Homura took a cloth offered by an ANBU and methodically wiped his hand, as if cleaning away something far more unpleasant than blood.
The body of the Root operative was carried out in silence and only when the doors closed did Homura turn back toward the Fire Daimyo.
"As you have just witnessed, Lord Daimyo," he began, his voice steady and controlled, "the Root operatives, who, as we all know, functioned directly under Danzo Shimura, displayed an unmistakable pattern of loyalty."
He gestured lightly toward the now-empty space where the operative had been seated.
"They struggled violently when compelled to speak about Danzo Shimura. Their bodies resisted, their minds fractured, and the moment they neared the truth, a curse seal activated and killed them."
Homura paused, letting that sink in.
"Yet," he continued, his tone sharpening slightly, "those same seals did not prevent them from speaking about the Leaf Village itself. They could reveal sensitive village infrastructure. They could speak about classified routes. They could expose secrets that, if leaked, would endanger every citizen within our walls."
A low murmur rippled through the chamber.
"What does that tell us?" Homura asked quietly. "It tells us that the absolute restriction was not placed on betraying the village, but on betraying Danzo Shimura."
He folded his hands behind his back and took a slow step forward.
"These Root operatives were not conditioned to protect the Leaf above all else. They were conditioned to protect a single man."
His voice softened then, not with sympathy for Danzo, but for the people who had served under him.
"These shinobi were once children. Orphans, war survivors, promising youths who could have grown into protectors of the village, into leaders, teachers, parents."
Homura's gaze flicked briefly to the rows of jonin and department heads.
"They were the future of the Leaf."
Then his eyes turned to Danzo.
"And this man," Homura said, pointing directly at him, "stole that future."
The words landed like a blade.
"He took the village's children and twisted them into tools. He erased their loyalty to the Hokage, to the clans, to the people, and replaced it with loyalty to himself. He built a private army in the shadows, hidden even from the Hokage, and bound it with seals designed not to protect the village, but to protect him."
Homura's voice hardened again.
"If this is not the deliberate construction of power outside the village's authority, then what is? If this is not preparation for treason, then the word itself has no meaning."
Silence followed, heavy, suffocating silence.
Many in the room sat frozen.
Those who had known fragments of Root's existence felt vindicated in their worst fears.
Those who had known nothing felt something far worse.
Betrayal.
The jonin clenched their fists. Several department heads stared at Danzo with open fury. To them, the village had always been a shared burden and a shared duty, when they were young, they were protected; when they grew strong, they protected others.
That was the unspoken promise of the Leaf.
And now they were learning that someone entrusted with safeguarding that promise had been tearing it apart from the inside for decades.
Hiruzen watched their reactions carefully.
He did not need words to understand what they felt, rage, grief, disbelief, and a deep, bitter sense of having been fooled.
He felt it too.
But he also knew something they did not.
This is still only the beginning, he thought.
His gaze shifted back to Homura.
The elder stood straight, composed, his expression grave but resolute. There was no hesitation left in him now.
Homura inhaled slowly.
Then he spoke again.
"And that," he said, his voice carrying through the chamber, "is only the first layer."
A chill ran through the room.
Hiruzen closed his eyes for the briefest moment.
The real storm, it seemed, was only just beginning.
Homura straightened the scroll in his hands and continued, his voice steady but carrying more weight than before.
"Now that we have already established," he said, sweeping his gaze across the chamber, "that the Root was not a village-authorized force but rather a private army operating directly under Danzo Shimura, we arrive at a simple and uncomfortable truth. The very act of raising an armed organization without the Hokage's knowledge or approval is, by law, an act of treason."
A murmur rippled through the room. Several clan heads shifted in their seats. A few jonin clenched their jaws.
Homura did not pause.
"That fact alone," he continued, "is sufficient grounds for execution. There is no ambiguity here. No room for interpretation. However, " he raised a hand slightly, tempering the tension "we are not ignorant of the argument Danzo Shimura would present in his own defense."
His eyes flicked briefly toward the defendant's box.
"He would say that he has served the village for decades. That his hands were stained so others could remain clean. That even if his methods were unlawful, his intent was always to protect the Leaf. On those grounds, he would argue that life imprisonment would be punishment enough."
Homura's expression hardened.
"But a man like him does not deserve such a light sentence. Not after what we have uncovered."
On the front row, Ren leaned sideways toward Yoru, lowering his voice just enough that it wouldn't carry.
"This one's completely on our side now," Ren murmured, eyes still fixed on Homura. "The way he's pushing, there's no room left for Danzo to breathe. What about the other elder?"
Yoru didn't look at him immediately. His gaze remained forward, black mask hiding his expression as he replied quietly, "She's easier. Koharu doesn't have Danzo's influence or Homura's spine. Once Danzo falls, she won't last long either. Power dries up fast when its source is gone."
Ren hummed softly, nodding. "Figures."
He leaned back slightly, then tilted his head again. "So," he whispered, "how's the night looking?"
Yoru was silent for a few seconds, clearly organizing his thoughts. Then he answered, his voice low and clinical.
"Five main issues," he said. "Danzo himself, his open forces, his hidden forces, the Uchiha clan and the reactions of the other villages."
Ren's lips curled faintly. "You don't need to worry about the other villages."
He continued, "The Mist and Sand are too busy keeping themselves alive to poke their heads into this mess," Ren continued calmly. "As for Cloud and Stone, those are handled."
Yoru tried to remember the recent information but couldn't see what Ren might've done so he asked. "Handled how?"
Instead of answering, Ren reached into his coat and produced a folded photograph. He slid it halfway out, just enough for Yoru to see.
Yoru took it, glanced down and froze.
For a brief moment, the ever-composed ANBU Commander said nothing. His fingers tightened imperceptibly on the bench before he slowly looked back at Ren.
"…Does anyone else in the village know?" Yoru asked, his voice heavier now.
Ren shook his head once. "No one."
Yoru exhaled quietly, then motioned for him to put the photo back.
"Good. Keep it that way. We'll need leverage once Danzo is dealt with. This… is not something you reveal lightly."
Ren slid the photo back into his coat, expression unreadable.
"Wasn't planning on it."
Their attention returned to the center of the chamber as Homura continued speaking, his tone now sharper, more deliberate.
Homura did not allow the weight of his previous revelations to settle for too long.
He reached into the stack beside him and deliberately placed another scroll in front of the Fire Daimyo. Unlike the others, this one was bound in red cord, the paper aged and slightly warped, as if it had been handled many times and hidden away just as often.
"This scroll," Homura said evenly, "contains mission records, correspondence, and operational notes that Danzo Shimura deemed unimportant enough to survive destruction."
A ripple moved through the chamber.
Homura continued without pause. "Among these documents are records that directly link Danzo Shimura to several nobles within your court, Daimyo-sama."
The effect was immediate.
The Daimyo's previously controlled expression hardened, the faint lines at the corners of his eyes deepening. The two guardians behind him shifted subtly, hands tightening on weapon hilts, their attention sharpening.
Homura inclined his head slightly. "We were fully aware that acting against court nobles falls outside the authority of the village. However, this situation was initiated by one of our shinobi. As such, we believed it was our responsibility to investigate thoroughly, even at the risk of overstepping."
He bowed his head, formal and precise. "For any complications this may cause within your court, the village is prepared to take responsibility."
The Daimyo did not respond immediately.
Homura straightened and went on. "What we discovered during this investigation was… troubling. Each of these nobles was positioned by Danzo Shimura to influence court decisions in ways that favored his interests. More importantly," he lifted his gaze "each of them bears the same cursed seal embedded within their minds. The same seal used on Root operatives."
The chamber grew deathly quiet.
"Allow me," Homura said calmly, "to present them."
He clapped his hands once.
The side doors opened, and ANBU operatives escorted five chained figures into the chamber. Their clothing was fine, expensive robes and garments befitting status. Yet they were bound like criminals, wrists and ankles secured with chakra-suppressing restraints.
The Daimyō's eyes moved across them… then stopped.
His breath caught.
"The Prime Minister," he muttered, disbelief and fury twisting his voice.
Homura nodded gravely. "Yes. Unfortunately, he is among them."
The Prime Minister stared straight ahead, face pale but composed in a way that suggested long familiarity with hiding fear.
"If you doubt this claim," Homura added, "the Yamanaka Clan Head may confirm the presence of the seal."
The Daimyo closed his eyes and drew in a long, controlled breath. When he opened them again, the disbelief was gone, replaced by cold understanding.
"No need," he said quietly. "I recall their actions, their advice, their… insistence. I suspected corruption, but not this."
His gaze shifted sharply to Hiruzen. "Third Hokage."
The weight in his voice was unmistakable.
"It was agreed long ago that shinobi would never interfere in court affairs," the Daimyo continued. "Yet now I learn that one of your own has infiltrated my court, controlled even my Prime Minister. This is not a matter that can be brushed aside."
Hiruzen bowed his head slightly. "I understand, Daimyō-sama."
"Because this borders on an act against the authority of the Fire Regent himself." the Daimyo said, his voice hardening, "There had better be a good explanation"
Before Hiruzen could respond, a soft snort echoed through the chamber.
"Other than the fact that Danzo was a traitor?"
The silence that followed was absolute.
The Daimyo's head snapped toward the crowd, eyes sharp as blades as he searched for the speaker. Clan heads looked away, Jōnin stiffened. Some stared resolutely at the floor.
Ren, meanwhile, had one hand pressed against his mouth, shoulders shaking faintly as he fought the urge to laugh outright.
Before the tension could spiral, Homura stepped in smoothly.
"These five," he said, gesturing toward the chained nobles, "will be escorted to the Fire Capital immediately. Their fate will be decided by your court, Daimyo-sama."
The Daimyo nodded stiffly. "So ordered."
The ANBU moved swiftly, dragging the nobles away. The Prime Minister did not resist. He did not speak.
As the doors closed behind them, Homura turned back to the chamber, his expression unyielding.
"Now," he said, "we return to Danzo Shimura."
What followed was relentless.
Homura presented record after record, unauthorized assassinations conducted during periods of fragile peace, council votes manipulated through intimidation or blackmail, policies forced through civilian channels to expand Root influence. He detailed the quiet removal of prodigies who refused to submit, shinobi who vanished after declining Danzo's 'offers,' their deaths recorded as accidents or missing-in-action reports.
The chamber grew heavier with every word.
Ren leaned back slightly, arms crossed as he listened.
'They really went all out,' he thought. 'Yoru and Shikaku didn't leave a single bone unbroken.'
He leaned toward Yoru and murmured, "You guys did thorough work."
Yoru did not look at him. "We had to."
"How'd you get half of this?" Ren asked quietly.
Yoru was silent for a long moment. Then, just as quietly, he replied,
"We gathered every captured Root operative. Fugaku used the Sharingan. Those who died to the cursed seal while answering, we marked their statements as confirmed. Those who lived were set aside."
Ren exhaled slowly. "That's… fun… in a brutal kind of way."
"It was necessary," Yoru said flatly. "The Daimyo had already decided Danzo's fate, this just ensured there was no room for doubt."
By the time Homura reached the end of his list, the mood in the chamber had shifted completely. No one defended Danzo. No one even looked at him.
Yet Homura was not finished.
He paused, allowing the silence to stretch.
"There is one final matter," he said slowly, "that removes all remaining ambiguity."
He lifted his gaze, eyes sharp as steel.
"The assassination attempt on the Third Hokage."
~~~~~
{I'm sneaking in some of what's to come in the upcoming chapters, however there are many things that will be happening in the next many chapter.}
{This arc will be long, no doubt about that, however I believe Danzo's death and it's consequences demands high numbers, after all there aren't many things to do in a Naruto Fanfic before canon; Academy, Genin life, Training Arcs, Missions, Missions gone wrongs, MC becoming OP, Uchiha Massacre, etc…
So Danzo's death does require a long time, one, to increase chapters of the fic and second, to give readers proper satisfaction regarding the end of someone as evil as Danzo.
Also, I don't think there are many fics where they go proper trial route for something as serious as Danzo's crime, so enjoy where you're getting it.}
{One more thing, I know there would be many more things that Danzo did like illegal experiments, collaborating with other villages, however no proof, no mention.}