Changing Fate: Chapter 30

CHAPTER 30


Konoha's New Light
(木ノ葉の新しい光 Konoha no Atarashī Hikari)



"Where am I?"

Right now, Naruto was drifting. The blond was slowly drifting further and further into the eternal darkness. Realizing this, the blond was looking around desperately for an exit. There wasn't any and he tried to free himself from it by clasping his hands together and shouting 'release'. It didn't work. Naruto had tried it again multiple times and it still didn't work.

"I put you under a genjutsu, Naruto." A voice answered and Naruto immediately recognized that it had belonged to the shadow genius, Shikamaru.

"What?! Are you fucking kidding me?! Shikamaru, undo this jutsu right now!" Naruto demanded to no one in particular. Shouting was not gonna help him at this point and especially not in a genjutsu.

"I cannot do that. Once this jutsu has been activated, it becomes unbreakable. The only way to stop it is if you understand what you need to do. Realization is the key to undoing this jutsu." spoke the genius' voice.

Naruto knew the shadow user better than this. In his mind, he kept thinking why was Shikamaru doing this to him. He would never go to such extreme lengths for him or anyone for that matter. He tries to avoid using such methods on people. Then it hit him. This genjutsu that he was in had sealed away all his chakra and he was unable to get access to it. "Shikamaru, this isn't funny! Let me outta here!!!"

Before Naruto could protest any further, multiple thick ropes of dark thread had wrapped themselves around the blond. Naruto had tried to free himself from the seemingly tight ropes, but they pulled the blond down further into the infinite darkness, devouring him piece by piece until he was eventually swallowed up whole...

XxX

While performing the technique, Kei was envisioning what he was seeing throughout the mind and the chakra network of Naruto. It was so intense that his mind was going to the point to where he couldn't process what his own thoughts were. He had to stop. This was becoming too much for him. "Whoa..."

"What is it, Kei-san?" Miyuki asked.

"It's Naruto-sama's chakra. It's stagnant and still...almost as if he's in a comatose state..." Kei analyzed. He could feel the perspiration rolling down his face from his forehead from concentrating too hard.

"Comatose?!" Nariko blurted out a bit too loudly, scaring away the small birds that were scattered around the roof of the hospital.

"But that's not it. His chakra is also greatly disturbed."

"Disturbed...? He's under a genjutsu." Sarina guessed after figuring it out what the cause of Naruto's semi-incapacitated state.

"Yes. Apparently by Shikamaru-sama." Kei concluded.

"What?! For what reason?! What is Ponytail up to at a time like this?!" Nariko asked in anger.

"I don't know, but I hope it helps the situation that we are in right now." Kei wasn't exactly sure what kind of genjutsu that Naruto was under, but whatever it was, it must be pretty powerful for Shikamaru to use it to such a high level of intensity.

"What about Father? What's going on with him?" Miyuki inquired.

"Not good. I sensed something from him that I thought I would never feel from him." Kei explained as he release the technique.

"And what is that?" Sarina questioned, anticipating her brother's answered while she placed her hands on her hips.

"Tension. Pressure. Suffocation. Fear. Right now, it's nerve wrecking and the violence erupting from everyone in the Precinct House is only amplifying what Sasuke-sama is really feeling..." Kei stated as he took his glasses off and placed them next to him on the concrete surface. All of this concentration was giving him a serious headache and he rubbed the bridge of his nose as proof of that.

'Father...' Nariko couldn't process the fact that Sasuke was possibly feeling those kind of emotions. They didn't fit him at all and it made Nariko feel even more distress. She couldn't even imagine that her Father, one of the strongest shinobi in history would succumb to such extreme psychological torture. For him to feel like that, he really was under pressure.

"I'm gonna try and concentrate more on Sasuke-sama. Naruto-sama is with Shikamaru-sama, so he's in excellent hands. This jutsu does consumes a lot of my chakra and puts a serious strain on my body." Kei admitted that he was getting tired. Trying to focus on a single focal point and having your chakra fixed in that position for a long period of time is extremely difficult. Even advanced sensors had trouble trying to sustain this high level of a technique.

"But you can't give up! You have to keep going!" Nariko yelled, hoping that Kei wouldn't stop using his jutsu that helped them keep up with the current happenings.

"Don't push him so hard, Nariko! You're not the one who has to do this!" Sarina defended, looking at the tomboyish girl slightly agitated. Nariko was being unreasonable and she was not gonna have her run all over her older brother with her ridiculous orders.

"When that tragedy occurred, they stepped into battle, they put their lives on the line and they gave the next generation a chance to live..." Kei simply smiled in gratitude and he formed the seals in order to perform the jutsu again. "For those two...the ones who sacrifice themselves in order to give us peace...I'm willing to push myself to the limit for them..."

Kei was one of the sharpest minds in their generation and Miyuki was glad that he was here to help them out on this mission. After hearing him say that he wouldn't give up, it gave the girls a little bit more hope. "Thank you, Kei-san." The blonde said with a sincere smile.

XxX


When Naruto had stopped bothering to struggle in this genjutsu, he somewhat relaxed. He couldn't relax fully anyway, because he had no idea what the was gonna happen inside this genjutsu. After a while of slow free falling, Naruto had landed on his feet in the empty space, looking around for any kind of clue to help him out. Looking ahead, Naruto had something that was all too familiar to him.

Oh his left was a red swirl and on his right was a red and white fan. "The Uzumaki and the Uchiha symbols..." The moment he said that, the two symbols started to slowly move towards one another. "The symbols...are becoming one...?" Naruto asked himself when they finally came together and combined.

Behind the symbol, two figures had faded in and they had their backs turn. They both had the combined symbols of the Uchiha and Uzumaki clan sewed on the back of their clothes.

"Nariko? And..."

"Have you met the young girl that Taka was traveling with yet? When you see her, try not to catch a heart attack..."

"Miyuki..." Naruto murmured after remembering Sasuke's words from the night before. Before he had time to think some more about it, everything around him had shattered like glass...

"Shikamaru, the joke is OVER! Undo the-"

"Naruto." A demonic voice spoke to him and a pair of red pupiless eyes opened before him and Naruto was hit with an immense wave a chakra. The blond had never felt chakra so immense since Kurama's chakra. The power that he was feeling from this being was absolutely terrifying. It had took all of his will power to keep himself standing up.

"This...is what will happen if you continue to mourn in your own self pity. Not only will you lose him..." The voice boomed with such demonic fervor that nearly knocked Naruto back with its explosive chakra. "...but you will lose the very thing that brings you hope in your future..."

Lightning had struck and Naruto had witnessed a graphic and horrifying sight. There they were...the three people that the blond had cared deeply for. Sasuke's body was tied up with black thorns and he was leaning forward with scarlet blood dripping from his body. Nariko's body was punctured on a huge spike, her lifeless form was profusely covered with her crimson body liquid. Miyuki was laying on jagged rocks, her opened light blue eyes was now stagnant and dead as her flesh was pierced from the rocks under her body.

"Nariko...Miyuki..." Naruto couldn't believe what he was seeing. Corpses. Sasuke, Nariko, and Miyuki's corpses...his future...was gonna feel like that.

"What will you do, Naruto?" The horrid demonic voice whispered to Naruto and it made the blond think. Everything would be literally be over and everything that he believed in would die. His spirit, dreams, life, his hope, everything if this happened. This CANNOT happen.



Naruto's eyes widen harshly from the terrible vision as he jolted away from the shadow user in fear, almost knocking the chair and himself down on the hardwood floor. His pulse was racing at an incredible speed and his face was covered with a sleek sheen of perspiration. And to top it all off, his body was slightly trembling. 'Wow...I can't believe it. Naruto broke out of the genjutsu a lot faster than I thought he would...'

"Sasuke...Shikamaru..." Naruto muttered. Shikamaru barely understood him, because the blond could barely think straight right now. Those horrible, horrible visions were still haunting his mind.

'His mind is in a mess. I'm truly sorry about that, Naruto...'Shikamaru had helped Naruto up and he was able to sit him down in the chair. "I'm gonna go outside and let you calm down. Hopefully, you'll be all right by the time I come back in."

Gently closing the door behind, Shikamaru walked over to the balcony on the other side of Naruto's apartment and leaned against the metal bars. The genius sighed from having to use that technique on a comrade, but the way that Naruto was acting left him no choice, but to forcefully break his depression. Shikamaru had always let people seclude themselves and heal at their own pace, but in this particular case...he couldn't let it ride.

Shikamaru had looked up at the sky and he noticed how the cloud had a tinge of gray in them. He grimace from the irony of this situation. "As much as I enjoy the clouds, a clear blue sky would be a nice change of pace right about now. I just hope I'm doing the right thing. I don't like resorting to such...troublesome methods..."

"Shikamaru?" A voiced called out to him. The shadow user had turned his head to the left and he noticed that it was the familiar kunoichi, Sakura. She was in her off duty clothes and she was carrying a bag that looked pretty heavy.

"Sakura...what brings you here?" Shikamaru questioned.

"I just came to check up on Naruto. His depression has been worrying me over the past week. How is he doing?" In the bag, it was full of instant ramen and other small treats for him to enjoy. She hoped that this would cheer him up.

In the corner of his eye, Shikamaru had saw a blur of orange vanishing out of his sight and he simply smirked. "Sakura, I don't think we have to worry about Naruto anymore."

"Huh? What makes you say that?" The medic nin asked somewhat confused.

"Let's just say...during these days filled with dark clouds, he has finally found his way out through his own silver lining..." Shikamaru had turned to Naruto's opened door after he had finished his statement.

Not understanding what he was saying, Sakura had took it upon herself and went to see if Naruto was still in his apartment. To her surprise, the blond was nowhere in sight. He had left his hitai-ite on the small table that he eats from and the window was left opened. His room was completely spotless, which was a rare sight for Sakura to see his apartment so clean.

"Naruto...you didn't..." Sakura spoke silently as she was once again marveled by this will and determination. The pinkette had placed the bag on the table and she set something next to it.

'Naruto, you're the only source of light that hasn't fade away in Sasuke's heart. Not just his...but in our hearts as well. You give everyone hope with your pure shinobi spirit and lead us out of the darkest hours with your radiant light. A light that still glimmers even in the most immeasurable amount of darkness. I expect you to do it. I expect you to make a miracle happen, Naruto...as Konoha's New Light...' Shikamaru had looked towards the direction of the Precinct House. He knew if Naruto was going to make it there in time, he was gonna have to sprint the entire way there...

XxX

In the Precinct House, the two witnesses from Kumogakure were now speaking about their past encounter experience with Sasuke Uchiha "While me and my partner was scouting Unraikyo, we had come across Sasuke Uchiha and his teammates. He asked for information concerning Lord Killer Bee." The man that was speaking was a member of the Yotsuki clan. He has dark eyes, brown hair and a very well defined jaw line. He wore the standard attire of the Kumogakure shinobi, including a forehead protector, flak jacket and shin guards.

"When we wouldn't obey his demands, he used his Mangekyo Sharingan and forced me to talk. After the fight had took place, Killer Bee...was nowhere to be found. So far...we had no luck in finding him..." J spoke. J is a bald man with a flak jacket with one strap over one shoulder, and a black shirt underneath. He also wears sports sunglasses and a forehead protector with a white cloth.

Koharu sighed. "It is clearly obvious where this young man is headed. He betrayed his friends, he betrayed his home, and now he's lost his only chance to redeem himself. If he continues down this road, who knows what will happen. Because of what he has done, a war could possibly break out between the Leaf and the Cloud. There's absolutely no way that we can let this boy continue to live."

'You have me bound to this chair, blindfolded, and I can't use any of my techniques. There isn't anything else you could possibly do to me at this point.' Sasuke thought.

"Sasuke Uchiha, you and your predecessors have devastated the world with your Curse of Hatred, and as the sole survivor of the clan, you will pay the ultimate price!!!" Homura said and the whispers in the courthouse had erupted once again.

XxX

Meanwhile at the main Hyuga branch's house, Team Gai and Team Kurenai were outside in the back of the house in the garden, listening to Sasuke's trial by radio. Neji was standing with his arms crossed, his  eyebrows were slightly furrowed from everything that was happening. Tenten was leaning her body against one of the wooden pillars, listening from not to far. Rock Lee was kneeling right in front of the radio with a concerned expression. Hinata was sitting next to Kiba while he was petting Akamaru and Shino was standing next to Rock Lee.

"Sasuke-kun..." Hinata said in worry, concerned about the well being of the former comrade. Even though the two of them had never spoken to one another, she couldn't believe that a former ally from the village was about to be prosecuted. 'Naruto-kun, I'm sorry...'

"Man, this is downright depressing. Turn the damn radio off." Kiba spat, exasperated by the turn of events.

"Kiba, there's no need to be so insensitive!" Tenten yelled, getting upset by Kiba's behavior. She knew Kiba never really liked the guy, but he didn't have to be so abrasive about this situation.

"Tenten is right, Kiba-kun! Where's that youthful spirit?" Lee spoke with an unusual amount of passion, which was not needed right now. This was not the right moment for his happy-go-lucky attitude.

"No amount of that craptastic spirit is gonna help him now! We did the best we could! I don't see the point of getting upset over something we have no control over!" Kiba answered. This was irritating him immensely. Everything and everyone around him was either, upset, sad, or just sulky for no reason. To Kiba, Sasuke was someone he was particularly fond of. Despite how he felt, he didn't want the guy to die.

"I disagree, Kiba. When this is over, Naruto and Sakura...they won't be okay. Why? Because those two won't be able to stomach what's about to happen to their teammate." Shino could somewhat understand how Naruto was feeling and how he would go so far for his friends. If he was in the same shoes as Naruto, he really wouldn't know what to do if that was happening with either Kiba or Hinata.

"We can only hope that Shikamaru can do something about this. All we can do is wait." Neji assumed. At least, that's what he thought. He wasn't entirely sure himself, because things had gotten so crazy over the past few months.

"Neji-niisan..." Hinata murmured in distress.

"I hope everything will turn out for the best..." Tenten stated.

"So do I..." Shino concurred in agreement. After settling down, both teams continued to listen at the radio in order to hear the final verdict of the trial.

XxX

Kei's red eyes had widen slightly from sensing the chakra of a familiar person suddenly shot up. He knew immediately who it was. "Oh, no. The Daimyō is about to give the verdict."

"What?! So soon?!" Sarina asked in surprise. She had been keeping track of time for this trial. It had only been at least a hour and forty-five minutes. Trials usually last longer than that. Something was seriously off about how this trial was being handled.

"Well?!" Nariko asked breaking the silence.

The male sensor nin just turned his head away from them in bereavement.

"Oh, God..." Miyuki whispered, letting the only bit of hope she had be completely shattered as despair filled her heart. "This can't be happening..."

Trying to secrete any tears from escaping her onyx eyes was almost impossible for Nariko, because she was a emotional person. Especially when it came down to her Father. She adored him and supported him no matter what. To hear that her efforts of trying to save his life have been wasted...was disappointing. Not able to take the news that she was hearing, Nariko had slump down to the ground and she started sobbing silently.

"Nariko..." Sarina said, looking at her with sadness. The redhead had came to where Nariko was and hugged her from behind. She hated seeing the strongest girl she's ever met in pain. Pain didn't suit her.

"I'm sorry, you two..." Kei apologized. He only wished he could do more for them than just say he was sorry. This was unacceptable to him and he continued to use his jutsu, regardless of the fact that he already knew what was about to happen next. 'Naruto-sama, please hurry and get there...!'

XxX

'Itachi, this is how it ends for me. The end of...a proud clan...'

"The prosecutors and myself have concluded in the case of Sasuke Uchiha vs the Shinobi Nations, we find the defendant-"

"Stop!" A raspy voice yelled from outside. "Stop this trial!"

Kakashi and Yamato's eyes widen slightly from recognizing who it belonged to. Tsunade and the Fire Nation officials had stopped what they were doing as well as the Daimyō, Homura, and Koharu had turned to the door. Sasuke had stiffened also from hearing that voice. In a reflex, he lifted up his head and even though he couldn't see anything, Sasuke looked in the direction of the door in the Precinct House.

A moment later, the wooden double doors were forced opened abruptly with a thunderous boom and everyone in the room had turned around and saw a male silhouette standing in the doorway. The bright light from outside was obscuring his true form, but the only thing that was visible was the spikes that was visible on his head. Quietly, the person stepped into the room and he had revealed himself to be...

"I, Naruto Uzumaki..." the blond stated as he walked into the room. "...will speak on Sasuke Uchiha's behalf!"
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* * *NEXT CHAPTER SYNOPSIS* * *


The next chapter of Changing Fate is:

Naruto's Declaration
(ナルトの宣言 Naruto no Sengen)

Naruto interrupts the trial and puts his shinobi honor on the line! What will happen when he speaks on Sasuke's behalf on the decisions that he made in the past?!