The judge wasted no time in calling the court to order. "We are gathered here today to determine the fate of the rogue ninja, Sasuke Uchiha, who has gained the right to a trail only through the efforts of our dear Hokage. His charges are as follows: military defection from Konoha, fraternization with rogue ninja, several accounts of murder, attacking the Kage in a neutral country, and fraternization with an enemy organization. The defendant pleads guilty to these charges. I open the trail to the council and the jury.""Hold on for just one minute!" Came the voice of an old woman. "Do not forget that this child infiltrated the village of the Cloud, killing several of their shinobi and causing the brother of the Raikage, the Eight-tails Jinchuuriki, to disappear.""I believe it should also be mentioned that he and his group took the lives of many of the samurai guards during the Kage Summit." One man called out, his booming voice echoing around the chamber.The buzzing of voices rose in a crescendo, the crowd joining in on the declaration of crimes."He has attacked his fellow ninja of the Leaf!""All the Uchiha's are traitors!""He's part of the conspiracy! He was in it with Madara from the beginning!"The judge slammed down his hammer, but the courtroom would not be calmed. In the balcony overlooking the courtroom, members of the Konoha Eleven watched in utter silence. Ino and Sakura watched with blank expressions, only the tightness of their laced fingers giving away their emotions. Hinata sat beside them with her hands covering her mouth, tears rolling down her cheeks as she shook her head. Sai stood behind them with Shino, his ANBU mask in place and his arms folded rigidly over his chest. Lee and Tenten entered hurriedly, still cloaked in a sheen of sweat from their training session. Shikamaru, Kiba, and Neji sat in the front row, leaning on the railing as they watched with rapture. Even Choji was sobered by the gravity of their mood, his large hand resting on Ino's shoulder gently.
"Where the hell is Naruto?" Kiba suddenly muttered under his breath. "Shouldn't he be here by now?"
Behind him, his comrades nodded silently. Shikamaru rubbed at his temple, his sharp eyes following everything that was happening below. "I have no idea. But one thing's for sure: things really aren't looking good for Sasuke unless Naruto shows up."
The minutes ticked by and the amount of noise continued to grow. Irritation hung heavily around the shinobi on the balcony, like an ominous dark aura. Eventually, Sakura started visibly shaking, muttering a single name under her breath like a summoning mantra. "Naruto. Naruto. Naruto!"
"Where are you?"
A cloud of chakra smoke exploded around the chair where Sasuke was chained. A deathly silence fell over the room as the smoke slowly cleared, and a familiar, brightly coloured figure came into view. Naruto was perched atop the back of the wooden chair; on arm resting on his raised knee while the other adjusted his headband.
"Sorry I'm late," He said in a forcibly calmed tone. "My invitation must've gotten lost in the mail."
A sigh of relieved laughter broke the silence before the judge slammed his hands down.
"Naruto-sama, what is the meaning of this? How did you even get in -"
The look the Jinchuuriki shot the judge was potent enough to silence him. He turned to level the council, the jury, and the audience with the exact same glare. His friends watched the collective recoil of those who had been so bold only seconds before with satisfied smirks from their seats on the balcony.
Sakura sighed softly, slumping forward in relief.
"I could ask you all the exact same thing." Naruto's voice cut into them, sharp and powerful. He jumped down from his perch, folding his muscular arms over his chest. "Last I checked, this was a trial for Sasuke Uchiha, not for the entire Uchiha clan. Sasuke is as much a victim of the choices made by his clan as we are. Don't use him as an outlet for your anger against their betrayal. And keep your speculations and accusations out of this. He's committed enough crimes without you inventing some for him."
"Also," Naruto continued, this time in a softer tone. "You all know that Sasuke doesn't even have enough chakra to activate his sharingan, let alone use it. Allow the man some dignity, would you?"
A shiver ran down Sasuke's spine as Naruto's surprisingly gentle hands slipped into his hair, untying the tight blindfold. By the time Sasuke opened his eyes, the blond had already turned his back to him, the thin strip of cloth dangling from his clenched fist. Sasuke was shocked by how much this simple gesture stung him.
"Look at me, idiot."
"Tsunade-sama!" The judge cried out, pointing his mallet in the direction of the Hokage. "I was told that Naruto Uzumaki-sama had been summoned to the Cloud Village!"
The Godaime folded her arms, leaning back in her chair. "Is that so?" She muttered. "I must have forgotten to tell him about that."
Tsunade smirked as she lifted her lashes to reveal deep, amber eyes. "What I would like to know, Naruto, is how you got in here. The barriers around this courthouse should make it impenetrable to any jutsu."
Naruto blinked in surprise. "Oh, that. I've been learning some of my Dad's jutsu. Like his teleportation jutsu and stuff. I put one of the seals on Sasuke after he'd been captured, so I would be able to go to his exact location if he ever escaped, you know."
Sasuke stared at the back of Naruto's head in disbelief. "When did he put one of the landmark seals on me?" He wondered. The answer came to him in a flash of heated memory. He could almost feel warm fingers ghosting along the back of his neck as he realized, "I didn't even notice. Damn."
"Listen." Naruto said, once again adopting a tone of authority. "My most trusted comrades, those who will be the future of Konoha, are watching this trial. If they think the trial is in any way biased or unfair, I will not hesitate to act."
One of the council members, the son of a Lord, leaned forward with a smirk. "But Uzumaki-sama, now that you have arrived, it is impossible for a fair trial to occur. The jury will doubtless be influenced by your presence! Also, is it not fair to assume that if a verdict which is not in your favour is reached, you will act regardless?"
Naruto sighed. "I knew someone would say that. Think about it. If I had no intention of letting Sasuke get punished for his crimes, why would I bring him here in the first place, you know? But I can see your point. I'll leave. I'm just a clone, anyways."
As the clone raised his hands to form the sign that would trigger his disappearance, a low voice cut into the silence. "Hey, Naruto."
The Uzumaki clone turned his face towards Sasuke, though he kept his focus towards the audience. His voice was soft when he spoke. "Just tell the truth, Sasuke. That's all you can do, and I think that's enough."
He redirected his voice to the entire room. "I stand behind everything Sasuke says. And, if you need me, I'll speak on his behalf, you know?"
With that, the clone vanished. Immediately, the courtroom was buzzing with excited voices. However, on the balcony, a shocked silence filled the air. It was Kiba who broke it first.
"Oi, Shikamaru! Is he really just going to leave, and just trust these guys to do the right thing?"
Shikamaru shook his head. "Naruto understands the difficulty of the situation he's in. Sasuke has to fight for his freedom on his own. But-" he paused here to pull a small slip of paper out of his vest pocket, reaching past Neji to place it on an empty seat, "-he'll be right back, actually."
As if on cue, another Naruto clone appeared in the seat beside Neji. In an attempt to mask his presence, the original had fed the smallest amount of chakra possible into the clone, so that its form occasionally wavered. The clone leaned forward, blue eyes intently focused on the scene below them.
"Hey, Naruto," Shikamaru whispered, "Where's the original?"
The clone didn't even spare him a glance. "With the Fourth."
When Shikamaru looked at Neji questioningly, the Hyūga activated his Byakugan. After a moment of searching, he nodded. "Yes, it's as I thought. The original Naruto is standing on top of the Fourth Hokage's figurehead with Kakashi-sensei and Captain Yamato."
The rapping of the judge's mallet called their attention. He furrowed his brow, obviously displeased with the turn that things had taken. "The defendant will now take the stand. Sasuke Uchiha, let us hear why you deserve our pardon!"
Sasuke slowly lifted his head; his long bangs framing his bone-ash face. Finally, he deigned to level the assembled with a look from his coal black eyes, glistening with a sadness made only sharper by the determined set of his dark eyebrows. An awed breathlessness hung over the room.
"I do not seek your pardon," Sasuke said, his voice resonating through the silent hall. "I do not deny my crimes, and as such I am not fearful of their consequences. What I do seek is another chance to live my life, one where I am free of hatred. This is what I seek: a chance to repent."
"For you, Naruto. I will win my freedom, so that you can be freed as well."
Naruto stood with his feet apart, arms crossed as he closed his eyes, the wind playfully rustling his hair. Kakashi and Yamato stood behind him in silence, waiting in anticipation.
"As soon as this trial is finished, I'll head out for the Hidden Cloud. I didn't know they'd requested my help." Naruto finally said, a slight tremor in his voice. "I'll leave a clone behind to watch over Sasuke, regardless of the verdict. Can I count on you two to watch over him as well?"
Kakashi and Yamato were experienced shinobi. They knew only too well what "watch over him" meant. If Sasuke was somehow able to avoid a death sentence, there would definitely be protest from both outside and inside the village. Even if Sasuke Uchiha was given the freedom to walk the streets of Konoh
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