Chapter 68

Naruto stood in front of the mirror with a vacant look in his eyes. He was dressed in uniform, one that was not stained or sewn back together from a previous mission. There was movement in the corner of the glass, causing him to blink and glance over. Hinata stared back at him from the doorway.

"Are you ready?" she whispered.

Her eyes were still red. When the two of them thought they couldn't cry anymore, somehow, they managed to.

"Honestly no," he sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose and closing his eyes.

"I know... but are any of us?"

Today was the day they would see Sasuke for the first time since escorting him back to Konoha. Slowly, the Village was becoming more involved outside the walls again, but none ventured far. They weren't close to healing from this.

Ibiki and his team had been cross-examining the criminal in court behind closed doors with the Council for weeks. They were trying to piece everything together. Trying to make sense of the events, and today they were ready for an audience. Only a limited number of individuals were allowed inside to hear the sentencing. Some were to come forward if asked for testimonies. None of this was going to be easy.

Each day was a struggle to get by because even when the Be Fong wasn't present, they knew she was somewhere or watching over them. Now there was only a vacant void. Naruto realized he never once thanked her for her unselfish actions. She had saved him on more than one occasion, even nearly losing her arm at one point. A part of him couldn't live with the fact he could never express how grateful he was for everything.

"When I became Hokage she was supposed to be by my side," Naruto whispered hoarsely. "It was a promise we made when trying to stop the Raikage from killing Sasuke. Before Obito showed up... I said I would do it all with her by my side as my top guard because I wouldn't trust anyone else to do the job."

Hinata came up behind him and hugged the ninja tightly. "We will get through this together," her voice shuddered. "One day at a time. And when that time comes... you will figure it out, no matter how hard it is. Because you are strong, Naruto."

They walked hand-in-hand to the courthouse, finding seats beside Sai and Team 10. Shino and Kiba arrived minutes later sitting on the other side of the Hyuuga. "You okay?" the Aburame questioned his teammate lowly.

"No," she answered truthfully.

Kakashi was one of the last to arrive. His eye scanned the room. There were quite a few ninjas wearing ANBU masks lining the back. Their body language was tense, unwelcoming. The Jounin hoped they didn't attack the Uchiha when he entered. He even swore he saw Belva lurking somewhere in the last few rows.

Tsunade and the Council were the first to enter, the woman taking the center seat on the dais as the low murmur in the room hushed. Then the right door opened. Ibiki entered with Kotetsu and Izumo. Between them stood the criminal. He looked terrible, Naruto noted, but there was no sympathy in the thought. Sasuke's hair had begun to grow out during his time in prison and dark circles had formed under the eyes. He was no longer in uniform, dressed in black pants and a long sleeve shirt. His eyes were vacant, didn't even look at the crowd before being forcefully sat in a chair in front of the Village leaders. His back was to the courtroom, but Naruto didn't want to see his face anyway. His body language said enough. The Uchiha was suffering. Good.

"Let us begin," Tsunade spoke up.

The Hokage started with the mission details presented the Be Fong all those months ago. That No Face was the newest band of rogues to end up on their radar. They had done nothing to warrant a full-on investigation. So the Hokage sent her into the field to infiltrate them under a false identity. Mai had altered the Chakra Strings to take on another Kekkei-Genkai. After a period of time and proving herself, she was accepted into the group.

Tsunade explained everything that was in the mission report. From their travels to help lesser towns who weren't able to hire ninjas due to the lack of funding, helping a town after a terrible flood, and being content living off the gird. Not attached to a Village and free to live their lives as they chose. No Face weren't a threat. Not yet, as a councilwoman pointed out. The Hokage ignored her without pause,

"We were aware of there being a serial killer on the loose. That was not a part of the mission, but if something were to come up it was to be reported."

The attack on No Face was revealed. Naruto wondered how difficult it was for the Be Fong to relay all of this information. It was no secret to him when she returned that she valued these rogues to an extent. The young woman worked so closely with them, and even if for a short time how she came back... it was slowly killing her on the inside. And when knowing who was behind it the whole time... hell, the Uchiha even returned to Konoha shortly after her return. Naruto cursed to himself thinking of this now. How Mai managed it, he would never know.

No Face was not allowed to plead their case to Taka when coming face-to-face. They attacked without hesitation and in the end Beon was beheaded. The rogues escaped. Some grew confused as to how No Face got away. Especially with Karin in their presence. She could hunt down their chakra.

"A member of No Face was skilled in Teleportation Jutsus," Tsunade relayed. "And... it came to my attention in this investigation that Mai Be Fong learned this technique as well. They taught her to aid them so all could escape unharmed."

Kakashi glanced over towards Ibiki. His expression was stoic as ever. If he had discovered what the Phantom Ninja was capable of... there was no telling what kind of missions he would've place her on next. That was another reason for Kakashi keeping this a secret and asking everyone who had witnessed it to do the same. He was trying to protect her to the best of his ability given the situation. The Jounin had been reprimanded for keeping this from his superiors.

Then the Hokage went into lengthy detail of the murders of each individual member of No Face. There were no survivors, their remains discovered by various ninjas depending on the lands they attempted to escape to. Each body was disposed of because there was no one to claim them. Some were hardly recognizable from the brutal attacks and their status before banding together was a complete mystery. That was the only thing missing from the Be Fong's report. She listed almost all of their skills, but not where they came from.

No one knew Mai was aware of the identity of the serial killer. She kept that secret until her final hours. That was the last bit of the trial they needed to fill in as to what happened in those last moments from those who saw her alive before leaving. Hinata could not testify, still so distraught just hearing the Be Fong's name made her tear up and nearly sob. But Shino did. She was grateful for it as he took the stand.

"You were aware of Mai Be Fong's intentions before leaving the Village," a councilwoman spoke up.

"To an extent," he answered.

"And she came to the Hyuuga Compound with the intention to tell you want she was about to do."

"It was more so for Hinata, since they were so close. I only happened to be there by chance."

The woman's eyes drifted towards the young woman. Shino cut her off before she was able to try calling the Hyuuga forward again,

"I can tell you everything she would. There's no need to summon another witness."

Tsunade nodded to continue on without interruption.

"She said there was a change in plans. That there was a mission beyond the wall that only she was capable of accomplishing. I asked if it was safe, and she said it was. But I knew something was up and confronted her on it. That's when we knew... that this was her own personal mission. That she knew of those responsible for No Faces' executions and she was going to handle it. We tried to talk Mai out of it, but it was impossible. We tried to use force and woke up on the floor hours later. I'm not exactly sure what jutsu was used, but it was a silent one so we never saw it coming."

"You knew Sasuke was the serial killer," the Hokage spoke up in shock. Naruto's grip on Hinata's hand tightened in support.

"Yes, Mai told us of the theory. But when we tried to question what she had just accused him of, Mai kept stating that there wasn't enough time to go into further detail. That no one else had to suffer because she was going to take care of it once and for all."

"Why didn't you say anything?"

"Because for the first time in my life I didn't want to believe what she said. Neither of us did. Maybe for the first time... Mai snapped after everything she had seen. That in the heat of battle it was a hallucination. Ninjas are known to do that sometimes when the stress becomes too great. You can see the one person you never wish to see as an opponent or a corpse. We should have said something, and we will take whatever punishment necessary because of our actions. But we didn't know all the facts either and hoped it was a lie. She only visited for ten minutes before disappearing."

Kakashi was the next on the stand. He had to explain to everyone what Team 7 came upon in the clearing. Which brought to light how the Be Fong killed the three members of Taka from the coroner's report. None of it was pretty to hear about. Even worse for those who were present to relive it in their mind. Hinata was bent over in the bench trying to quiet her sobs. Kiba listened with wide eyes as his hand began shaking in his lap. Shikamaru glared at the back of the Uchiha's head, who had been quiet this whole time. And that only made him angrier at the fact that he wasn't squirming or fighting back in any way. Or at least showing he was sorry. No, the young man just sat there unmoving. Maybe he wasn't even listening.

"Thank you, Kakashi," the Hokage spoke up.

The Jounin returned to his seat.

"In light of all this evidence and the testimonies we have received we will come to our verdict today. We know for certain that the serial killers all along was Sasuke Uchiha and the former group Taka aided him in his endeavors."

Her eyes turned towards the criminal, who had yet to acknowledge any of them.

"Why did you do it?" Tsunade asked. That was the only question left to be answered. "Any of it? Was being allied with Konoha again not enough for you?"

He had killed Itachi for revenge. Joined the Akatsuki for revenge against Konoha in memory of his deceased brother. Changed sides to fight alongside the Shinobi Alliance against the very people that threatened to end the world. And in the end, he went back to becoming the enemy once more.

The silence dragged on. The woman sighed quietly when there was no answer. Maybe they would never know and that was worse. Because there would never be closure as to the reason behind this madness–

"Because I wanted her to stop fighting," Sasuke managed out in a raspy voice.

It was the first words they had heard from the Uchiha since he was brought back to the Village. But there was no emotion in his eyes as he spoke, continuing to stare at the ground in defeat.

"I wanted a world where she didn't have to put her life on the line. No more bloodshed, no more hate, no more suffering."

"There were some rogues you killed that were not on our list, nor in the black book," Tsunade said. "They weren't a threat."

"All rogues turn in the end. Look what happened with Akatsuki. Why wait for another war to begin when it could be stopped before it happens?"

Maybe that was true, but none could know for sure what the future held.

"You weren't there when she was dismembered because of Obito... I didn't want her to go through it again."

"You don't get to decide someone else's future based on past mistakes that didn't involve them to begin with. Those were innocent lives you took."

He gave a hollow laugh.

"I fail to see how any of this is amusing."

And the crowd couldn't agree more. The reaction caused some of their blood to boil. Ibiki was alert now more than ever. There could be a full out riot in the room if they didn't tread carefully.

"We're ninja," Sasuke said. "None of us are innocent. All of us take life at one point or another whether by accident or on purpose. And I find it amusing that you would say something like that. 'You don't get to decide someone else's future...'. All of you decided things for Mai the minute she entered the Academy. The minute she graduated. The minute she became Chuunin, and then Jounin, then ANBU, and Phantom."

Some in the room were surprised to hear of her rank. Unaware of such a high-class title for the young woman.

"She was just a weapon for the Leaf to use when no one else could accomplish something," the Uchiha continued.

"That is not true–"

"If Mai asked to leave, say she had enough, that she didn't want to be a ninja anymore, that this is where it ends, would you have let her go? To live her life without bloodshed and war?"

The room fell silent.

"Would she have been allowed to walk through those gates freely and never have to come back?"

"It could have been discussed–"

"Don't lie. You'd never let her leave Konoha if she didn't want to be a ninja anymore. And because none of you would allow her that freedom, she would've become a rogue to escape. Then it would be the elite of Konoha that would hunt her down so secrets never got out. Even if that was never her intention, to expose the Leaf. You'd never let her be free... so I did what I did so there was hope she could stop one day. So Mai could say enough."

"You became a serial killer," Tsunade countered. "We allowed you back into Konoha because we believed you could be trusted. Allowed you to travel beyond the walls after all you had done. You went above the higher ups and took matter into your own hands. You had no right to take any of their lives. Mai Be Fong is dead because of your decisions. Was it worth it?"

Not anymore because he didn't have anything to fight for.

"I hereby sentence you to exile within the Uchiha compound. You are to never leave the gates again. And as those years begin to pass in your loneliness, I hope you reflect on the pain and suffering you have caused for those around you. Your chakra will be sealed so you cannot harm anyone ever again."

A death sentence was too easy for the Uchiha. He was led away by Ibiki and his men, cuffed so he didn't try to escape. But there wasn't even a hint of that happening. The young man lost his will to fight. They would keep him alive so he could suffer in his own isolation because there was nothing that could be done to bring back Mai. As for jailing him that would just take up space needed for criminals to be interrogated. This was the cruelest punishment the Hokage could give to Sasuke Uchiha and there wasn't a part of her that felt sorry for it.

"Dismissed."