The Hunchback of Notre Dame (A Naruto Tale)

Chapter 5: Justice!

    Hidan and Konan are watching the festival from the side and decided to stir up some trouble "You think he's ugly now?  Watch this!"Konan says as he throws a tomato at Naruto hitting him in the face. The crowd grows quiet "Now that's ugly!" Konan shouts "Hail to the king!" another guard shouts throwing another tomato. Soon, Naruto is being pelted with produce of all kinds.  Shouts from the crowd come from all directions.  Naruto is soon lassoed and tied down on a rotating platform.  He is spun around, as on lookers continue their torment.  He sees Danzo watching and shouts for help. "Master!  Master, please! Help me!" Naruto shouts but Danzo refuses to do so. Sasuke is shocked and looks at Danzo "Sir, request permission to stop this cruelty." he asks "In just a moment, Captain.  A lesson needs to be learned here." Danzo reassures him. The crowd gasps and goes silent.  Sasuke and Danzo look up to the stage and see Sakura ascending the steps.

   Sakura kneels next to Naruto "Don't be afraid.  I'm sorry.  This wasn't supposed to happen." she says as she wipes off the tomato juice from his face. "You!  Gypsy girl!  Get down at once!" Danzo commands her "Yes, your honor.  Just as soon as I free this poor creature." Sakura replies "I forbid it!" Danzo yells. Sakura whips out a knife and cuts the ropes holding Naruto. "How dare you defy me!" Danzo shouts "You mistreat this poor boy the same way you mistreat my people.  You speak of justice, yet you are cruel to those most in need of your help." Sakura explains " Silence!" Danzo shouts "Justice!" Sakura claps back making the crowd gasp.

  "Mark my words, gypsy.  You will pay for this insolence." Danzo sneers "Then it appears we've crowned the wrong fool." Sakura says as she takes the crown off of Naruto's head and throws it at Danzo "The only fool I see is you!" she shouts. Danzo looks at Sasuke "Captain Sasuke!  Arrest her." he commands. Sasuke motions for his guards to move in and arrest Sakura.  They surround the stage. "Now, let's see" Sakura says as she counts the guards "One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten of you, and one of me.  What's a poor girl to do?" She begins to cry, then disappears in an explosion of smoke. "Witchcraft!" Danzo gasps "Oh, boys!  Over here!" Sakura shouts as she and Akumaru, are seen from a fruit stand. She leads the guards on a wild chase.  At one point, she knocks a large cage containing an old prisoner to the ground.  It goes rolling away, until it comes to a stop and the lock breaks open.  He steps out saying "I'm free, I'm free!" but trips and falls into the stockade, which closes and locks. "Dang it." the old man frowns.

   Sakura continues to evade the guards.  At one point, she and Akumaru jump on top of the crowd, which carries them away to safety. Two guards attempt the same move, and the crowd quickly moves away.  She grabs a helmet from one of the guards, and throws it like a frisbee.  It hits three guards and knocks them out, before almost chopping Sasukes' head off. "What a woman!" Sasuke shouts in excitement. Two guards on horseback are chasing Sakura.  As she leaps over Danzo's stand, someone throws the guards a staff.  Each holding onto an end, the horizontal staff slices through Danzo's stand, sending him diving for cover.  Sakura ascends to the top of a stand, then promptly disappears.

    A small rain storm begins to start, Danzo then looks to Sasuke as he mounts his horse Snowball. "Find her, Captain!  I want her alive!" he orders "Yes, sir.  Seal off the area, men.  Find the gypsy girl, and do not harm her!" Sasuke orders. Danzo rides over to Naruto.  He hangs his head low. "I'm sorry, master.  I will never disobey you again." Naruto whispers then moves to the entrance to the cathedral as the rain begins to fall. He goes in, then slowly closes the door to his freedom. As the rain continues to fall, Sasuke and the guards searching for Sakura.  She is disguised, again with Akumaru as the old man.  She sneaks into the church.  Sasuke sees her and recognizes who it is.  He follows her in alone.  As he comes up behind her, she turns and grabs his sword. "You!" she sneers forcing him to the floor, holding him there with the tip of his sword at his chin. "Easy, easy--I just shaved this morning." Sasuke protests "Oh, really?  You missed a spot." Sakura snickers "All right, all right.  Just calm down.  Just give me a chance to apologize." Sasuke surrenders "For what?" she asks. As she lets down her guard for a split second, Sasuke grabs the sword from her hands and turns it on her. "That, for example." Sasuke answers "You sneaky son of a--" Sakura gritted her teeth "Ah, ah, ah!  Watch it--you're in a church." Sasuke reminds her. Sakura picks up a staff with candles on top. "Are you always this charming, or am I just lucky?" she asks the handsome guard. She swings the staff at Sasuke, who blocks it with his sword and they fight. "Candlelight...privacy... music. Can't think of a better place for hand-to-hand combat! You fight almost as well as a man! Sasuke says between Sakura's swings "Funny.  I was going to say the same thing about you." Sakura snaps "That's hitting a little below the belt, don't you think?" Sasuke shrugged "No.  This is." she replies swinging one end of the staff at Sasuke's crotch. He blocks it with his sword.  She quickly hits him in the face with the other end of the staff, but he shakes it off.

"Touche!" Sasuke smiles, Akumaru butts him in the chest "I didn't know you had a kid." Sasuke replies "Well, he doesn't take kindly to soldiers." Sakura explains as the fight subsides "Eh, I noticed.  Permit me.  I'm Sasuke.  It means "ninja."  And you are?" Sasuke tries to lighten the mood. Sakura and Akumaru look at each other in confusion "Is this an interrogation?" Sakura asks "It's called an introduction" Sasuke says as he puts his sword away "You're not arresting me?" Sakura raises an eyebrow "Not as long as you're in here.  I can't." Sasuke explained "You're not at all like the other soldiers." Sakura said as she put the candle staff down. "Thank you" Sasuke nods "So, if you're not going to arrest me, what do you want?" Sakura asked Crossing her arms "I'd settle for your name" the solider smiled "Sakura" smiles back "beautiful.  Much better than Sasuke anyway" he shrugged making her giggle. As they gaze into each other's eyes, neither notices Danzo and the guards approaching.

"Good work, Captain!  Now, arrest her" Danzo commanded "Claim sanctuary" Sasuke whispers to the gypsy. Sakura looks a him oddly "Say It!" he whispered "You tricked me!" Sakura sneered "I'm waiting, Captain." Danzo said "I'm sorry, sir.  She claims sanctuary.  There's nothing I can do." Sasuke explains "Then drag her outside at--" Danzo shouts when suddenly Kakashi comes. "Danzo!  You will not touch her!" He shouts as he walks towards Sakura "Don't worry. Minister Danzo learned years ago to respect the sanctity of the church." Kakashi explains to the gypsy girl.
   Danzo and the guards turn to leave but Danzo ducks around a pillar and doubles back. As Kakashi escorts Sasuke out along with Akamaru head butting him out. Danzo jumps
out, grabbing Sakura's arm, twisting it behind her.
      "You think you've outwitted me, but I am a patient man, and gypsies don't do well inside stone walls." Danzo whispers. He pauses, then breathes deeply, smelling Sakura's hair. "What are you doing?" She asks him "I was just imagining a rope around that beautiful neck." He snickers as he caresses her neck, but she pulls away. "I know what you were imagining" Sakura snaps . "Such a clever witch.  So typical of your kind, to twist the truth to cloud the mind with unholy thoughts." Danzo explains as he walks away "Well, no matter. You've chosen a magnificent prison, but it is a prison nonetheless.  Set one foot outside, and you're mine!" He shouts as he slams the door.