Chapter 7

Naruto's dreamscape.

The Yondaime was his father. His hero was his father. Naruto knew that it was the Yondaime who put the Kyuubi into the seal etched on his belly… and now he knew the man who put the Kyuubi into him was his own father. Naruto lay down on the floor curled up into the fetal position as he sobbed while his eyes were closed shut. Tears ran down his cheeks at the thought of what his father had done and his mind went to his mother, Uzumaki Kushina.

'Did she know?' Naruto thought… or at least tried to think through this sudden information… to himself. The many thoughts in his head grown from this sense of betrayal was so much to bear. The village hated him… they shunned him… they never would allow their children to interact with him… basically, the cost of holding the Kyuubi within him seemed so much. The sense of loneness was all-encompassing ever since he was young and it was his own father's fault. As tears continued down his cheeks, Naruto started to wonder what happened to Kushina and how the Kyuubi escaped the seal.

"Minato, Kushina." Naruto slowly opened his eyes at the sound of the familiar voice. A voice that only reminded him of happier times months ago, now reminded him only of betrayal. The sight of the Sandaime Hokage, the man Naruto would happily call his Jiji, was a blurred sight thanks to his tears still obstructing his vision. Naruto continued to feel the warm tears running down his cheeks as he slowly sat up while staring at the old man. Naruto wiped his eyes with the back of his hands while mentally telling himself that whatever this vision represented, he was supposed to see it. Despite his heartbreak at the actions of the Third Hokage, he felt he needed to see.

Naruto continued to roughly wiped his tears away, even using the orange sleeve of his jacket to dry his eyes. When his vision was clear, Naruto could clearly see Minato and Kushina sitting on one side of the table in the couple's living room – Kushina was looking very large now – and across from them was the Sandaime and an old woman Naruto didn't recognize.

"When your predecessor, Mito-sama, gave birth," Hiruzen said leaning forward, his arms on the table. Naruto got up off the floor and walked towards the table while noticing the worried look the Sandaime gave Kushina, "her seal nearly broke."

"Granny Mito's seal nearly broke during birth?" Naruto whispered to himself in a surprised tone while still wiping away remnants of tears in the corners of his eyes. He then looked at Kushina while Minato was telling the Sandaime that he would make preparations. While the Yondaime was speaking to the Sandaime, Naruto whispered to himself, "so… so does that mean giving birth to me released the Kyuubi?"

"I hate to ask this of you," Hiruzen looked kindly at Kushina and then at Minato before turning his head towards Kushina once again, "but just in case something does go wrong, you'll have to give birth away from the village and within a barrier." Naruto stared at the old man before his eyes landed on Kushina who gave a nod while Minato placed a hand on her shoulder. Naruto then turned towards Hiruzen as he gently held the hand the old woman next to him, "Kushina, Minato and my wife, Biwako, as well as Taji of the Anbu will be with you."

Naruto widened his eyes at the sight of the Sandaime's wife. He wondered if she died in the Kyuubi attack as well, while Hiruzen said that the location would be secret known only to him. Just after Hiruzen said that his personal Anbu would be protecting the site, there was a flash of white for a moment before Naruto found himself in a large room lit brightly by torches hanging off the walls.

In front of him was no longer the dining table, it was now a slab where Kushina lay on her back while grabbing handholds on either side. Naruto could see her knuckles turning white as she screamed in pain. Naruto was worried, 'what's going on?'. She was screaming so much before Naruto looked up to the serious expression on Minato's face while his hands lay down in the exposed seal on Kushina's abdomen. Her extended abdomen.

"This… this is my birth," Naruto whispered as he stared at the seal which seemed to be glowing.

"IT HUUUURRRTSSSSSS!" Kushina yelled out in excruciating pain. Immediately, Naruto rushed forward while reaching out for his mother, hoping to provide some kind of comfort, but his hand went through her sweat covered arm. He looked at her face full of pain before he looked at the steeled expression of his father. His eyes then went to Biwako and the woman he guess was Taji… the two of them were wearing surgical masks.

"I've never seen her this much in pain before, do you think she'll be alright?" Naruto turned his head towards his father's concerned voice, the latter's expression full of worry before turning towards Biwako.

"Of course, she'll be alright! Just keep an eye on the Kyuubi's seal!"

Naruto watched his father turn his head back towards the seal while saying, "but…" However, before he could finish anything, Biwako chided him before reminding the blonde man that he was the Yondaime and that he should act like it.

"This much pain would kill a man but women are stronger!" Biwako barked.

As Naruto looked at the pained expression on Kushina's face, he winched at the thought of what she must have been going through. He had heard giving birth was painful, but to see it was terrifying. He couldn't help but whisper, "sorry, mom." Everything seemed to be normal – despite Kushina's pain – "so what happened?"

Kushina then screamed in pain once again. Naruto stared worriedly at her before his head turned towards Minato who said, "you can do it, Kushina! You can do it, Naruto!"

"Mom," Naruto turned towards the red-haired woman who had pain etched on her face while was covered in sweat, "I'm here… you can't hear me, but I'm here. I'm here." Naruto's voice cracked slightly as Kushina screamed once more just as Biwako ordered her to push.

"I can see the head!" Naruto turned towards Biwako in surprise. He was about to witness his own birth, 'how am I seeing this?!' He then winced before thinking, 'and this is so weird.'

Biwako then cried out as the walls of the room shook with Kushina's screams of pain, "a little more, Kushina! Just a little more!"

"You can do it, Kushina-san!"

"Naruto! Come out!" Minato yelled as he continued to control the seal and prevent it from opening. He glared at the seal, sweat leaving trails down his forehead, as he growled out, "Kyuubi, you stay in!"

Naruto watched with eyes wide open as Kushina screamed in pain once again. And suddenly, he sensed a shift in the air as everyone around him went silent. Naruto stared at the sweat covered Kushina as she panted deeply while a smile formed on Minato's face as the latter said, "she did it."

WAAAA!WAAAAAAAA!WAAAAAAA! Naruto looked towards Biwako as she stepped back from Kushina while Tajin hurried to a side table along a nearby wall before running abck to Biwako with a towel in her hands. He watched a light blonde haired bundle squirm in Biwako's arms as the towel was wrapped around the figure.

"It's a healthy baby boy," Biwako said as she walked towards Kushina's right side where Naruto was standing. He stared at his baby self, stepping back so that Biwako didn't walk through him. He then glanced at his father who was wiping his eyes as Biwako walked past him.

"Heh… I'm a father." Naruto could see the Yondaime – his hero – had an expression full of love. Naruto then turned towards Kushina and Biwako as the latter placed the baby next to the head of the red haired woman.

"He's beautiful, Kushina," Biwako said.

"Naruto," Kushina whispered, her voice full of exhaustion and a gentle smile full of love, as her eyes lay on the whimpering baby, "I finally get to see you."

"Mom," Naruto whispered at the sight before wiping the tears that threatened to fall down his cheeks from his own eyes. He watched as Biwako then told Kushina she and Tanji will clean up Naruto. Biwako then told Minato to begin the process of reinforcing the seal on Kushina's abdomen. Naruto turned towards Minato who then looked to Kushina.

"I know you're exhausted, Kushina, but I need for you to exert full control over the Kyuubi, and then…."

THUMP! THUMP! THUCK! THUCK!

Before Minato could finish what he was about to say to his wife, he turned to the right and his eyes opened wide in shock. Naruto too spun toward the direction of the sound – which was the bodies of both Biwako and Taji crumbling down onto the floor – before scowling.

"Granny! Taji-san!" Naruto yelled as he took a step and then stopped at the sight of the man in a black cloak and with a face covered in a black and orange swirled mask with one eyehole. The man held baby Naruto in a threatening way while Kushina strained her head forwards to look back at what was happening.

"Yondaime Namikaze Minato, step back from the Jinchuriki or else the baby dies."

'This place was supposed to be secret,' Naruto thought to himself as he stared at the cloaked figure, 'so how is he here? Who is he?'

Naruto realized this was it… he was about to bear witness to the day everything in Konoha went to hell. He was about to see the fateful day which would scar Konoha forever and leave him an orphan. And Naruto was afraid. As he watched the masked man throw his younger self into the air… as he watched his hero – the yellow flash – grab baby Naruto from mid-air and then vanish just before there was an explosion from the tags on his baby self's blanket, Naruto realized he was about to see his wish fulfilled. He was about to see what happened to his parents.

And he was afraid. Minato was gone, and as Naruto turned towards Kushina, the masked man grabbed her as she screamed for Naruto before the two of them vanished in a swirl originating from the eyehole.

"Mom? Dad?"

And then there was a bright flash of light.

Naruto's Apartment, 0900 hours; an hour after Naruto's revival.

Since it was well known among most adults in the village that Naruto was the Jinchuriki, Shizune was told by Tsunade that no one else could know Naruto died. The last thing they all needed was word spreading throughout the population that Naruto died since it could reach the ear of any spies in the village. That was the reason why Shizune stood outside the door to Naruto's apartment in a dull yellow hazardous materials suit by herself and holding a metallic case in her right hand. Usually there would be at least three shinobi assigned to clean-up duty whenever a Konoha shinobi died in his or her home due to any reason from natural causes to assassination.

However, it was different this time.

This time, the shinobi in question was the village Jinchuriki. Shizune stood out in the hallway as she reached out and turned the door knob. The door creaked open before she walked into the living room; the stench of blood throughout the small apartment was blocked by the filtration systems in the suit's full covered hood. The living room was still darkened since the curtains were all pulled down and blocking the sunlight streaming in from outside.

Shizune looked away from the closed curtains while closing the door behind her and then reaching for the switch to turn on the overhead fluorescent lights. As the lights turned on, she looked around the living room and walked towards the weathered orange couch.

'How long did Naruto-kun have this thing?' she thought to herself as her eyes scanned the frayed surface of the fabric making up the couch before she looked up at the small TV. She then turned her head towards the kitchen which was located just beyond the living room. And even from where she stood, Shizune could tell the kitchen was a mess. Looking down at the floor of the kitchen, her heart stopped at the bloody footprints and the drops of dried blood on the tiled floor. She gulped as her eyes followed the prints and blood droplets to the entrance of the room on her left side.

Just before Shizune reached the entrance to what she assumed was the bedroom, she stopped and took a deep breath as she closed her eyes while, at the same time, willing her racing heart to calm down. In her minds eye, she could see Kakashi carrying Naruto's body out of the room… she could see the Jonin's sandals leaving bloodied footprints behind while blood dripped down his arms from the way he carried Naruto out of the room and out of the apartment. Sniffling at the thought that the boy who gave Tsunade a second wind… the very same boy who convinced the Slug Sannin to return to Konoha… was dead for more than a day was heartaching. Naruto, who was miraculously alive, was taken to a private room in the Intensive care unit of the hospital where he was going to be monitored twenty-four hours a day along. It would be here that mystic-palm techniques would be used to slowly his body… especially his ripped vocal chords.

'Tsunade-sama wanted to be here,' Shizune thought to herself after the Hokage – when they were still in the hospital - had taken Ibiki aside and spoke to the aforementioned head of the T&I department. From where Shizune had stood in the hospital hallway, she could see the surprise on Ibiki's face as he spoke to Tsunade. It wasn't long before that surprised expression on his face dropped and a more serious expression came to the fore. After Ibiki rushed off to do whatever it was Tsunade wanted him to do, the Godaime walked towards Shizune before saying they were getting several types of scrolls required for clean-up operations… they needed to make sure Naruto's room was spotless… at the very least they had to remove the blood.

In the present, after collecting herself, Shizune walked towards the open door from Naruto's bedroom, she recalled telling her mentor "You haven't slept yet, Tsunade-sama."

"I…."

"I will go clean his apartment… I will go on my own, Tsunade-sama."

Reaching the entryway to the bedroom, Shizune recalled telling Tsunade before the latter could say anything in response, "Naruto needs you alert, ma'am. You stayed up without any sleep, and even I can tell you are exhausted." And all Tsunade could do with a grim expression on her face was nod her head.

As Shizune gazed at the horror in Naruto's room, she was glad Tsunade was taking a nap in the room next to Naruto's at the hospital. 'Tsunade-sama would definitely try and kill Sakura if she saw this,' Shizune thought as her heart raced even faster at the sight of the soaked bloody sheets and the pool of blood on the floor. Her eyes were wide at the thought that anyone, much less a teammate, could do something as brutal as what she was seeing now.

'Naruto-kun is at least alive now, and that was a miracle,' Shizune thought to herself as she put the case down on the floor, 'and I would kill Sakura if I were in Tsunade-sama's place.' Shizune then went down on one knee and opened the metal case before taking out a scroll, 'I couldn't help but wonder what Sakura's punishment would be.' As she unfurled the first scroll, Shizune then began the process of 'cleaning' Naruto's apartment with a mournful expression on her face.

Sakura's Cell, at the same time.

Sakura once used to dream of marrying Sasuke.

Literally dream about it. Marrying Sasuke was her goal.

The last proper dream she had was of Sasuke and herself sitting on top of Hokage Mountain having a picnic after they were married. This version of Sasuke was holding her close to his body and didn't have the curse mark on his shoulder. He was also attentive to everything Sakura was saying. This was the perfect Sasuke. And the next night after that dream would be the one where she killed Naruto.

Now she saw nothing but darkness whenever she tried to sleep… even when she wanted to take short naps. There were no dreams and no nightmares. Her weary eyes slowly opened to find herself lying on the cot in her cell and facing the wall. She couldn't wake up facing the door because she feared laying her eyes on the Naruto who existed in her mind. He was the one who represented her guilt.

"I know you're awake, Haruno," her guilt playfully whispered into her ear while her eyes were tightly shut as she sat on the cot with her back leaning against the wall. Despite the figure made up of her guilt was not a physical being, there were chills that still ran up and down her back. Sakura's eyes snapped opened before she looked down at the goosebumbs forming on her arms before she gazed at 'Naruto'. She couldn't ignore him… she knew that much. And it was confirmed when he said, "you can't ignore me, Haruno. I already told you, I'll be with you forever."

"Leave her be, Naruto." Sakura's Inner spoke in a gentle tone.

"No," her guilt growled in anger, "can she let me go?"

"Naruto."

"Let me go, Haruno," the voice full of anger whispered in her ear, "let go of your guilt and I'll go away."

Sakura closed her eyes again and lay down to her side, her back to the cell door, and then retracted her body into a fetal position as tears started to well up. She could let go of her guilt, but she couldn't. How could she? She not only attempted to leave the village without permission, she also didn't stop Sasuke from leaving, and she killed her teammate on his orders. And in the end, Sasuke left her alone to deal with the fallout.

"Yes, you are dealing alone with what happened, Haruno," Naruto cried out laughing, "your precious Sasuke-kun left you alone. Do you still love him? Do you hate him? You killed me because of him, so can you let me go? Can you let go of your guilt?"

But before Sakura could answer, she turned her body around to the other side after hearing the lock on the door disengaging. She sat up, her eyes glanced at the sneer on 'Naruto's' face as the metallic door opened to two masked Anbu – both were women, one with purple hair and the other one with brown locks that fell down to her shoulders - walking into the cell. They were soon followed by a man who creeped her out – it was the proctor of the first test in the Chuunin Exam. Sakura was seated on her cot staring at the cold eyes on the scared face of the man in front of her. She gulped, sensing that she would soon be facing her punishment.

"What's the punishment for murdering a fellow Konoha shinobi?" 'Naruto' crowed.

'Death,' Sakura thought to herself as 'Naruto' giggled away while dancing next to the man who had introduced himself as Morino Ibiki at the beginning of the first phase of the Chuunin Exam.

"Haruno Sakura," the man spoke in a cold tone while his eyes glared at her, "stand up."

Sakura, her legs trembling, stood up off the cot while her stomach twisted into knots and her mind imagined how her parents must be feeling. Her mother was sobbing yesterday morning when Kakashi and Gai stormed into her room, and now she had no idea if they were doing better. And she was afraid to ask the man in front of her about her parents. Sakura watched, while her heart raced, as Ibiki reached into the pouch on his hip and then took out a piece of paper. She noticed symbols she didn't recognize on one side of the paper while the other side seemed to be completely blank.

"Tilt your head to the right side and pull your hair to the back."

Sakura followed the man's instructions and did as he asked. She felt her neck exposed while her eyes remained on the piece of paper before closing her eyes just as it was pressed against the left side of her neck from under her right ear to the middle of her throat. The position of the paper was exactly where Sakura recalled stabbing and then slicing into Naruto.

"Oh this is good! I wonder what Tsunade will do to you Haruno!"

"Sakura, calm down… calm down…" the voice of her Inner didn't calm Sakura down. She was already panting in fear as she opened her eyes and watched Ibiki, who stepped back, make multiple hand signs.

"Kai!"

Sakura closed her eyes tight and waited with bated breath for the inevitable death sentence to be carried out. She expected her neck to be sliced open and pain to overcome her before dying. 'Just as I'm sure Naruto died.' But nothing happened, just a warm sensation on the area of her skin where the paper was pressed into her. When the warming sensation dissipated, Sakura felt the paper release off her skin before it floated down to the floor. Confused, Sakura looked down and noticed that the symbols on the paper was gone. Confused, she raised her head and looked back at Ibiki who was glaring at her.

"The seal on your neck will be activated by the Hokage," Ibiki said, "don't get too comfortable. While this is not what I would ordinarily do to traitors like yourself, it is what the Hokage ordered." Sakura placed a hand where the seal was placed as Ibiki stepped forward and spoke with a cold edge to his voice, "I want you to know this, if it were up to me, you would have been put to death immediately." Sakura gulped; her eyes locked onto his cold glare before she looked away. It would be a few seconds later that Ibiki walked away. Hearing Ibiki's footsteps moving away from her, Sakura looked up to see the Anbu pull the door open before the three of them left the cell. And then the door was closed shut with a CLANG!

And Sakura found herself alone once again with her Inner and her Guilt by her side. All she could do now as she sat back down on the cot and lowered her head was wait for the Hokage's judgement and sentencing.

The Hokage Tower, 1517 hours.

Mebuki and Kizashi were unable to sleep the entire night. After all, how could they sleep when their only daughter was imprisned in the cells beneath the Hokage Tower for murdering her fellow Konoha shinobi and teammate. The both of them were very aware of what it was that Naruto held within him, and they were terrified of the consequences the Hokage could hand down to Sakura. Kizashi was once a Konoha shinobi who quit the Shinobi force soon after failing his Genin exam. After graduating from the academy, he worked at his father's bakery… the very same one handed down to him soon after his marriage to Mebuki.

After being summoned by one of the Hokage's Anbu at three in the afternoon, the two of them dressed appropriately as soon as possible before rushing out of their home. While walking as fast as they could, Kizashi still recalled the shock after a sobbing Mebuki rushed into the bakery and then took him aside to tell him what happened. He wanted to kick himself, he always knew that Sasuke would be trouble one day and that his daughter's near obsession with him would be detrimental to her. And, of course, he and Mebuki were a part of the section of villagers who didn't like Naruto nor did they want Sakura to mix around with him in the event he went out of control and the Kyuubi took him over.

Over time though, his and Mebuki's attitudes towards Naruto softened, although they looked down on his pranks throughout the village. Now they were quietly open to Sakura making friends with him. And things seemed to be going quite well, Sakura had decent things to say about Naruto – that he would come up with tactics out of the blue and how he seemed to improve and become stronger so that the other villagers would see him as someone more than just a prankster; however, she still emphasized his annoying habits. But Sakura's obsession with Sasuke was still strong despite his and Mebuki's warnings about concentrating on her Shinobi career for her own betterment instead of hoping for Sasuke's approval.

And now, despite everything having gone the right way for Sakura, their daughter had done one of the most disgusting actions any shinobi could do to his or her own village. She killed a teammate. Kizashi was mentally prepared for Sakura to be sentenced to death, but Mebuki wasn't. Kizashi was aware his wife was going to beg the Hokage to spare Sakura's life… he knew that Mebuki – and himself - would go down on their hands and knees. Last night, as they sat in the dark in Sakura's room, Mebuki even had the idea to threaten the Hokage, that if she didn't spare Sakura's life then she would reveal Naruto's death and that he was the Kyuubi.

But Kizashi shut that down immediately. He told his sobbing wife, while the two of them were crying, that threatening the Hokage was grounds for expulsion from the village… or since they were the parents of the one who betrayed the village by killing its chief weapon, they would die alongside Sakura. His wife continued to cry last night into his chest as she shook her head while calling out Sakura's name. Kizashi knew that Mebuki would do no such thing… even if she did something like that, he knew that most likely Tsunade would take pity on them as grieving parents. But he did not want to take the chance.

Before long, the two of them reached the Hokage Tower and were met by Shizune who introduced herself as the Hokage's apprentice. In a curt tone, she introduced herself before asking the couple to follow her up to the Hokage's office.

"Shizune-san," Kizashi asked while holding onto his wife who was wiping her red puffy eyes with some tissues crumbled in her hand, "will Sakura be upstairs?"

Shizune looked over her shoulder and said, "she will. And before you ask, I do not know what punishment Tsunade-sama has in store for her."

The next few minutes was spent in silence as they entered the elevator which then took them up to the eight floor, and then to the Hokage's office. Shizune tapped on the door with her knuckles before a gruff voice commanded her to get into the room. Shizune opened the door and then stepped into the room and stepped aside to let the couple through.

"Shizune," Tsunade said as her eyes remained on the Haruno couple, "bring her in."

"Yes, ma'am," Shizune said before she closed the door behind her. Now Kizashi and Mebuki were left alone with Tsunade. Kizashi noticed of papers and scrolls that were piled chest high against the wall on either side of the desk… he also noticed some red stains on the edges of the papers and the desk before his eyes went down to the floor in shame.

"Hokage-sama," Mebuki was panting as she spoke while getting down on her knees and then she prostrated in front of the Hokage's desk. This action had Kizashi tear up as he closed his eyes before getting down onto his knees and prostrating same as his wife.

He heard a chair screech while Mebuki said, "Sakura's our only daughter and… and I know she made a mistake… and…"

"She killed a fellow Konoha shinobi on the say so of Uchiha Sasuke, another traitor to the village," footsteps could be heard walking around the desk as the Hokage's voice got closer, "murdering her teammate was not a mistake."

Before Kizashi could say anything, the Hokage continued, "stand up."

"Mercy, Hokage-sama," Kizashi begged with his forehead still pressed onto the floor while tears ran down his cheeks and dripped onto the floor leaving several dark stains, "I beg of you. Please, show mercy."

"Haruno Kizashi," a stern Hokage spoke, "stand up. Haruno Mebuki, stand up. I will not ask again."

The two of them sniffled before raising their heads and then standing up onto their trembling feet. Kizashi had only seen Tsunade from a distance when she was installed as the Godaime, but seeing her close up… he could see how beautiful she really was but her eyes belied that beauty by showing off her quiet rage. And chills ran up and down his spine. He held his wife's hand while she reached into her bag for another tissue, but finding none she wiped her eyes with the back of her hand.

Kizashi then saw the Hokage's scowl soften before she walked towards a shelf on her right and then grabbed a box of tissues and then handing it to Mebuki. The latter thanked Tsunade in a cracked voice while the Godaime walked around her desk and sat on her chair. It was as she sat down that there was a knock on the door.

"Come!"

Kizashi and Mebuki turned to see Shizune walk into the room with a red and puffy eyed Sakura following her in the very same robe and underclothes she was wearing when taken away by Gai the previous day. Mebuki and Kizashi wanted so much to run to their daughter and hug her, instead they were ordered by Tsunade to stay where they were while Shizune, with her hand on Sakura's shoulder, gently guided the pink haired girl until she stood next to her parents. Kizashi looked past his crying wife to his daughter whose face showed off how exhausted and defeated she looked. He could hear Sakura whispering that she was sorry as Mebuki held onto her daughter's hand.

It was time for a judgment once Tsunade coughed – to get their attention - while her arms rested on the top of the table.

"You cannot imagine how angry I am at you, Haruno Sakura," Tsunade said glaring at Sakura. The entire room was silent as Sakura – her body trembling slightly in fear - stared directly ahead at the Godaime, "you cannot imagine all the ways I want to kill you for what you have done."

Sakura remained silent. She was staring fearfully into Tsunade's eyes, unsure whether to keep staring or look away. She was afraid… afraid that Tsunade would jump over the desk and then grab her by the throat before using her other hand to crush her skull in.

"Do it Tsunade-baachan!" 'Naruto' egged on as he stood next to Tsunade. The blonde was whispering into the Hokage's ear, "Kill her. Kill her and end her suffering." Sakura wanted to look away… she wanted to look down onto the floor. At the same time, she felt she had to look ahead into the Godaime's eyes. But no matter what happened, she did not want to look in the direction of the gruesome grin on the face of a cut up and bloody Naruto, "or not… killing her is too easy. Make her suffer… how about it, Haruno? Death or suffering until the day you die."

"Not only did you murder your teammate, you aided and abetted Uchiha Sasuke leaving the village," Tsunade spoke in an even tone… a tone she was trying to keep steady. Oh how she wanted to tear apart the traitor in front of her. "You have already made your confession in writing before your attempted suicide."

"Yes, Hokage-sama," Sakura whispered, trying to keep her voice steady.

"I want you to leave my sight," the Hokage growled as Sakura closed her eyes, "but as much as I want to give in to my rage, I want to see you suffer each and every day of the rest of your miserable life."

"Yes, Hokage-sama," Sakura whispered knowing that this was it. Tsunade would be sentencing her to death.

"Under the authority of the Godaime Hokage of Konoha," Tsunade spoke, her tone even, "Haruno Sakura is charged with aiding and abetting the treason of Uchiha Sasuke. The second charge involves the attempted abandonment of Konoha by Haruno Sakura. And the gravest charge of all involves the attempted murder of Uzumaki Naruto."

At hearing the last charge, the Haruno's in the room were in surprise. Sakura didn't know what to say… her heart was racing, 'Naruto… attempted murder of Naruto… attempted… does… does that mean…'

"Ho… Hokage-sama," Mebuki whispered, "is… is the boy…"

"Naruto was dead… let's get that clear," Tsunade growled at the three of them while Shizune simply looked on, "Shizune was there in the operating room with me. He was gone." Shizune nodded her head as Tsunade continued staring at Sakura, "Kakashi was the one who found him… he brought Naruto to me… so many people worked around the clock to revive him."

Sakura had tears flowing down her cheeks as she closed her eyes and sobbed, "he's alive… he's alive…"

"From here on you, Haruno Sakura, are expelled from the Shinobi forces of Konoha," Tsunade declared, "Team Seven is disbanded and the other Rookies will be informed of the reason by their sensei's once the Uchiha traitor is brought back to Konoha. You will stay away from Uzumaki Naruto from this moment onwards. You will cease all contact with him."

"I… I understand," Sakura whispered as she thought about the fact that Naruto was alive. She wanted to see him… she wanted to apologize. But the look Tsunade was giving her forced the pink haired girl to push those thoughts aside.

"BOOOOOOOOOOMM! DREAMS ARE DEAD 'TTEBAYOOOOOOOOOOO! WOOOOHOOOOOO! YEEEEEAAAAAAHHHH!" 'Naruto' yelled out as he danced a jig next to Tsunade who was glaring at Sakura.

"The sentence for the crimes you committed is death," Tsunade said as Mebuki sobbed louder while Sakura's tears continued to flow down her cheeks and Kizashi closed his eyes and shook his head. "However," at that word, the Harunos' hearts raced as they waited in fearful trepidation about Tsunade's next words, "death would be too easy for you."

"I said soooooo! DEATH IS TOO EASY!"

Sakura wanted to breathe a sigh of relief that she wasn't sentenced to death. But the calm look on the Godaime's face told Sakura that she wasn't out of the woods. Sakura could hear her mother cheering softly as she hugged her… but the Godaime's eyes were fixed on the pink haired girl. Sakura could sense that there was something worse for her. Sakura glanced at her father who had a look of worry on his face as they locked eyes and the same thought ran through their heads, 'what could be worse than death?'

"The seal you received on your neck," Tsunade said as Sakura brought her hand up to where the seal was placed earlier that day, "it will go off at the very time you stabbed Naruto and then slashed open his neck." Sakura opened her eyes wide while Mebuki yelled out "Mercy!" at Tsunade. The Godaime stood up, her hands resting on the top of her table, her fingers curling inwards and pressed against the thick wood which was now starting to crack, "oh no, you won't die… you won't even bleed out. What will happen is you will feel every cut… every torn muscle… every nerve going off when you cut him open… you will feel the pain Naruto experienced. You will feel pain every single day from tonight and every night until the END OF YOUR LIFE!"

And there it was… Sakura stared at Tsunade whose face was twisted in rage, 'I… I wasn't sentenced to death but… but I was sentenced to feel the moment before Naruto's death…' Sakura couldn't even comprehend that… she couldn't comprehend what she could expect.

"You will not be allowed to leave Konoha," Tsunade growled as she sat down, "if you do, the seal on the left side of your neck will go off and you'll lose your head." Sakura's arms now hung limply by her sides… she lost everything. For the attention of a boy… a boy who left her to take the fall… she lost everything. Tsunade continued, "any attempt to remove the seal will cause it to explode… in the event you do happen to miraculously remove it, your chakra will overload and you will die." Tsunade's eyes then went towards Kizashi and Mebuki, "what the other Shinobi and the public will know is that your daughter attempted to leave Konoha with the Uchiha. They will know he told Sakura to kill Naruto before leaving the village without her. They will know that your daughter made a vicious attempt on Naruto's life… that he was brought to the edge of death before I was able to save his life."

Tsunade then closed her eyes and rubbed her forehead.

Sakura wondered why the Godaime made a change from murder to attempted murder in the story that was going to be told to the others… especially the other Rookies. But Sakura thought better than to ask. This whole situation was her fault.

"Naruto will live with the scars… both the physical ones and the mental scars," Tsunade whispered as she opened her eyes to stare at Sakura, "you also slashed his vocal chords, so…" Tsunade rubbed her forehead again before looking back at Sakura and saying, "there's no way to know if the attempts of the nurses and doctors to restore his vocal chords will be successful until he wakes up."

Sakura was wiping her tears away from her cheeks while nodding her head.

"I am bitterly disappointed, angry, hateful, and believe me when I say I really want to kill you now," Tsunade said, "but that would be too easy." She then shook her head and took a deep breath. After exhaling, Tsunade continued, "you made your bed, and now you face the consequences of your actions." The Godaime then sighed before saying, "go and live your life in Konoha however you wish but within the terms of your sentence which will be sent to you by later today by one of my ANBU."

The Harunos nodded their heads before Tsunade waved her hand and dismissed them, "Now get the hell out of my sight."

TBC