One week later.
Tsunade shook her head again. She seemed far more tired than her years should allow, and her eyes were blank.
“How- you- you can't!” Naruto shouted, slamming his hands down on the Hokage's desk. Papers that had been stacked up tilted and fell, splayed about the desk like feathers torn from a beautiful white bird. Tsunade didn't react. The papers lay still.
“You can't kill him! You can't!”
Hinata touched Naruto's shoulder, hoping to calm him, but he didn't notice it. He glared at Tsunade, his rage obvious. “He-”
Tsunade cut him off wearily. “He betrayed the village, Naruto. It's been decided that he will be executed tomorrow. Leave it be.” Her tone told him that the decision was final and, perhaps, beyond her capability to change.
Naruto stared, shocked into silence for a moment. Then he started again. “Let me talk to him first. I need to do something!”
“I shouldn't, but I'm allowing you to. I knew at the beginning at the week that you'd only give me hell if you didn't see him, so I arranged that you would. You'll go down with an ANBU escort, and Sakura's going with you as well,” Tsunade replied. Naruto clenched his fist as his entire body, still wrapped in bandages, quivered. “Please, Naruto,” the Hokage added softly.
Naruto closed his eyes, forcing himself to relax. Then he nodded. “Okay,” he whispered hoarsely.
“Thank you. The escort is right outside, waiting with Sakura,” Tsunade dismissed them, returning to the paperwork that hadn't fallen.
Naruto paused by the door, looking at Hinata with concern. “You don't have to come, you know...I don't know what Sasuke's going to be like, but you shouldn't have to see it because of me.”
Hinata shook her head stubbornly. “I'm going with you.” She didn't add that she was worried what Naruto would do once he saw Sasuke again.
“Okay,” Naruto murmured. “If you're sure.”
They stepped out the door to see four ANBU, all in uniform and masks, and Sakura. She looked nearly as tired as Tsunade, but nodded in greeting. Silent, the escort then led them out of the Hokage tower, around the exterior of the building, to a thick metal door, barely noticeable due to the paint covering it- old and chipped, like that over the rest of the tower.
The lead ANBU unlocked it and entered first with another, and the last two closed the door after the group had entered. Its muffled thud sent vibrations throughout the stairway that the door had opened directly on to. It was tall, narrow, poorly lit, and creaked even though none of the group had moved. A few candles rested in carved out slots in the mortar of the stone walls, their lights ill and weak.
It seemed as if this prison area hadn't been used in a very long time. Cobwebs hung from practically every surface, and the few footprints were clearly marked, fresh in the ancient, thick dust. The group descended in silence; even if they had wanted to speak, the mood was oppressively like that of a funeral.
The room below the stairways was separated into six cells, the closest of which was locked and covered with a dark curtain. The others were empty of all but dust and dirt. Hinata noticed Naruto shivering as he looked at the curtained cell. The two ANBU in the front nodded to each other, grabbed the end of the curtain, and pulled it back to reveal the interior.
Sakura screamed.
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Chapter notes: Well. After practically a year or so, I've written another chapter of Remembrance! Cheers.
(Of course, it's ridiculously short, but hey.) Edit: I changed some things and added some others to make it more story-worthy.