{We reached 28k collections, nice.}
{Keep the stones rolling, we need to tell everyone that we're back for the top rankings, from top 10 to top 100s, how far have we fallen, sigh, let's take it back to the top alright?}
The moment Homura said the words "the assassination attempt of the Third Hokage," the courtroom froze.
For a single heartbeat, there was nothing, no movement, no breath, no sound.
Then it exploded.
Voices rose all at once, overlapping, clashing, turning the underground chamber into a storm of disbelief and outrage. Clan heads stood halfway from their seats. Jonin slammed fists against armrests. Civilian elders shouted over one another, faces pale or flushed with anger.
An assassination attempt.
On Hiruzen Sarutobi.
The Third Hokage.
The man many still whispered about as the second God of Shinobi.
Most of those present were not shocked by the idea that Danzo Shimura would want Hiruzen dead. That part, grim as it was, fit the man they had come to understand over the course of the trial.
What stunned them was something far simpler.
That Danzo had actually tried.
In the current era, there was no shinobi whose name carried more weight than Hiruzen's. His mastery of ninjutsu, his battlefield experience, his reputation, these were not stories passed down by old men. These were facts the other villages actively feared. Even the other four Kage would hesitate to confront him directly, let alone attempt to assassinate him within the Leaf itself.
Yet Danzo, the who knew Hiruzen better than almost anyone had moved against him.
That was what made the room erupt.
"Are you saying-"
"That's impossible!"
"He wouldn't dare!"
"Even thinking of such a thing…"
The Fire Daimyo raised a hand sharply, his voice cutting through the noise.
"Silence."
It took a few seconds, but the room obeyed. The Daimyo turned slowly toward Homura, his brows knit together, confusion and disbelief written plainly across his face.
"He tried… what?" the Daimyo asked, as if he needed to hear it again to believe it.
Homura did not hesitate.
"I understand how absurd it sounds, Daimyō-sama," he said evenly. "But it is exactly as I stated. Danzo Shimura attempted to assassinate the Third Hokage."
A new ripple ran through the chamber, lower in decibel now.
"This is not a baseless accusation," Homura continued. "Nor is it built on circumstantial evidence or inference. One of the Third Hokage's personal protectors has already confirmed this matter."
That single sentence landed harder than anything before it.
Because Homura would never dare fabricate something like that.
The title protector of the Hokage was not something that could be forged or exaggerated. It meant someone who had been present. Someone who had seen it firsthand.
The murmurs died down, replaced by a tense, oppressive silence.
Danzo remained still in the defendant's enclosure, his visible eye narrowed, his expression unreadable. His grip on his cane had tightened, knuckles whitening just slightly.
Hiruzen, meanwhile, said nothing.
He sat with his hands folded in his lap, posture straight, eyes half-lidded. To an outsider, he looked calm, resigned even. But inside, his thoughts were moving steadily, methodically.
'They prepared this thoroughly.' he thought.
Even Kakashi.
The realization did not shock him as much as it might have once. Kakashi Hatake had never hidden his distaste for Danzo, not since the truth about Sakumo had been told to him. If Kakashi had been involved, then it meant everyone would know the full extent of Danzo's actions.
'I shouldn't be surprised,' Hiruzen admitted to himself. 'I chose not to see. Others didn't have that luxury.'
He exhaled slowly through his nose and continued listening.
Homura turned slightly, angling his body so he addressed both the Daimyo and the assembly.
"The attempt did not succeed," he said, "for reasons that should be obvious. However, evidence recovered from Root archives outlines surveillance schedules, patrol blind spots, and deployment plans that align precisely with the Hokage's movements during that period."
"Though," he continued evenly, "I suppose that in the face of overwhelming strength, all schemes ultimately fall apart. Danzo Shimura failed." His gaze swept the chamber. "Many of you may still doubt my words. That is understandable. After all, this is an accusation of the highest order."
He turned slightly and raised his voice just enough. "ANBU Captain Kakashi Hatake is the one who brought this matter to our attention. Furthermore, he agreed to allow the Yamanaka Clan Head to examine his memories from that incident."
A ripple of surprise moved through the room.
"I therefore request permission," Homura said, bowing slightly toward the Daimyo, "to show you, and everyone present the truth of that day. Not interpretation, not testimony, but true, unchangeable memory."
The Daimyo did not hesitate long. His curiosity, already burning, won out over anything else. "Permission granted," he said firmly. "Proceed."
Kakashi Hatake stepped forward.
He removed his ANBU mask, revealing his familiar silver hair and visible eye, though the lower half of his face remained covered as always. As he did, his gaze briefly met Ren's.
For just an instant.
Ren's lips moved soundlessly.
"Wood."
Kakashi's visible eye flickered in understanding.
'Hide Yamato.'
Ren's reasoning was simple. The Daimyo was already wary of power, of shinobi, of anything that hinted at another Hashirama Senju. Introducing a Wood Release user into this already volatile mix would only deepen that paranoia. Kakashi understood immediately and gave no sign of it.
Kakashi sat on the stool prepared for him. Inoichi Yamanaka stepped forward, his expression solemn, professional. He placed two fingers against Kakashi's temple, chakra flowing with practiced ease.
Both men knew the risks.
Projecting an entire memory was impossible and dangerous. So instead, Kakashi focused, isolating the specific sequence he wanted revealed. Inoichi nodded once, signaling readiness, then activated a secret Yamanaka technique.
The air in the chamber shimmered.
A translucent projection formed in the space above the floor, chakra shaping itself into moving images.
At first, it was a forest in the Land of Fire. A small escort moved through it, ANBU at the perimeter, the Third Hokage at the center.
Then masked figures burst from concealment.
The scene erupted into motion. Explosive tags blasted and kunai flashed. The Hokage's ANBU detail reacted instantly, intercepting the attackers with brutal efficiency. The projection showed precise movements, coordinated strikes, and within moments the ambushers lay dead.
A few murmurs rose in the chamber, but the memory did not end there.
The image blurred, the perspective shifting as Kakashi skipped forward.
The forest reappeared, this time quieter.
And there he was.
Danzo Shimura.
He stood at the edge of the battlefield, retreating, flanked by two figures unmistakable even through the hazy projection, Fu Yamanaka and Torune Aburame. They moved quickly, decisively, not like men responding to an emergency but like operatives withdrawing after a failed operation.
The projection faded.
Silence filled the chamber like a physical weight.
No one spoke. No one moved.
Even those who had doubted Homura's words now had nothing left to cling to. The memory was clear. Danzo had been there but not as a defender, nor as an ally. But as a conspirator retreating after failure.
For the sake of absolute certainty, the Daimyo turned slowly toward the Third Hokage.
"Third Hokage," he said, his voice measured but heavy, "was what we just witnessed… the truth?"
Hiruzen Sarutobi closed his eyes.
For a moment, he looked older than anyone in the room had ever seen him. The weight of decades, of friendship, of compromise, of willful blindness pressed down on him.
Then he nodded.
That single nod sealed Danzo Shimura's fate.
There was no more room for argument. No avenue for mercy. No doubt remaining in the minds of those present.
The trial had crossed the final threshold.
From this moment on, Danzo was no longer a powerful elder standing accused.
He was a traitor whose end was no longer a question of if, but when.
Kakashi stepped back into position beside the ANBU line, his expression once again hidden behind calm detachment, while Inoichi quietly withdrew his hand and returned to his place among the clan heads. The faint chakra residue from the memory projection dissipated, leaving the chamber feeling colder than before.
Homura drew in a slow breath and straightened his back.
"For the final time," he said, his voice steady but heavy, "I will speak."
The room listened.
"I believe," Homura continued, "that even a single piece of evidence presented today would have been sufficient for Danzo Shimura to be declared a traitor to the village." He paused, letting that truth settle. "However, given Danzo Shimura's exceptional service over the decades, his status, his influence, his history, it was necessary to do more."
He gestured lightly toward the stack of scrolls.
"It was necessary to show everyone here, without room for doubt, that even those who have worked the longest, even those who once stood closest to the Hokage, can fall. That devotion to the village, when twisted by obsession and fear, can rot into treason."
His gaze swept across the chamber.
"A village must be strict with traitors. This has always been true. Yet the Leaf Village has not had to demonstrate that strictness for many years, because no one had dared to betray the leaf, especially those of higher status. Today changes that."
The words carried weight.
"I therefore submit," Homura said firmly, "that Danzo Shimura should not only be punished for treason, but that his punishment should stand as an example. A reminder to every shinobi and civilian alike."
His eyes hardened.
"That the end of a traitor is death. No matter their past service. No matter their rank. No matter their status."
The silence that followed was different from before.
It was not tense.
It was final.
Everyone present understood it instinctively, the trial itself was already over. What remained was procedure.
Shikaku leaned slightly toward Yoru and muttered under his breath, "Well. That's one thing settled. Now we just wait for nightfall."
Before Yoru could respond, Homura spoke again.
"There is… one more thing I must say."
Shikaku frowned faintly. "There shouldn't be," he muttered.
Yoru's voice came quietly in reply. "The one speaking is Homura. But those words belong to Hiruzen. He couldn't stay silent after all."
Homura stood there for a moment longer, his shoulders visibly heavier than before. When he spoke again, his tone had changed. It was no longer that of an accuser or an elder passing judgment.
It was the voice of an old man.
"Danzo Shimura's treason," Homura said slowly, "should have been exposed long ago."
A ripple passed through the room.
"But it was not," he continued. "Not because Danzo hid it well. Not because he was too clever to hide it."
He turned slightly, his gaze briefly touching Koharu, then Hiruzen.
"It did not come to light because we, me, Elder Koharu, and the Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen, we were afraid."
The admission landed harder than any accusation.
"We knew," Homura said. "We all knew that our old friend was doing things he should not have been doing. We saw the signs. We heard the reports, but we chose to look away."
He began to walk slowly, his cane tapping softly against the stone floor.
"We were afraid of what would happen if the truth came out. Afraid of the chaos. Afraid of change. Afraid that the fragile peace we clung to would shatter if we touched it."
His jaw tightened.
"So we allowed it to continue. Day after day. Year after year."
Homura stopped walking.
"If we had acted sooner," he said quietly, "perhaps we would not be here today. Perhaps fewer lives would have been lost. Perhaps the village would not be standing at the edge it now faces."
He exhaled, the sound rough.
"But we did not act," he said. "Because we were cowards."
The word echoed in the chamber.
"Cowards who chose comfort over responsibility. Silence over action."
His eyes lifted, drifting briefly to Kakashi standing behind the Hokage, then to Ren seated in the front row.
"Fortunately," Homura continued, "the younger generation is stronger than we were. Stronger not only in power, but in resolve too."
He turned back toward the assembled crowd and, without hesitation, bowed deeply.
The movement was slow, deliberate, and absolute.
"To everyone gathered here," Homura said, his voice steady but strained, "I apologize."
No one interrupted.
"I apologize for our cowardice. I apologize that we did not act when there was still time."
He straightened slightly, his lips pressing together.
"I…"
The words faltered.
In the end, only two came out.
"I apologize."
~~~~~
{I hadn't really planned for Homura's speech at the end, but I feel like it was a good addition, but what do you think, tell me in the comments.}
{Also, do you guys want the Hiruzen-Danzo before everything goes down or at the time of Danzo's death? I could do both too if you wish so tell me.}
{Also, comment how you felt this whole trial was, I don't think there would be anymore trial scenes in the fic so I want your input.}