Sweet and innocent

MHM…. I got a reviews saying I had more spelling and grammar flaws tan usual last chappie. Im sorry, I was just so excited to have time to WRITE, and so eager to publish to you guys, I didn’t re-check it, like I usually do. Keep in mind I do NOT have a beat, and am latin, so a mistake or two is BOUND to escape my radar. I hope this one chapter is not confusing or has many flaws. Its so good to be back in front of my pc, writing to you guys. You’ve got no IDEA how much I’ve missed this. Well, so much, I’ve handed two chapters in less than seven days, if that’s saying something. XD thanks for not forgetting this fic. Luv ya all, my little kittens!!

Naruto’s hearing….. tum tu-tummmmm!!!


Itachi knew he had told the children not to react without pondering the consequences first, but damn! This was absolutely absurd! A nine year old brought into interrogation?! As though he were an adult? Just because they had a whim! Only an entire life of practice allowed Itachi to suppress his emotions from ever reaching his face, and keep it as neutral as they come.

“I beg your pardon, Council members, but I thought this was only a petition for Naruto’s Guardianship, not Sasuke’s as well; furthermore, the only one petitioning is me, not the three of us. They are, after all, too small to petition. They’re barely ten, and nine years old, too young, by any standards, to undergo an interrogation, Councilers” How Itachi managed to keep his voice leveled, and his tone respectful, he’ll never know, but he thanked any deity he could possibly, ever believe in (not many, to be honest), for allowing it to happen. He was trembling in anger on the inside.

He analyzed every reaction, while Hokage and Kakashi were the only ones looking sincerely shocked, he knew the neither had no idea such a thing was happening; Danzo, Mitokado and Hyuuga looked so smug, Itachi felt like punching them. So they were the ones to blame, while the rest of the Council member had varying degrees of honest curiosity, concentration and, in Nara’s case, a hint of boredom. It was surprisingly Amikichi the one to answer him.

“You must understand that this is a… special situation, Itachi. You must have known it for a long time.” The robust man said, in a pacifying voice that did nothing to calm Itachi’s emotions at all. “About Sasuke’s guardianship… think of it as a mere formality, a revising of sorts, now that you have obtained the real, legal deal with your little brother.” It wasn’t even two seconds after the noble Amikichi spoke that Sasuke’s soft whisper filled the silence in the large room.

“What does he mean, the real legal deal Aniki?” Itachi swallowed the lump on his throat, and slowly reached for his little brother, touching his hand, not daring to look at him, for he could already feel the confusion and worry oozing out of the small raven. It would not do to have Sasuke knowing that this group had set up a fake Guardianship, only to keep an eye on them, and that the past three years had only been a scam orchestrated by them, waiting for a fault in their action to rip them apart. Now, they were using Naruto’s guardianship to put their brotherhood to the test once more, and Itachi had all sorts of reservation as to how well they would make it out of this particular situation.

“It matters not, Uchiha Sasuke.” Mitokado interrupted them, stern and defenite.

/of course it matters/ Itachi rebelliously thought, and he was pretty sure the same thought went through Sasuke’s head at the same time.

Itachi squeezed Sasuke’s hand a little harder, then let it go. Danzo had been staring at their joined hand, and continuing the touch would be an excuse to have him say Itachi would spoil Sasuke, since he was pampering him at the slightest trouble. It was a farfetched argument, but the raven had to make sure he could cover all of his bases, no matter how absurd they would seem.

Suddenly, Itachi realized that anything and everything he said, did, expressed on his face, or even thought could, and would be used against him.

“What does matters is that we need to truly explore and become aware of every aspect of this petition and that includes all three of you, who are the implied. Yes, it is true that young Uzumaki, and Uchiha are quite young, but at their age, you were already a Jounin, am I wrong? And they are almost finishing their classes at the Academy, not to mention, we have information that you have been personally training them. It is only natural to assume these children can handle so much more than any ordinary child, is it not?”

Itachi could recognize the compliment as a very sharp, very dangerous double-edge sword even before Mitokado had concluded his little speech. It he said they were ready, Itachi would sound arrogant, as though claiming the academy wasn’t adequate for either of the children, and would also give the Council members an opening to throw curve balls as fast, hard and mighty as they could master, complicating the situation to astronomical levels; answer no, and they would fall right into the trap, implying that Itachi didn’t put enough care and dedication to the growth of his children.

“I do hope so, Mitokado-sama. I merely… advise the children based on what they have learnt at the academy. I have yet to be disappointed” There, left an opening for any future mistakes, and implied that although he was training Sasuke and Naruto, he would not do a total job on his own.

“Then I see no reason as to why these children should not answer a few simple questions” Looking into Mitokado’s, Itachi knew there was a very hurtful punch line in the making, the old man would just not let him off the hook that easily. “Unless of course, there is a reason as to why you think they shouldn’t answer a few questions Itachi?” Even with his glasses on Itachi could feel the old man’s gaze zooming onto him, challenging Itachi to contradict him.

Showing confidence Itachi didn’t really feel, he felt a small, almost insolent smile reaching his face, and quickly turned it into a somewhat polite, respectful expression. “Of course not Mitokado-sama”

“Well, then!! No more needs to be said” It was Hyuuga the one to speak this time. “Bring the device”

Itachi frowned, not liking the sound of that. What device? What did this device do? And why were they planning to use it, whatever it was, to question them three.

As Hyuuga ordered, a ninja entered with room from the back door, with a round object in his arms. It was medium sized crystal ball just a tad smaller than a beach ball, with a light blue color which seemed to be… floating in the middle of the crystal, barely visible, but very much there. The ninja set in a table in front of the council, then beckoned Naruto to him. The blond looked at Itachi hesitantly, and although Itachi had no idea what was going on, he gave the blond an encouraging smile that seemed to do the trick, for the blond stood from his chair immediately and moved towards the ninja.

“May I ask what this… device is?” Itachi asked. Surprisingly, it was Morino Ibiki the one to answer him.

“That is the latest addition to the interrogation division in Konoha.” What the fuck were this people playing at? They brought something used in interrogations to a hearing, to question a 9 year old? And what the hell did the sphere do, anyways? As though reading his mind, Ibiki continued.

“The blue light you see inside the sphere is a highly sensitive chakra sensor. As you can see, what we basically do is to connect the questioned person’s main chakra points to the sphere, and it will monitories the flow of the chakra as we ask questions and they answer. Usually, the chakra flow within a person is so steady and regular that it can’t create an actual change in the sensor, but when faced with a difficult situation say… a question that would force somebody to manufacture things that are not true, or facing a situation of dear tension and fear, the chakra flow changes ever so slightly, and the sensor in the sphere would perceive that, and change colors and size so dramatically, it would be impossible to miss”

Just as the ninja began to link Naruto to the sphere, Itachi read perfectly between the lines of what Ibiki had explained. He couldn’t stop himself from speaking out loud. “You… you are using a lie detector on a 9 year old boy” there was no way Itachi could hide the accusation underlining his statement, and quite frankly, he really didn’t want to.

Ibiki had the grace to look away from the Uchiha’s stern look while the rest of the Council gave varying answers, going from annoyance, to indifference, to a certain mix of guilt and shame, to outright rage. Good! Itachi saw the indignation in Yamanaka and Inuzuka’s face, and hoped these people would come to their senses, and realize they could very well be traumatizing Naruto for life. And also, maybe seeing what Danzo’s crew had clearly planned would sway them into giving him their votes.

“It is a needed procedure, to verify whatever is said in this hearing shall be trustworthy and absolutely truthful” Hyuga leered down at Itachi. “We would not like to skip any second intentions lurking about, under the disguise of such a ‘noble and generous’ request, such as yours, Uchiha”

So that was it. Hyuuga, Danzo, Mitokado and Utatane were probably thinking he was planning revenge against the council, for sending all Uchihas to war up front, basically sending them to their deaths, and they all thought he was using the weapon with the greatest potential in Konoha, the dormant Kyuubi within Naruto, to achieve his goal; in their minds, the petition was not for a guardianship, it was a pass to shape, mold and brainwash one of the most dangerous creatures in the world, and then, when Naruto was ready, and he had control of the Kyuubi, they feared Itachi would turn him against them. Given how much trouble and… humiliation all three of them had endured in this day alone, Itachi felt almost inclined to make their fears come true, the only thing stopping him was that, to turn Naruto into a weapon of destruction, well… he’d have to turn NAruto into a weapon of destruction, and Itachi wouldn’t have Naruto be any other way than his charming little angel was.

Anywho, de’d have to go through this hearing quite carefully, if he intended to survive it. If there was one thing any of the Council member didn’t accept, was a threat to the peace and calm in the village, and whispers in the dark about a conspiracy theory from four influential elders in Konoha could be fatal. Unfortunately, Sasuke didn’t take his own reasoning as far as Itachi, and shocked everyone opening his mouth for the first time in the meeting.

“Yeah, right, cos us, first-decaders are just soooooo good at the deceptions, lies, strategy and deceiving games. We actually get that course before we learn how to read at the academy, didn’t you know?” The ‘stuck up Five(if you included Danzo)’, as Itachi started calling them in his head, looked at Sasuke as though they really didn’t know what to answer to the words, while Nara, Yamanaka and Amikichi barely contained their laughters, Kakashi went as far as to raise a thumb at Sasuke, the Hokage smiled. The only two stone-faced, with no reaction at all were Aburame and Ibiki. Personally, Itachi didn’t know if Sasuke’s words would be helpful, or the boy had made their situation worst by saying something so daring.

“With such sarcasm coming from you, Sasuke, you just might” Utatane sentenced, confirming Itachi’s suspicions; the woman was noticing every tiny little detail, would be trying to attack at every corner, and had a dead set mind on burying them… she would be HARD to convince.

“The device is ready, Honorable Council” the assisting ninja said, and Itachi gazed at Naruto:

/Poor thing. Please hang in there, Naruto/

But Naruto wasn’t even looking at him. Sitting next to the table the sphere was at, with wires linked to the middle of his forehead, over his heart, on the tip of both his forefingers, on his stomach, and his knees, Naruto was looking down at the many wires hanging from his body, clearly terrified, then gazing at the sphere which still remained almost invisible, and then, he turned to look at Itachi, silently begging for his help through sky blue eyes, which were now brimming up with unshed tears.

Itachi tried to smile, he really did, but it didn’t come out at all. It was Sasuke, Itachi saw, who pulled up a small smile, probably because he wasn’t completely aware of the implications of having Naruto of all emotional people, connected to some lies detector device. The blond gave a weak smile, and took a deep breathe, before the ninja turned the chair, so Naruto was now facing the room laterally, and not with his back to the council as he previously was.

“Activate it”

Dread overwhelmed Itachi, just as he surprised himself feeling Sasuke reach for him, but immediately moving his hand back, to set it upon his lap, fisting both extremities so tight, the knuckles were turning dangerously pale. From the corner of his eyes, Itachi examined his Otouto, and was surprised to see sweat running down his brow. So, Sasuke really was aware of just how thin the ice they were walking over really was, and the sentence he had previously said was just, a diversion. A tactic to get the Council members to underestimate them.

/Nice going, Otouto/ If anything, knowing Sasuke was putting all of his sharp mind and quick thinking into subtly battling the Council, and was actually thinking before saying things, threading through the fire carefully, but quickly, gave Itachi a small shimmer of hope amongst all of this. He only hope none of them would make a mistake down the way, and that Naruto wouldn’t be face with any compromising questions.

“Mhm…. Council members…” The ninja’s voice alerted everyone with its nervousness and confusion. They all centered their gaze upon him and Naruto, who was doubtfully looking at the machine next to him. That’s when Itachi noticed, the “sensor” inside the sphere seemed to be expanding, and not only that but also… turning red? Was that normal?

“We haven’t asked anything, sir, there’s not supposed to be a chakra flow into it at all. And the color sir…?”

/So, it is not normal for the detector to do that/ And suddenly, like a lighting it downed on Itachi. /it’s the Kyuubi, the sensor is picking up on the Kyuubi’s erratic chakra flow instead of Naruto’s… If it keeps on doing that, with no way out…/

The red chakra kept on increasing, and it happened so fast everyone, Itachi included, had any time to react. In less than three seconds, there was no space in the sphere, the condensation of the chakra was great, so great it was turning maroon. Naruto kept looking from the Council to Itachi, looking petrified out of his young little mind. Nara seemed to be only one to be aware of the situation, other than Itachi. The young ANBU sprang to action, moving as fast as he could, towards the blond boy, who looked just about ready to faint, or run away, Itachi didn’t know, and he didn’t really care either.

“Get the kid away!!” Nara screamed, standing up from his seat, just as a great explosion was heard all throughout the room.

Itachi gritted his teeth, holding onto both Naruto and Sasuke like his life depended on them. He had barely had anytime to run towards Naruto, rip him off the blasted machine, and run back to Sasuke, protecting them both with his own body, from the inevitable explosion the Kyuubi’s chakra caused in the detector.

The dark chakra had expanded, swift and aggravating, through the room, so Itachi had no time to cover his own back against it, as he was preoccupied protecting his two little angels. Even though his clothes were intact, his back felt like it was burning, and it hurt so bad, it was nearly impossible to block, his elbows felt like they had a heart each, they were pulsating so bad, and he could feel his feet trembling as though they could now longer stand his own weight if need be.

When he looked back, he could tell the Kyuubi’s chakra had only affected him, and the unsuspecting ninja in charge of the detector who now sported a fine cut across his cheek, and was currently sitting against the opposite wall of the room clearly thrown back by the force of the chakra. The rest of the Council members had found a way, whether alone or collectively, to protect themselves from the aggressive intension of the abnormal chakra wave, and were currently lowering their guards. All inanimate object, it seems, were completely untouched, as if the chakra had will of its own, and only tracked humans as targets.

“What the hell was that, Aniki?” Sasuke asked, his small hands grasping Itachi’s shirt so hard, the cloth pulled on Itachi’s skin, hurting him. Itachi wondered just how could the Kyuubi BURN his back so bad, by only touching his skin, without actually hurting his shirt. Sasuke looked shocked, and little worried, but the one who had Itachi’s attention, even more so than his back, was the small blond still in his arms who didn’t even touch him, like Sasuke had, looking for refugee, and was just… laying there, in his arms. Absent, his sight focused on where the sphere had been, Naruto looked absolutely petrified.

“Was that… Was that my fault? Did I DO that?” his soft, scared tone resonated in Itachi’s head, and vibrated all through the room, while frantic blue eyes, looking around the room, to finally settle his eyes on Itachi, asking, demanding, BEGGING for an answer, but fearing it nonetheless. Naruto was just, so scared of doing anything wrong right now he could’ve fainted if Itachi said the incident was somehow his fault.

“Its not your fault, Naruto. You had nothing to do with what just happened” Itachi soothed the blond in the most calm, soft voice he was capable of speaking, with a searing pain all over his back and left elbow. Then, he stood up, containing the hiss on his aching feet as they came in contact with the ground, and extending his hands to the children, who each took one, and stood as well, Sasuke with an unreadable expression on his face, Naruto looking like he wanted to burst into tears at the slightest of thing happening right now. Itachi could sympathize with that, the fear he was feeling was also gripping him immensely, this hearing had just gone from bad to worst, if the Kyuubi had somehow manifested itself.

“Are you both alright??” Naruto nodded, rubbing his hands against his orange pants, then shoved them into his pockets, as if he really didn’t know what to do with them, still not looking at Itachi. “Otouto?” Just then, Sasuke’s whole face shifted, to the most adoring, worshipping, awe filled expression Itachi had EVER seen on his little brother.

“Thanks to YOU, Aniki.” If Sasuke’s voice had come out any sweeter honeys would began to store its sound in the hives. “Thanks for saving us from… whatever that was”

Itachi could just NOT BELIEVE his little brother was pulling up the innocent act right now, while using this… unpredicted situation to shove at the old council member’s how Itachi had been the only one to come to Sasuke and Naruto’s rescue. What a manipulative, conniving, calculative little genius. He was SO glad Sasuke was on his side, and working 24/7 on being a cunning little fire spitter, hidden under a disguise of hearts, flowers and wings. Itachi was at least certain that he wouldn’t have to worry about Sasuke as he had to worry about Naruto.

“Since everyone seems to be alright, and the only damage was the device, I do believe I see no reason as to why we should postpone this, Hokage-sama!” Itachi heard Hyuuga Haruka complain. It seemed the Council was just as… perturbed by the incident as he and the children were. Itachi hoped Hyuuga’s protests would fall on deaf ears. Personally, Itachi didn’t mind postponing the hearing, it would give him more time to prepare, to condition his children… and quite frankly, to get his back checked, because he knew for certain that any contact with the Kyuubi’s chakra was something to worry about.

“Postponing might not be such a bad idea after all, Hyuuga-san.” Danzo spoke for the first time. Itachi immediately changed his mind, and wanted to get this over with right now. Whatever Danzo was planning wasn’t good for them, so he would not be a happy Uchiha if the Council gave him chance to put into motion whatever was going through his evil, dark head. “It would give us time to fix the detector”

The son of a bitch. The son of a bitch! It took everything Itachi had to hold himself, and almost a little more to grab a hold of Sasuke, so he wouldn’t say anything as well, however, Naruto moved out of his reach, looking like a man with a purpose. His words, though, surprised Itachi more than the look on the little kitsune’s face.

“We’re all alright. I see no reason to postpone this. I personally wanna get this thing done as quickly as possible, so you people can see we just wanna be a family, and I can go into my new home. Dattebayo”

sni 17: naruto's hearing, part 2