After all I did...

Recess

The crowd was silent as the witness on the stand, Iruka Umino, was questioned extensively about Naruto and his past regarding the Nine Tailed Fox.

While the questions continued, Iruka always answered in a monotonous voice. Never showing any form of emotion. This Iruka was very different from the one everyone knew. He was always the person who wore his emotions on his sleeves. He was kind, forgiving, and usually happy.

The only reason they knew it was Iruka was because of his face. Even his voice was different. It carried a sense of indifference to everything around him. Like he felt nothing for what he had done.

All the while, the bleeding blond had never said a word. Some even thought he was dead, but he was breathing, albeit very shallowly.

The Daimyo noticed this, but decided to wait and see if the young man was just thinking of how to defend himself. Granted, he had a leg up from the Shikaku debacle, but he still had some leg work to prove his total innocence.

But, it was going to be near impossible to prove it. He had no way of proving he never conspired with the fox, after all, they could only communicate through their minds.

Naruto sat still as a stone, he didn't have much room to move while being held down by a post, but that wasn't the point. The only movement he made was small breaths that barely moved his body, along with the occasional cough that added to the collection of blood in front of him.

In the stands, the group that had just arrived from a mission reached their friends' seats.

"Neji, Lee, Tenten, and even Sakura you all made it." Ino whispered when she saw her friends make it up the stairs.

They all nodded, "We just got back a few moments ago, we just heard the trial was happening today." Neji spoke in a hushed manner.

"I hope the mission went well."

"That doesn't matter now, what have we missed?" Neji deflected the conversation.

"Why is he in such bad condition?" Sakura's voice was so faint, they almost didn't hear it over the loud banter between Iruka and his questioner.

Ino looked down at Naruto, his down cast face covered by a shadow and his bloody hair,"It's probably best you didn't show up earlier. It was..." she choked up a little and covered her mouth.

"What? What happened?" Sakura started to sound desperate.

"Trust us, you wouldn't have wanted to see it. Let's just say, the villagers got to show him a piece of their mind on his way up there." Shikamaru spoke in a lazy tone, his eyes unfocused as he thought about the events that transpired not too long ago.

"Where is his defense, in a trial like this he needs a lawyer of some kind." Lee piped up.

"He either didn't ask for one, or wasn't given one. Either way, I doubt anyone would have helped him anyway." Came the grumbly voice of Asuma Sarutobi.

"Does he want to die? He needs someone to defend him! He can't think of a plan on his own, let alone protect himself in a court!" Sakura's whisper grew louder.

The silent one of the group decided to speak up. "Do you think she little of your teammate? Personally, I think he has done a fantastic job so far, considering the odds are so stacked against him."

"Shino's right, he has done pretty good so far, though I'd say it was far from perfect." Kurani looked down at the defendant, a small frown on her face.

Naruto's pink haired squad mate blinks, "How? Since we have arrived, he hasn't said a thing in defense. He hasn't even moved."

"They can explain when the Daimyo calls a recess. Lets just watch for now." Neji states in a tone of finality as he looks at the man that most thought was a simple school teacher. They all nod and turn their attention back to the platform.