Partially Lifting Danzo's Seal
Those ninjas who knew a little about Danzo were not surprised by Hiruzen Sarutobi's account; at most, they gained a deeper understanding of Danzo.
However, most ordinary ninjas and civilians didn't know who this person was. As they watched Danzo, who was sealed tightly on the stage, and listened to Hiruzen Sarutobi's narration, their expressions and eyes became strange.
I never expected this. I thought Konoha had always been peaceful and stable, without any messy things. But I never imagined that such despicable acts, such methods, and such people who do the dirty work also exist within Konoha!
What does this mean? Have they come to understand their own Konoha better? But why does it feel like they've become more unfamiliar with the Konoha they're in now, rather than better understanding their own Konoha?
For a moment, many civilians and ninjas looked at Danzo above with suspicion and uncertainty, and stared at Hiruzen Sarutobi, who was talking eloquently, with inexplicable eyes. They felt as if they had come to know their own ninja village all over again.
Regardless, the public trial will continue.
And so, Hiruzen Sarutobi finished explaining Danzo's identity and general situation to everyone.
After finishing his speech, Hiruzen Sarutobi faced the bustling crowd below, and the complex emotions in their eyes. He felt deeply apologetic and ashamed.
"This is Danzo's identity, position, and general information."
Having heard this, you should now have a basic understanding of this person and know that he... is not a good person.
Please forgive me, but this is necessary. Just as there is light, there is always a shadow behind it. The light of Konoha is also hidden by deep roots. These roots, these things in the shadows, must exist, they must guard Konoha in the dark."
Listening to Hiruzen Sarutobi's words, which were neither a defense nor an excuse, Yun Yan, sitting next to him, curled his lip in disdain and interjected at this crucial moment:
"The Lord Hokage is right. Root is something that needs to exist in the shadows in any organization. Some things that are unavoidable need to be eliminated by people like them."
But precisely because they stay in the shadows, buried deep underground, and hidden in darkness, these things are most prone to rotting and decaying, endangering the entire Konoha. Don't you agree, Lord Hokage?"
As Yun Yan spoke his cruel and realistic words, Hiruzen Sarutobi looked even more exhausted and dejected. He nodded deeply, indicating that things were just as Yun Yan had said.
At this point, although neither Yun Yan nor Hiruzen Sarutobi had explained the situation clearly, the people below, who were good at making connections and had basic intelligence, had already roughly guessed what had happened.
It is estimated that Danzo, and the Root he controls, are the kind of rotten roots that harm the entire Konoha. He must have done a lot of wrongdoings, even heinous crimes that have angered both heaven and man. Otherwise, he would not have been brought to this trial platform, and a public trial would not have been specially held for him!
Besides that... there was another thing that everyone in the audience was particularly concerned about.
The person everyone was concerned about was none other than Yun Yan, who was sitting leisurely next to the Lord Hokage, completely calm and indifferent, seemingly unconcerned about anything, and even appearing to be in complete control.
Looking at this young man, the crowd below was completely bewildered. Who exactly was this young man?
Putting aside why he was qualified to sit next to the Hokage, just look at how... how could he have been so rude to the Lord Hokage? And yet the Lord Hokage seemed completely unfazed, not angry at all!
This... is a bit chilling to think about!
For a time, many people were less curious about the specific crimes Danzo had committed and more curious about Yun Yan's identity.
However, neither Hiruzen Sarutobi nor Yun Yan himself revealed what was going on with Yun Yan, leaving the others helpless. All that remained was for everyone to turn their attention back to Danzo.
Regardless, this assembly is a public trial, and the focus is indeed on Danzo, the prisoner. The emphasis is clearly on him, isn't it?
What crime did he commit that warranted the Lord Hokage convening such a public trial to judge him?
With these questions in mind, everyone continued to focus their attention on Danzo on the trial platform, and the public trial was able to continue.
After giving a general account of Danzo's situation, Hiruzen Sarutobi paused, looking around for professionals within Konoha who could conduct the trial.
Following Hiruzen Sarutobi's gaze, the so-called professional leaped high from a distance and landed on the judgment platform, appearing before everyone's eyes.
This person was none other than Morino Ibiki, the captain of Konoha Torture and Interrogation Force.
The man was dressed in a black overcoat, with a cold expression and ruthless eyes. Several deep scars marred his face, making him appear unapproachable. He exuded a chilling and ruthless aura.
This guy is a true professional! Who dares to say that Morino Ibiki, the captain of Konoha Torture and Interrogation Force, isn't a professional? He might be the most professional person in the entire Konoha, or even the entire Shinobi World!
Allowing him to proceed with the next steps of the trial is perfectly appropriate; with Morino Ibiki, there shouldn't be any problems.
Standing on the judge's platform, facing the intense gazes of the crowd below, Morino Ibiki's expression remained unchanged, still cold and detached. He coldly introduced himself to everyone:
"I am Morino Ibiki, the captain of the Konoha Torture and Interrogation Force. I will be in charge of most of the trial procedures, especially the interrogation of the prisoner Shimura Danzō."
I hope everyone will be considerate and refrain from making noise or interfering with my interrogation in any way, otherwise I will take some unnecessary measures."
And so, Morino Ibiki openly threatened all the people present.
You know what, this guy already looked fierce and cold, and now, combined with his icy and ruthless demeanor and inhuman aura, he really could scare people.
At the very least, after he said that, everyone below the judge's platform, whether ninjas or ordinary people, dared not speak loudly, and even whispering was too risky; an eerie silence descended upon the entire arena.
Seeing that the group had quieted down, Morino Ibiki nodded in satisfaction, then turned to look at Hiruzen Sarutobi.
"Lord Hokage, the interrogation is about to begin. I hope you can release part of the seal on the prisoner Shimura Danzō to facilitate my interrogation."
Hiruzen Sarutobi nodded heavily, and then in front of everyone, he began to quickly Hand Seals, releasing part of the seal on Danzo, restoring his five senses, allowing him to speak, move, and react to the outside world.
As the seal was partially broken, everyone witnessed Danzo, standing on the judgment platform, taking a deep breath.
The way he took that breath was as if Danzo suffocating for days and was finally able to breathe again.
He was panting heavily, his forehead covered in cold sweat, almost completely exhausted, and standing there in a daze, his mind somewhat hazy.
At the same time, Danzo began to adapt to his surroundings, receiving information and trying to figure out what was going on, where he was, and what his situation was.
Heaven knows how much suffering Danzo. He was sealed away for more than ten days. During this time, he had no sight, hearing, smell, taste, or even touch. He could not receive any information from the outside world, and he could not even move his body, let alone speak.
The only part of Danzo mind.
Unfortunately, Danzo's consciousness was still bound to his body, unable to move at all, receive any information from the outside world, or make any reaction. He could only struggle motionless in the endless darkness.
This torment lasted for more than ten days, almost completely wearing down Danzo's relatively strong will. Danzo is now completely devoid of spirit, reaching the weakest and most listless stage in his history.
Now that part of the seal has been broken, Danzo can finally see the light of day again. At least he can see and hear again, and it seems he can speak as well.
Danzo, utterly terrified and still shaken, gasped for breath, then looked around blankly, listening to the sounds around him as he assessed his surroundings.
Perhaps due to being tormented by darkness for over ten days, Danzo now somewhat dazed, as if he had been sealed away and rendered stupid. He turned his head left and right in confusion and bewilderment, looking at everything around him, trying to figure out what was going on.
Below were all the people from Konoha, including Morino Ibiki next to him, Yun Yan and the other four sitting behind him, as well as the Anbu Ninja were holding up Danzo of cloth around them and controlling Danzo.
These people were all staring coldly at Danzo, giving him time to recover with great tacit understanding and patience.