Kaze no koibitō

18

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

"I say kill him now and be done with it. The longer you let him live, the more he will struggle to destroy you all."

Tsunade sighed and cast weary eyes upon Gaara. The Kazekage had tried to impress upon her the importance of ridding the world of the youngest Uchiha ever since they had captured him. She knew it would be the best thing to do, but unlike the Kazekage, she had to think of what the Konoha council would want.

"Gaara, you know as well as I do that I can't just kill him. The Sharingan is a valuable weapon to the Village Hidden in the Leaves."

"And it's a weapon that hasn't been there for years if you don't count Kakashi. His crimes are many and his virtues few. Just kill him. I'll do it for you. Sabaku Kyuu. Sabaku Soso. He won't feel a thing. He'll be dead, I'll be happy, Naruto will have to worry about one less person wanting to kill him, and everybody wins."

"Gaara..."

The Kazekage put on a fierce face and his sand rose behind him. He was tired of arguing his point and not actually being heard. Jiraiya moved to stand beside Tsunade in case Gaara tried anything. The former jinchuuriki took a deep breath and closed his eyes.

"Tsunade, let us not talk as Kages and village leaders for the moment. Let us talk as normal human beings. Does the Uchiha deserve to die for his crimes?"

Tsunade bowed her head and closed her eyes.

"Yes."

"Does he deserve pity? Does he deserve to even make it back to Konoha alive?"

"No."

Gaara put on an exasperated face and glared at Tsunade.

"Then why in the seven Hells are you taking him back alive? Kill him now!"

"I can't! I can't just kill him! He has to stand trial!"

The redhead sat back in his chair and sighed while shaking his head.

"This is the difference between Konoha and the rest of the world. Criminals are enemies of the state and should be treated as such. When they break the law, they no longer have rights. When a murderer murders, he should be killed before he can kill again. When a traitor betrays, he shouldn't be let back in the country to stand trial so he can live another day to betray again. I stand firm in the belief that he should be killed."

Gaara stood and walked over to Tsunade. She tensed with every step he took and cringed when he put his hand on her shoulder. She looked up into his eyes and found his usually stoic face somewhat...troubled.

"I am sorry I ever put him into your custody Hokage-dono. I should have executed him while he was still in the custody of my ninjas. At least then, it would have been on my hands instead of yours."

"Gaara..."

He stopped her by raising his hand.

"What is done is done now I suppose. I'm retiring for the night Tsunade. I shall see you off tomorrow morning."

She nodded and watched as he left. She turned to Jiraiya as he helped her up and put an arm around her shoulder. She was grateful to him at times like these.

"He's right you know. We should have killed him on the spot. Letting him live like this is a huge mistake."

Jiraiya nodded and squeezed her a bit harder.

"I know. But unlike Suna, we do things differently in Konoha. Clans have a lot more say so and power. And sadly enough, the Uchiha clan has always been an important facet of Konoha. Even if they are traitors."