Naruto: Rise and Wrath of the Emperor

Prologue, Part Three

{Konohagakure no Sato, the Land of Fire}

A week had passed since the Konoha Exodus, in which eight of Konoha's most prestigious clans had defected from Konohagakure no Sato.

Six years ago, Konohagakure no Sato was considered the strongest of all the ninja villages. With the most powerful Jinchuuriki as a deterrent and powerful clans such as the Hyugas and the Uchihas and several others, it was a village that commanded respect from friends and foes alike.

Then, Sasuke Uchiha attempted to defect to Orochimaru but was stopped by his teammate and brought back to Konohagakure no Sato. That was followed by the tribunal which had pardoned Sasuke and had banished Naruto. Shikamaru Nara, Kiba Inuzuka, and Shino Aburame had spoken in Naruto's defense, as did his father, his two teammates' parents, Tsume Inuzuka, and Misako Hyuga. Sasuke had broken the laws and used the Cursed Seal to combat Naruto, which meant that he had to use the Nine-Tails' power in retaliation. The law demanded that it was to be Sasuke Uchiha, not Naruto Uzumaki who should be banished.

Surprisingly enough, Anko Mitarashi, Ino Yamanaka, Choji Akimichi, Hinata Hyuga, Sakura Haruno, Mina Mikon, and Team Guy also spoke in Naruto's defense. But they were ignored and Naruto was banished. When those supporting Naruto protested, Tsunade and the Konoha Council threatened to strip the eight clans of clan status, to which the Hyuga Branch House, Aburame, Inuzuka, Mikon, Haruno, and the Ino-Shika-Cho responded in kind by threatening to leave Konoha, crippling it even more should they try. Tsunade and the council had no other choice but to back down.

After both Naruto and the former Hyuga Heiress had fled Konoha, it became known about the events following the Sasuke Recovery Mission. In the months following that incident, things had gone downhill from there.

Suna was the first to pull out of the alliance it had made with Konoha and the Land of Fire. Gaara had heard from Temari about how the Ino-Shika-Cho, Haruno, Mikon, Inuzuka, Aburame, and Team Guy had spoken in Naruto's defense and approved of their actions. If they decide to leave Konoha and settle in Suna, then they would be most welcome. The Land of Waves soon followed, terminating its trade agreements with Konoha and the Land of Fire.

Second, a scroll came from Spring Daimyo Koyuki Kazahana. Not only was the Land of Spring terminating its trade agreements with Konoha, but given both Kakashi and Jiraiya's intimate betrayal of Naruto, she was also pulling out of the Icha Icha movie. She also threatened Kakashi and Sasuke with death should they ever step foot in the Land of Spring again. As Jiraiya would later find out, the Spring Daimyo would later star in a series of movies based on Murrue Ramius's novels once the Western Empire had been established. As a bonus for the Land of Spring, she had left the Western Empire with a trading alliance for her homeland.

The same thing happened with the other countries where Naruto had made an impression. Treaties and alliances were pulled out, once they found out about not only the circumstances of the banishment orders but also the relationship between Naruto and the two Sannins. A betrayal orchestrated by his godparents. A betrayal by family.

In the end, Konohagakure is known as a village that banishes its heroes and rewards traitors. The Fire Daimyo, as well as the village itself and the two Sannins, would be synonymous with the word 'hypocrite,' while Kakashi Hatake, Sarutobi (the last and only clan who supported the banishment order), and Sasuke Uchiha himself would be synonymous with the word 'traitor.'

Even Iwa, who hated Konoha with a passion, was shocked as to how the son of their most hated enemy was treated. Despite Iwa's long-standing policy on Jinchuurikis, they would have thought that the son of the late Fourth Hokage would be treated better.