leaf village clan that Danzo attempted to massacre in the latest battle, will you step forward to carry out the verdict of the Kage?"
Madara laughed long and loud and Sasuke knew that he was laughing at him. His laughter seemed to say: "This is the justice of the Kage, Sasuke. This is the justice you trusted in!" although he never spoke aloud.
Hinata stepped forward slowly, but confidently, completely ignoring Madara's laughter. She came to stand just outside the the protective circle of shadow around Shikamaru and looked up at the five Kage.
"I cannot carry out the punishment," Hinata said in her soft voice.
The RaiKage looked down at her sternly. "Danzo killed your father and several others of your clan."
Hinata nodded. "I gave my word," she said. "And I never go back on my word. It's my ninja way."
The RaiKage looked angry, but he could not, surely, force Hinata to kill Danzo if she didn't want to do it. The Kage withdrew to a separate room to discuss this unexpected refusal. When they returned they all loked sternly at Hinata, but she did not move from her position.
"Neji Hyuga please step forward to carry out the Kage's decision."
Neji stepped forward and came to stand on the other side of Shikamaru, just at the outside of the circle of shadow. He bowed his head a little. For the first time Sasuke noticed that Neji's sleeve seemed empty.
"I am afraid I cannot be the one to carry out this punishment," Neji said calmly. "Please forgive me."
This time the Kage did not retire to discuss. Apparently they had expected Neji to follow along with what the heiress of the Hyuga family wanted.
"Shino Aburame, as a resresentative of the respected Aburame Clan who lost five members to Danzo's crimes, please step forward to carry out the Kage's decision."
Shino stepped forward and came to stand just on the outside of the circle of shadow around Shikamaru, a little way behind Neji.
"Please forgive me," Shino said. "I cannot be the one to carry out this punishment."
Gaara sighed in frustration. "Ino Yamanaka," he said, looking down at the half-comatose girl. "Your father, head of the Yamanaka clan, was killed during the battle against Danzo. Please step forward to carry out the punishment."
Ino needed help getting up and walking the few meters to stand before the judges. Choji helped her up and walked all the way into the circle of shadow to stand by Shikamaru, who supported her with an arm around her shoulder. No one spoke until Choji had walked back to his seat.
"Please forgive me," Ino breathed, almost inaudible. She cleared her throat. "Please forgive me, I cannot be the one to carry out this punishment."
"Are you saying that after losing half your village fighting against Danzo and asking the Kage to try him in a court, you now pity him or don't want to see him killed."
"Oh I want to see him killed," Ino's voice was much stronger all of a sudden, much louder. Her rage seemed to fill the room. "I simply cannot be the one to do it. Please forgive me."
Her head dropped to Shikamaru's shoulder then and the RaiKage's face softened. At least in Ino's case the refusal made sense.
"Choji Akimchi," the old man Tsuchikage called. "Please step forward to avenge your village, your clan, and your mother who was killed in the battle."
Choji stepped forward. He came to stand on the outside of the circle a little way behind Hinata. "Please forgive me," he said simply. He did not say anymore until he realized that they were all waiting for him to continue the same phrase. Sasuke realized that his entire face and neck were so red they were almost on fire. How had Hinata got them all to ignore their own revenge for Sasuke's sake? But soon enough the Kage would figure it out and would call up someone who was not friends with Hinata.
"Tenten," Gaara's voice was almost imploring now. "You have never shied away from doing your duty, you even suffered torture at the hands of the Anbu as you infiltrated their ranks. Please step forward and obey the command of the Kage!"
Tenten stepped forward and came to stand qt the edge of the circle of shadow, just in front of Neji. Were they protecting Shikamaru from Madara or making a statement? "Please forgive me," Tenten said. "I cannot be the one to carry out this duty."
Gaara turned away from her and looked straight at Kiba. "Kiba Inuzuka," he said. "I call you up to avenge your sister's death by carrying out the court's verdict."
The anger was visible on Kiba's face as he stepped forward. He pulled out a Kunai on his way there. A murmur rose up in the crowd. Kiba came to stand directly in front of Shikamaru, at the edge of the circle, just behind Danzo. He lifted the knife so that it pointed straight at Danzo's back. There was a long silence. Sasuke made to move. He would not let Kiba, of all people, take his revenge for him! Kakashi's hand was suddenly on Sasuke's shoulder, restraining him.
"I can't be the one to do it," Kiba said simply through gritted teeth. Everything about his demeanour suggested that he was dying to do it. His dog came panting up to stand beside him. His kunai was still held up pointing at Danzo's back.
"Are you sure, kid?" the Mizukage asked hopefully.
Kiba said nothing, simply shook his head. The Mizukage simply looked down at a piece of paper. She was consulting a list.
"Sakura Haruno," she called.
Sakura stepped forward and came to stand at the edge of the circle between Kiba and Hinata. She shook her head. "I'm sorry," she said. "I can't be the one to do this."
"Rock Lee!"
Rock Lee came to stand just behind Neji at the edge of the circle of shadow. "Please forgive me," he said. "I cannot carry out this duty."
"Naruto Uzumaki!"
Naruto came forward and stood just behind Shikamaru at the edge of the circle. "Sorry," he said. "I can't do it."
"Shikamaru Nara," the Tsuchikage tried. "Your friends seem to be placing their trust in you just like they did during that battle, will you do it?"
"Please accept my apologies, Lord Tsuchikage." Shikamaru said. "I can't do it."
"Well then who would you recommend? the Tsuchikage said. "We tried to respect the Konoha 11 by asking one of you to carry this out on behalf of your village, but perhaps you'd prefer if one of us did it for you?"
The short old man actually stood up in his seat, as if preparing to kill Danzo himself.
"Lord Tsuchikage," the Mizukage said dangerously. "You know full well that this must be carried out by someone from the Leaf Village to maintain relations between the villages."
Madara laughed again and some people from the crowd actually jumped nervously in their seats. "You can stop the farce now," he said loudly, his voice ringing through the hall. "Everyone understands by now that you never intended to kill Danzo. This was all some kind of elaborate plan to draw me into a trap. Well, here I am. Come get me before this kid's chakra runs out!"
Every word he spoke was like a taunt directed at Sasuke. He began to see things as Madara had explained them. He had been stupid to ever think that this had anything to do with him or his right to vengeance. The Konoha 11 were obviously making a protective ring around Shikamaru. They were just preparing for battle. This was all pre-planned. They might even let Danzo go at the end of it. All they wanted to do was to draw Madara here with Naruto as bait. His heart sped up and he stepped forward. Well, he was here, he would take matters into his own hands. Kakashi restrained him again, but Sasuke moved to shrug him off.
"You're wrong!" Hinata's voice rang through the hall. "This is not a farce. We have suffered a lot at the hands of Danzo, but our individual losses are not important. It's the principle behind it. The horrors that he committed affected everyone, not just me or Neji or Ino or any of us."
The RaiKage slammed his fist down on the table and looked down at Hinata.
"So why did you refuse to kill him and rid the world of his crimes?"
"Because there's someone in this room that suffered a lot more than any of us, he lost a lot more than any of us. I gave him my word, before we discovered any of Danzo's other crimes, before my father and clan members were killed... I promised my friend that I would help him get his vengeance on Danzo. I gave my word that I would help him get justice. I never go back on my word."
Gaara's eyes found Sasuke before Hinata even said his name. They all knew, they had all heard what Danzo had done to Itachi and the Uchiha clan.
"Please allow Sasuke Uchiha to carry out the Kage's decision on behalf of the Leaf Village," Hinata said earnestly.
"Sasuke Uchiha is a criminal and a rogue Ninja who will also be tried by the Kage," the RaiKage said.
Hinata nodded. "That is true, but Sasuke Uchiha is also our friend. Our village failed to protect his clan from murder when he was only a child. Even though his brother Itachi was one of the most promising Shinobi of the village, even though he was just a child himself at the time, our village failed to protect him from going down the dark path that he took at Danzo's orders. Our village failed to bring Sasuke back when he was kidnapped by Orochimaru. We failed to stand beside him as true friends should. Please allow us to offer this simple symbolic token of our remorse for what he suffered. We allowed him to sink into a well of despair where vengeance became his only goal. Please allow us to give up our rights to vengeance so that Sasuke can have his. I don't want vengeance for my father's death. I want justice. I want the Leaf Village to be a place where there is justice instead of the fear and underhanded tactics that Danzo and the Anbu used."
She called him a friend, but looking at her and the rest of the Konoha 11 Sasuke realized that he was not a part of that true friendship. He had walked away from this incredible team of his classmates when he had chosen to go after Orochimaru's promise of power, all for the sake of his vengeance on Itachi. And he had been wrong.
Madara screamed this time, his voice venomous as he spat out every word. "You think this little show of remorse can make up for everything you've put Sasuke through? You think just with a few flowery words you can erase all those wrongs, bring all those people back? After everything you've put my clan through, you dare speak these pathetic lies about change in front of me, in front of Madara Uchiha!"
"That's enough now," Kakashi said from beside Sasuke. "We all know you are not Madara Uchiha."
The Kage had been whispering. Sasuke's eye was on them as Kakashi pushed him forward so that he stood before them, just beside Danzo.
"Well?" Kakashi asked, an urgent tone to his voice.
"Sasuke Uchiha," Gaara said, his voice almost drowning out Madara's - was it Madara? "Will you step forward to carry out the decision of this Court on behalf of your village?"
Sasuke was standing in front of Danzo before she finished her sentence. "With pleasure," he said, staring at Danzo with both his sharingan.
"Let him go Shikamaru. This time he can't surprise me. This time, I won't let him escape my - escape justice!"
Shikamaru complied without question and as Sasuke moved in on Danzo they all turned to Madara. They trusted him do to his part, allowing him into their team. Even Naruto stayed back as Sasuke attacked Danzo, ready to help, but unwilling to interfere if he was not needed. Zetsu clones were appearing out of the ground now, throwing the entire hall into chaos.
It felt like mere seconds to Sasuke. He dodged attack after attack, effortlessly stepping past Danzo's constant re-writing of time. Now that he was prepared for it he was able to predict when Danzo would use that horrible jutsu and keep himself out of harm. And Karin was there, healing him when he needed it. Jugo was there, helping keep Danzo tapped now that Shikamaru's shadow paralysis was gone. And Naruto was there, giving him chakra when he started to run low. It was a long battle, but when Danzo had finished wasting away those Uchiha eyes, when he stood there, finally helpless before Sasuke, it felt like only a few seconds had passed.
Sasuke made Sakura and Karin check Danzo's body three times each to make sure he was really dead. He stood over the body, determined to watch it for hours before he would be satisfied. And as he stood over the body, guarding it Sasuke let his eyes drift across the battlefield, noticing the fluid way that Shikamaru directed the battle without any arguments from any of his friends. He noticed the elegant way in which the sand village shinobi led by the Kazekage's sister joined the fight, their fighting complementing that of Shikamaru's team. He noticed the respectful way in which Shikamaru's father and other elders of the leaf followed Shikamaru's orders, allowing the new generation to take the lead.
He looked at the movements of his old sensei, Kakashi Hatake, the copy ninja, who preformed jutsu after jutsu with ease and disappeared and reappeared just like the masked man and he wondered why he had ever coveted Orochimaru's disgusting powers when Kakashi had been willing to train him.
"None of this will bring her back, Obito," Kakashi said, coming to stand in front of the masked man.
Madara ripped off the mask and stepped closer to Kakashi.
"Your words are useless against me, Kakashi. You might be able to fool Nagato and Sasuke, but you can't fool me. I know what a useless piece of trash you are! I'm going to capture your beloved student the nine tails and find the eight tails and with their power I'm going to create the ultimate genjutsu, the perfect world!"
Kakashi pulled down his mask and uncovered his sharingan eye. "The boy who gave me this eye was not a coward," he said. "He would never have tried escaping reality into some fake genjutsu world!"
"That boy was naive, as are you. You think that you can't escape your world. You don't have the power to build a new one. But I have the power, I can make a world where even worthless pieces of trash like you can live without pain!"
"I'm sorry Obito," Kakashi said. "I'm sorry for not knowing you had survived, for not saving you from this. I used to respect you, but I have to stand by the Shinobi that I respect now and save them from falling into your twisted plots."
As he watched Kakashi fight his old friend surrounded and supported by the Konoha 11 and all their allies Sasuke realized that Madara - or Obito's words had no hold him anymore. He wanted to be part of that team now. He wanted to fight side by side with them again and again and let them help him, trust in their power as a team instead of searching for a bigger greedy power like Orochimaru's or Danzo's.
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