Naruto : Uchiha : Chapter 94
Hokage Tower
Council Chambers
...
Standing at the anterior to all troubles of his life, Naruto all but ignored the icy stares being leveled on him. He was used to them by now anyways, and focused all his attention on gazing at the redheaded woman seated in front of him.
Their intense stare-down lasted a moment too long, azure eyes boring into those deep pools of amethyst with an adoration only a child gazing at his mother could ever hope for.
"Uhum…"
Blinking numbly, both snapped their necks aside to see all councilmen looking at Mito expectantly. She did have the decency to flush in embarrassment and reciprocate her child's polite nod with one of her own.
That was all they saw before her loving visage all but vanished, leaving behind only a stoic countenance that betrayed not a single emotion inside her heart.
"Naruto-san." greeted a new voice.
Nodding, "Ensui-san." Naruto greeted back.
Centering all his attention over the man, Naruto stared at the Nara clan head with an unwitting look; a look that screamed innocence. Being the smartest of the bunch, Ensui inwardly gave props to the boy for holding himself in a manner that would have suited a trial before, and all this was even before knowing what he was called here for in the first place.
He was already pleading innocence, smart little child that.
Sighing lazily, "We have received some troubling reports from your squad…" the man started.
Nodding once more, Naruto had a fair idea as to where this was heading, "Then am I wrong in assuming that this troubling matter has something specifically to do with my actions, seeing none of my squad mates are present here?" he asked.
"Quite an astute statement you gave there, I must say. Regardless, you are on point." commended Ensui.
"To be blunt," started Akio Inuzuka, effectively cutting off Ensui's interjection in half. Naruto's slender eyebrow shot upwards seeing a displeased scowl flash on the Nara's face before it was quickly hidden, all done in a split second.
Some other person might have missed it, but his clan wasn't known as the sharpest of eyes in the Elemental Nations for nothing. But deciding not to dwell too much on it, he kept it in the back of his mind for now.
"Many, if not all of us, believe your actions to be unbecoming of a ninja who wears the Leaf headband." he reasoned diplomatically. Though the underlying threat wasn't lost at all to the blonde boy, who had half expected it actually.
Inhaling a deep breath, "I see." Naruto rebutted.
"Whatever it is you say-" Akio blinked as the blonde's words struck him, "…wait what?" he bespoke, clearly not understanding Naruto's humble stance. Blue eyes took in everything in front of him with a sincere look.
This was no trial, it was an enforcement.
"It doesn't matter what I say at the end of this trial, does it?" Naruto retorted icily, catching those unintended flinches all across the room with his frigid blues, "So let's end this farce of a trial and hear it, let's save ourselves the time." he finished mirthfully. That was all he could say before the entire room erupted in a rage induced shout fest. Curses and obscenities were flung his way with no shame or regard for appearances whatsoever.
Naruto, disregarding each and every one of those shinobi; if they could even be called that after having been benched for half their lives in this dank looking room, focused his eyes on the only person that currently intrigued him.
Mito, had her face hidden in her hands out of sheer trite, and for a moment, just for a moment, he felt guilty for putting her through all this.
But frankly, by this point, he was beyond done with these coots of the council. To think they had taken his elated and jubilant demeanor and managed to turn it upside down in a few minutes, he had to give them props, but that was all he had to give.
There would certainly be no politeness; at least not from him.
Breaking his gaze away from the crown of crimson, his slant eyebrow raised in utter amusement seeing them shouting and reaching out of their tables to catch a hold of him. It was quite comical, so he did the only thing he could;
He laughed.
Loudly and shamelessly.
That was, quite frankly, the wrong thing to do given the sound levels increased twofold after that. But Naruto being Naruto, just couldn't help it. He clutched his stomach and rolled over in mirthful pain, it was beyond hysterical.
"THAT IS ENOUGH!"
His laughs and their shouts ceasing, Naruto was quite interested at seeing the seething Inuzuka clan head who looked ready to, quite literally, murder him, "How dare you mock us?!" he roared, "Do you have any idea what we can do to you, you accursed child?" fangs bared, his nails scraped the timber of his table like a beast.
Splinters rose, and any lesser genin might have been intimidated. But Naruto was far from being normal, "Like what?" he mocked, further enticing the riled up man. "Cut my pay from the previous mission, or from the next one too?" he snarled right back.
Silence.
Jaws dropped all across the floor, a pin could have pricked the thick tension settled between the two men on the floor. Mito, beyond shocked, could do no more than stare numbly at the completely different visage of the boy she held as her heart for dear life.
Never was he the one for initiating violence, and even from here she could tell he was doing all this just from being tired.
Smirking upon seeing his mouth opening and closing wordlessly,"Cat caught your tongue, mutt?" he taunted a little more.
That sealed her worries, he wasn't thinking straight.
Tired was he from their stereotypes, sneaky whispers and double plays. Akio though was beyond angry. To think a mere genin was talking back to him, even more blasphemous, he was successfully mocking him!
"Man, he's as troublesome as the rest of them; the Uchiha I mean. You are of their blood descent alright." Ensui commented tiredly.
Akio stared dumbly, appalled at his colleague's words, "Ensui, what-" he debated heatedly. But that was all he could say before,
"What's that supposed to mean?"
It was almost a hiss, the low whisper could have melted ice with it's intensity. Ensui gave the young lad a pitying look seeing his unbridled hostility. It was only natural after all, "Relax kid. Not all of us are trying to pick a bone with you."
ignoring the mock gasp of the Inuzuka clan head at Ensui's crafty side-tone for his colleague and his smart little pun on bones, he continued on, "Though, I am curious. Why do you keep us in such low regards?" he asked, honestly curious.
From what he had gathered on the boy through word of mouth, he was actually painfully polite to everyone; even to his enemies. But to them, he had been anything but polite, instead he looked ready to bite back, if need be.
"You disgust me."
Silencing the table from another uproar, Ensui waved his hand as a motion for him to go on. He could see the boy wasn't done yet.
"Every damn one of you have the power to do something, to change something. To-to, I don't know, make a difference." Naruto whispered, his features suddenly downtrodden.
A spark of hope flashed in the Nara's eyes, "But all you guys do is sit behind that damn table, mouth your hearts out and take notes for all the shit you pull on either the clients; or your own subordinate charges.
That is why I loathe the very being of diplomatic ninjas like you. Ninjas who have the peace of mind akin to that of cattle." he answered blithely. Ensui opened his mouth to interject, but Naruto was far from done.
"To me, you have less worth than livestock."
And with that statement, Ensui clamped his lips shut. Seeing the boy eye all of them in utter disdain, and knowing how heart-felt, how stubborn the members of his clan were - he knew words won't change that mindset.
Not easily, at least.
Deciding to take a peaceful approach, "Those are some rather harsh words, you must have seen something truly disastrous to have come to think of us at such a low degree, no?" he asked in a vain attempt to steer the conversation to a bit more peaceful side.
Not like Naruto was having any of it, "Just go and look at the back alleys of our bustling streets, times of peace may have blinded your senses; mine are still intact.
Orphanages are overflowing with children lucky enough to make it there, rest live in starvation or under whatever roof their parents may have left them while the rest die on streets. I've seen them all, so don't bother interjecting.
War orphans, whose parents died protecting our oh-so honorable walls, all they got was a name scribbled down on some stupid stone, while you and your children", he pointed a finger at the rather lavish looking desert and tea at each of their desks. It was self explanatory honestly, "Right now, you all have supreme power over all our authorities but - you get the gist." Naruto finished nonchalantly.
"I see."
Silence befell the two, both eyeing each other in a new found light. Ensui clearly hadn't thought for a boy of thirteen to be so deeply ingrained into his psyche, while Naruto's eyes shone with respect for his debater on a completely different reason.
He was the first to have clearly listened to all his accusations while need not bothering to argue with them. Instead, his eyes looked to be calculating something.
He respected a man of reason.
...
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