Chapter 1-Betrayal

Naruto stood before the council of Konoha, solemn look upon his face. Before him were the people who, in Tsunade's absence (currently due to being busy operating on Sasuke after Naruto bought him back from the Valley of the End), were in charge of everyone and everything that went on in the village.

Including Naruto.

Who everyone knew they despised.

Naruto could feel apprehension curling in his gut. For all he portrayed to the world that he was an idiot, he was not stupid. And he knew that this was the perfect opportunity for these cruel bastards to get what they had always wanted.

Naruto gone.

This was to be his hearing of sorts.

"Naruto," Danzo's voice rang out into the silent room, an almost perfectly hidden sneer accompanying the name, "You are the holder of the Nine Tailed Fox-an extremely dangerous demon. Now, everyone here knows that you are not on the level of Sasuke Uchiha, so, tell us. How did you beat him?"

"To a dangerous state of health, I might add," added a nasal voiced woman who represented the civilians', "I heard that almost every bone in his body was broken."

Naruto breathed deeply, his natural instincts of self-preservation warring with his tiredness, pain and temper. After barely a moment of hesitation he found that after the crap day he had had he just couldn't find it in him to care anymore. So what if the truth made them think he was dangerous? So what if they found out he was more than he let on? So what if, just for once, he allowed his pain to be the truth? Would that really be so bad?

His voice was flat, emotionless, as he finally answered their questions, "I warned him that I would do whatever it took to bring him back-even if I had to break every bone in his body. You should be grateful that I managed to bring him back." He paused, taking a moment to control his temper at the unfairness of the fact that they were judging him at all. Then he carried on in the same flat tone, "I am the jailer of the fox, and I can tap into its power. That's what I did, that's how I won. I used the power of the Nine-tailed Fox-the power of Kyuubi." Naruto stood proud, unafraid as he said this and Danzo had to suppress a snarl at the brat's insubordinance and fearlessness.

Clenching his jaw, Danzo spoke again, "So what you're saying, Uzumaki, is that you allowed the power of a dangerous beast to be let loose-a power you had no control of."

"I had perfect control!" Naruto snapped though his voice remained eerily level.

"That's not what I see," Danzo replied, a sudden smirk glinting in his eyes as he realised how he could make this work for him, "What I see is a dangerous boy with no control and no respect for the threat he poses to humans. I see the evidence of this in every injury the Uchiha sustained. And I see your disrespect, the fact that you will never be able to be taught control, in the way you stand defiant now."

Naruto breathed out deeply through his nose to keep his anger in check. The rest of the room sat in rapt attention as they listened to Danzo's (false) reasoning. Danzo himself seemed to take a minute to consider the situation, to decide upon Naruto's sentence of all things.

Then he continued, voice barely hiding his glee at what he was about to do "For years you have run rampant among this village, terrorizing its citizens. Now, with your own loss of control, you endanger us all. Naruto Uzumaki, I find you an undeniable threat to the safety of this village and its citizens. As such, I sentence you to banishment. You are to be gone within an hour and after that time, if you are seen anywhere near this village, the ninja will have instructions to eliminate you on sight."

The woman from before smirked in victory and glee at Naruto's punishment and much of the rest of the council were either showing signs of the same emotions or barely restraining them. They were finally going to be rid of the Kyuubi brat.

Naruto swallowed, fury boiling in his gut but face carefully blank. Nodding to the council, with as much disrespect as possible, he turned his back on them and stormed away. Going straight to his apartment he grabbed the very few personal possessions he had and would need (including the photo of he and his team), and then raced over the rooftops towards the gate.

By the time he had stepped outside of the gate the fury had died and only a cold feeling remained. One that he could not quite identify.

As he turned and stared at the gate that loomed before him he realised what it was.

It was pain.

And it was betrayal.

He had thought that he had been making some headway, that some of the village had actually begun to care, or, at least, acknowledge him. He thought that things were finally beginning to get better.

The council had just proved him wrong.

Of course, he knew he still had the people he knew personally, those whose hearts he had touched directly. He knew that they would be outraged at this and he knew that they would fight for him. Especially Tsunade. As soon as she got word of this she was going to beat the council into a bloody mess and then completely discredit their claims and welcome Naruto back with open arms.

Naruto knew that soon enough he'd be allowed to go back.

He found that he didn't really care.

He didn't hate his village, per se, but he just couldn't find it in him to love it anymore either. He didn't want to go back to a life where he was despised. He didn't want to keep protecting people who would so willingly hurt and betray him.

No, he decided, I will leave, by my choice. I will grow stronger, so that I never have to use the fox's power again, and I will prove them all wrong.

Mind made up and heart feeling lighter than it ever had, Naruto turned around and calmly walked away.

He never looked back.